PROTOCOL CONTROL UNIT (PCU) FUNCTIONS(9)

💖 Protocol Control Unit (PCU) functions 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual page for Protocol Control Unit (PCU) functions. The protocol control unit is responsible for maintaining all the protocol properties before a frame is sent and after a frame is received to/from baseband. To be more specific, PCU handles:

• Buffering of RX and TX frames (after QCU/DCUs) 🫶
• Encrypting and decrypting (using the built-in engine) 🔐
• Generating ACKs, RTS/CTS frames ✨
• Maintaining TSF ⏰
• FCS
• Updating beacon data (with TSF etc)
• Generating virtual CCA
• RX/Multicast filtering
• BSSID filtering
• Various statistics 📊

also the mode situation is literally: -Different operating modes: AP, STA, IBSS — AP, STA, IBSS, periodt.

Note: Most of these functions can be tweaked/bypassed so you can do them on sw above for debugging or research. For more infos check out PCU registers on reg.h.

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

Kernel file ./drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath5k/pcu.c:

• ACK rates(9)
• ath5k_hw_get_frame_duration(9)
• ath5k_hw_get_default_slottime(9)
• ath5k_hw_get_default_sifs(9)
• ath5k_hw_update_mib_counters(9)
• ath5k_hw_write_rate_duration(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_ack_timeout(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_cts_timeout(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_lladdr(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_bssid(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_bssid_mask(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_mcast_filter(9)
• ath5k_hw_get_rx_filter(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_rx_filter(9)
• ath5k_hw_get_tsf64(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_tsf64(9)
• ath5k_hw_reset_tsf(9)
• ath5k_hw_init_beacon_timers(9)
• ath5k_check_timer_win(9)
• ath5k_hw_check_beacon_timers(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_coverage_class(9)
• ath5k_hw_start_rx_pcu(9)
• ath5k_hw_stop_rx_pcu(9)
• ath5k_hw_set_opmode(9)
• ath5k_hw_pcu_init(9)

that's the whole page, bestie 💅 this one comes from the Kernel API Manual, source ./drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath5k, dated October 2026. stay iconic ✨💖