LIFE CYCLE OF THE OPERATIONAL MODE(9)

💅 Life cycle of the Operational mode ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual 🎀 — this is the whole life story of the operational mode, and honestly? it's giving short-and-sweet. the op_mode has a very simple life cycle. no cap. five steps, that's it, she's booked and busy but not for long 🦋

🌸 The life cycle, step by step 🌸

1. the driver layer (iwl-drv.c) picks which op_mode to use, based on the capabilities the fw file advertises (in TLV format) 🔍
2. the driver layer starts the op_mode (ops->start) 🚀
3. the op_mode registers mac80211 📝
4. the op_mode is governed by mac80211 👑 (mac80211 is the main character here, the op_mode is just living in her world)
5. the driver layer stops the op_mode 🛑

that's the entire arc. start, register, get governed, get stopped. a full character development speedrun fr fr 💀

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

• Kernel file ./drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/iwl-op-mode.h — the homework, go read it 📚
• Operational mode - what is it ?(9)
• enum iwl_fw_error_type(9)
• enum iwl_fw_error_context(9)
• struct iwl_fw_error_dump_mode(9)
• struct iwl_op_mode_ops(9)
• struct iwl_op_mode(9)

and that's the whole page, bestie, you ate that 🫶 this little love letter to the kernel came from source ./drivers/net/wireless/intel/i..., dated October 2026, and it signs off exactly the way it started: Life cycle of the Operational mode(9). mwah 💋💖