INTERFACE LIST LOCKING(9)

🦋 Interface list locking 🦋

okay so bestie, this is the Interface list locking(9) page from the Kernel API Manual, and it’s giving extremely specific lock-order energy — no cap. 💅

The interface list in each struct ieee80211_local is protected three-fold:

1. modifications may only be done under the RTNL and wiphy mutex and iflist_mtx — all three, together, periodt.
2. modifications are done in an RCU manner so atomic readers can traverse the list in RCU-safe blocks. that’s the RCU-safe-block agenda fr fr. ✨

As a consequence, reads (traversals) of the list can be protected by either the RTNL, the wiphy mutex, the iflist_mtx or RCU. pick your protection, iykyk. 🫶

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Kernel file: ./net/mac80211/iface.c

mwah 💋 — signing off from ./net/mac80211, dated October 2026 🎀✨