[RFC 03/19] eventpoll: add API specification for epoll_create

Sasha Levin
2025-06-14T13:49:03Z

Add kernel API specification for the epoll_create() system call.

Signed-off-by: Sasha Levin <sashal@kernel.org>
---
fs/eventpoll.c | 111 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 file changed, 111 insertions(+)

diff --git a/fs/eventpoll.c b/fs/eventpoll.c
index 8f8a64ebbaef6..50adea7ba43d1 100644
--- a/fs/eventpoll.c
+++ b/fs/eventpoll.c
@@ -2356,6 +2356,117 @@ SYSCALL_DEFINE1(epoll_create1, int, flags)
return do_epoll_create(flags);
}

+
+DEFINE_KERNEL_API_SPEC(sys_epoll_create)
+ KAPI_DESCRIPTION("Create an epoll instance (obsolete)")
+ KAPI_LONG_DESC("Creates a new epoll instance and returns a file descriptor "
+ "referring to that instance. This is the obsolete interface; "
+ "new applications should use epoll_create1() instead.")
+ KAPI_CONTEXT(KAPI_CTX_PROCESS | KAPI_CTX_SLEEPABLE)
+
+ KAPI_PARAM(0, "size", "int", "Ignored hint about expected number of file descriptors")
+ KAPI_PARAM_FLAGS(KAPI_PARAM_IN)
+ KAPI_PARAM_RANGE(1, INT_MAX)
+ .constraint_type = KAPI_CONSTRAINT_RANGE,
+ .constraints = "Must be greater than zero (ignored since Linux 2.6.8)",
+ KAPI_PARAM_END
+
+ KAPI_RETURN("long", "File descriptor on success, negative error code on failure")
+ .type = KAPI_TYPE_INT,
+ .check_type = KAPI_RETURN_FD,
+ KAPI_RETURN_END
+
+ KAPI_ERROR(0, -EINVAL, "EINVAL", "size <= 0",
+ "The size parameter must be greater than zero.")
+ KAPI_ERROR(1, -EMFILE, "EMFILE", "Per-process file descriptor limit reached",
+ "The per-process limit on the number of open file descriptors has been reached.")
+ KAPI_ERROR(2, -ENFILE, "ENFILE", "System file table overflow",
+ "The system-wide limit on the total number of open files has been reached.")
+ KAPI_ERROR(3, -ENOMEM, "ENOMEM", "Insufficient kernel memory",
+ "There was insufficient kernel memory to create the epoll instance.")
+ KAPI_ERROR(4, -EINTR, "EINTR", "Interrupted by signal",
+ "The system call was interrupted by a signal before the epoll instance could be created.")
+
+ .error_count = 5,
+ .param_count = 1,
+ .since_version = "2.6",
+ .deprecated = true,
+ .replacement = "epoll_create1",
+ .examples = "int epfd = epoll_create(1024); // size is ignored since Linux 2.6.8",
+ .notes = "Since Linux 2.6.8, the size argument is ignored but must be greater than zero. "
+ "The kernel dynamically sizes the data structures as needed. "
+ "For new applications, epoll_create1() should be preferred as it allows "
+ "setting close-on-exec flag atomically.",
+
+ /* Side effects */
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT(0, KAPI_EFFECT_RESOURCE_CREATE | KAPI_EFFECT_ALLOC_MEMORY,
+ "epoll instance",
+ "Creates a new epoll instance and allocates kernel memory for it")
+ KAPI_EFFECT_CONDITION("Always when successful")
+ KAPI_EFFECT_REVERSIBLE
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT_END
+
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT(1, KAPI_EFFECT_RESOURCE_CREATE,
+ "file descriptor",
+ "Allocates a new file descriptor in the process's file descriptor table")
+ KAPI_EFFECT_CONDITION("Always when successful")
+ KAPI_EFFECT_REVERSIBLE
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT_END
+
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT(2, KAPI_EFFECT_MODIFY_STATE,
+ "kernel file table",
+ "Adds new file structure to system-wide file table")
+ KAPI_EFFECT_CONDITION("Always when successful")
+ KAPI_EFFECT_REVERSIBLE
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT_END
+
+ KAPI_SIDE_EFFECT_COUNT(3)
+
+ /* State transitions */
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS(0, "epoll instance", "non-existent", "created and empty",
+ "A new epoll instance is created with no monitored file descriptors")
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS_COND("On successful creation")
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS_END
+
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS(1, "file descriptor", "unallocated", "allocated and open",
+ "A new file descriptor is allocated in the process's fd table")
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS_COND("On successful creation")
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS_END
+
+ KAPI_STATE_TRANS_COUNT(2)
+
+ /* Signal specifications */
+ KAPI_SIGNAL(0, SIGINT, "SIGINT", KAPI_SIGNAL_RECEIVE, KAPI_SIGNAL_ACTION_RETURN)
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_CONDITION("During kernel memory allocation")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_DESC("If interrupted during memory allocation or fd allocation, returns -EINTR")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_RESTARTABLE
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_END
+
+ KAPI_SIGNAL(1, SIGTERM, "SIGTERM", KAPI_SIGNAL_RECEIVE, KAPI_SIGNAL_ACTION_RETURN)
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_CONDITION("During kernel memory allocation")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_DESC("If interrupted during memory allocation or fd allocation, returns -EINTR")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_RESTARTABLE
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_END
+
+ KAPI_SIGNAL(2, SIGKILL, "SIGKILL", KAPI_SIGNAL_RECEIVE, KAPI_SIGNAL_ACTION_TERMINATE)
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_CONDITION("At any point during the syscall")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_DESC("Process is terminated immediately, epoll instance creation may be incomplete")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_END
+
+ KAPI_SIGNAL(3, SIGHUP, "SIGHUP", KAPI_SIGNAL_RECEIVE, KAPI_SIGNAL_ACTION_RETURN)
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_CONDITION("During kernel operations")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_DESC("If process is being terminated due to terminal hangup, may return -EINTR")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_RESTARTABLE
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_END
+
+ KAPI_SIGNAL(4, SIGPIPE, "SIGPIPE", KAPI_SIGNAL_IGNORE, KAPI_SIGNAL_ACTION_DEFAULT)
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_CONDITION("Never generated by epoll_create")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_DESC("This signal is not relevant to epoll_create as it doesn't involve pipes")
+ KAPI_SIGNAL_END
+
+ .signal_count = 5,
+KAPI_END_SPEC;
+
SYSCALL_DEFINE1(epoll_create, int, size)
{
if (size <= 0)
--
2.39.5