BDFLUSH(2)                          Linux Programmer's Manual                          BDFLUSH(2)



NAME
       bdflush - start, flush, or tune buffer-dirty-flush daemon

SYNOPSIS
       #include <sys/kdaemon.h>

       int bdflush(int func, long *address);
       int bdflush(int func, long data);

DESCRIPTION
       Note:  Since  Linux 2.6, this system call is deprecated and does nothing.  It is likely to
       disappear altogether in  a  future  kernel  release.   Nowadays,  the  task  performed  by
       bdflush() is handled by the kernel pdflush thread.

       bdflush()  starts,  flushes,  or  tunes  the buffer-dirty-flush daemon.  Only a privileged
       process (one with the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability) may call bdflush().

       If func is negative or 0, and no daemon has been started, then bdflush() enters the daemon
       code and never returns.

       If func is 1, some dirty buffers are written to disk.

       If  func  is  2  or more and is even (low bit is 0), then address is the address of a long
       word, and the tuning parameter numbered (func-2)/2 is  returned  to  the  caller  in  that
       address.

       If  func  is 3 or more and is odd (low bit is 1), then data is a long word, and the kernel
       sets tuning parameter numbered (func-3)/2 to that value.

       The set of parameters, their values, and their valid ranges are defined in the Linux  ker‐
       nel source file fs/buffer.c.

RETURN VALUE
       If  func  is  negative  or  0 and the daemon successfully starts, bdflush() never returns.
       Otherwise, the return value is 0 on success and -1 on failure, with errno set to  indicate
       the error.

ERRORS
       EBUSY  An  attempt  was  made  to  enter the daemon code after another process has already
              entered.

       EFAULT address points outside your accessible address space.

       EINVAL An attempt was made to read or write an invalid parameter number, or  to  write  an
              invalid value to a parameter.

       EPERM  Caller does not have the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability.

CONFORMING TO
       bdflush() is Linux-specific and should not be used in programs intended to be portable.

SEE ALSO
       fsync(2), sync(2), sync(1)

COLOPHON
       This  page  is  part of release 3.74 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the
       project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest version of  this  page,  can  be
       found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.



Linux                                       2014-08-19                                 BDFLUSH(2)