[PATCH] ALSA: core: propagate actual error code from register_chrdev

From: phucduc . bui

Date: Fri Jul 03 2026 - 06:48:50 EST


From: bui duc phuc <phucduc.bui@xxxxxxxxx>

The alsa_sound_init() function currently returns a hardcoded -EIO
if register_chrdev() fails, masking specific error codes from
__register_chrdev() such as -EINVAL, -ENOMEM, or -EBUSY.

Masking these failures under a generic -EIO makes system-level
diagnostics unnecessarily difficult. Propagating explicit error codes
from register_chrdev() is also an established convention widely
practiced across other subsystems.

Fix this by capturing and propagating the dynamic error code from
register_chrdev(). While at it, also assign the return value of
snd_info_init() to the 'err' variable instead of hardcoding -ENOMEM
to ensure consistency and future-proofing.

Signed-off-by: bui duc phuc <phucduc.bui@xxxxxxxxx>
---
sound/core/sound.c | 14 ++++++++++----
1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/sound/core/sound.c b/sound/core/sound.c
index 8d05fe0d263b..3e1969a52b21 100644
--- a/sound/core/sound.c
+++ b/sound/core/sound.c
@@ -395,15 +395,21 @@ int __init snd_minor_info_init(void)

static int __init alsa_sound_init(void)
{
+ int err;
+
snd_major = major;
snd_ecards_limit = cards_limit;
- if (register_chrdev(major, "alsa", &snd_fops)) {
+
+ err = register_chrdev(major, "alsa", &snd_fops);
+ if (err < 0) {
pr_err("ALSA core: unable to register native major device number %d\n", major);
- return -EIO;
+ return err;
}
- if (snd_info_init() < 0) {
+
+ err = snd_info_init();
+ if (err < 0) {
unregister_chrdev(major, "alsa");
- return -ENOMEM;
+ return err;
}

#ifdef CONFIG_SND_DEBUG
--
2.43.0