ObfReferenceObject function (wdm.h)

Article
04/18/2022

The ObfReferenceObject routine increments the reference count to the given object.

Syntax

LONG_PTR ObfReferenceObject(
  [in] PVOID Object
);

Parameters

[in] Object

Pointer to the object. The caller obtained this parameter either when it created the object or from a preceding call to ObReferenceObjectByHandle after it opened the object.

Return value

ObfReferenceObject returns a value that is reserved for system use. Drivers must treat this value as VOID.

Remarks

ObfReferenceObject simply increments the pointer reference count for an object, without making any access checks on the given object, as ObReferenceObjectByHandle and ObReferenceObjectByPointer do.

ObfReferenceObject prevents deletion of the object at least until the driver subsequently calls its reciprocal, ObDereferenceObject, or closes the given object. The caller must decrement the reference count with ObDereferenceObject as soon as it is done with the object.

When the reference count for an object reaches zero, a kernel-mode component can remove the object from the system. However, a driver can remove only those objects that it created, and a driver should never attempt to remove any object that it did not create.

Requirements

Requirement	Value
Minimum supported client	Available starting with Windows 2000.
Target Platform	Desktop
Header	wdm.h (include Wdm.h, Ntddk.h, Ntifs.h)
Library	NtosKrnl.lib
DLL	NtosKrnl.exe
IRQL	<=DISPATCH_LEVEL
DDI compliance rules	HwStorPortProhibitedDDIs(storport), TargetRelationNeedsRef(wdm)