STATION HANDLING(9)

🌸 STATION HANDLING (9) 🌸

okay so bestie, welcome to Station handling(9) from the Kernel API Manual — yes, we're in the kernel API manual and we're gonna make it make sense, no cap. 💅✨

Stations are added per interface, but there's a special case that exists with VLAN interfaces. When a station is bound to an AP interface, it may be moved into a VLAN identified by a VLAN interface index (NL80211_ATTR_STA_VLAN). The station is still assumed to belong to the AP interface it was added to. 🫶

Station handling varies per interface type and depending on the driver's capabilities. literally case-by-case, iykyk. 🌈

For drivers supporting TDLS with external setup (WIPHY_FLAG_SUPPORTS_TDLS and WIPHY_FLAG_TDLS_EXTERNAL_SETUP), the station lifetime is as follows:

• a setup station entry is added, not yet authorized, without any rate or capability information; this just exists to avoid race conditions. 🏃‍♀️💨
• when the TDLS setup is done, a single NL80211_CMD_SET_STATION is valid to add rate and capability information to the station and at the same time mark it authorized. ✅
• NL80211_TDLS_ENABLE_LINK is then used. 🔗
• after this, the only valid operation is to remove it by tearing down the TDLS link (NL80211_TDLS_DISABLE_LINK). 💔

TODO: need more info for other interface types — that's the actual note, bestie, not me guessing. 🙈

🔗 SEE ALSO 🔗

like, go read these too, bestie — every single one, no skipping 💖:

• Kernel file ./include/uapi/linux/nl80211.h
• Frame transmission/registration support(9)
• Virtual interface / concurrency capabilities(9)
• packet coalesce support(9)
• WPA/WPA2 EAPOL handshake offload(9)
• FILS shared key authentication offload(9)
• SAE authentication offload(9)
• VLAN offload support for setting group keys and binding STAs to VLANs(9)
• TID configuration(9)
• FILS shared key crypto offload(9)
• Multi-Link Operation(9)
• OWE DH IE handling offload(9)
• enum nl80211_commands(9)
• enum nl80211_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_iftype(9)
• enum nl80211_sta_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_sta_p2p_ps_status(9)
• struct nl80211_sta_flag_update(9)
• enum nl80211_he_gi(9)
• enum nl80211_he_ltf(9)
• enum nl80211_he_ru_alloc(9)
• enum nl80211_eht_gi(9)
• enum nl80211_eht_ltf(9)
• enum nl80211_eht_ru_alloc(9)
• enum nl80211_rate_info(9)
• enum nl80211_sta_bss_param(9)
• enum nl80211_sta_info(9)
• enum nl80211_tid_stats(9)
• enum nl80211_txq_stats(9)
• enum nl80211_mpath_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_mpath_info(9)
• enum nl80211_band_iftype_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_band_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_phy_cap_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_wmm_rule(9)
• enum nl80211_frequency_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_bitrate_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_reg_initiator(9)
• enum nl80211_reg_type(9)
• enum nl80211_reg_rule_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_sched_scan_match_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_reg_rule_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_dfs_regions(9)
• enum nl80211_user_reg_hint_type(9)
• enum nl80211_survey_info(9)
• enum nl80211_mntr_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_mesh_power_mode(9)
• enum nl80211_meshconf_params(9)
• enum nl80211_mesh_setup_params(9)
• enum nl80211_txq_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_channel_type(9)
• enum nl80211_key_mode(9)
• enum nl80211_chan_width(9)
• enum nl80211_bss_scan_width(9)
• enum nl80211_bss_use_for(9)
• enum nl80211_bss_cannot_use_reasons(9)
• enum nl80211_bss(9)
• enum nl80211_bss_status(9)
• enum nl80211_auth_type(9)
• enum nl80211_key_type(9)
• enum nl80211_mfp(9)
• enum nl80211_key_default_types(9)
• enum nl80211_key_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_tx_rate_attributes(9)
• struct nl80211_txrate_vht(9)
• struct nl80211_txrate_he(9)
• struct nl80211_txrate_eht(9)
• enum nl80211_band(9)
• enum nl80211_ps_state(9)
• enum nl80211_attr_cqm(9)
• enum nl80211_cqm_rssi_threshold_event(9)
• enum nl80211_tx_power_setting(9)
• enum nl80211_tid_config(9)
• enum nl80211_packet_pattern_attr(9)
• struct nl80211_pattern_support(9)
• enum nl80211_wowlan_triggers(9)
• TCP connection wakeup(9)
• struct nl80211_wowlan_tcp_data_seq(9)
• struct nl80211_wowlan_tcp_data_token(9)
• struct nl80211_wowlan_tcp_data_token_feature(9)
• enum nl80211_wowlan_tcp_attrs(9)
• struct nl80211_coalesce_rule_support(9)
• enum nl80211_attr_coalesce_rule(9)
• enum nl80211_coalesce_condition(9)
• enum nl80211_iface_limit_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_if_combination_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_plink_state(9)
• enum nl80211_plink_action(9)
• enum nl80211_rekey_data(9)
• enum nl80211_hidden_ssid(9)
• enum nl80211_sta_wme_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_pmksa_candidate_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_tdls_operation(9)
• enum nl80211_ap_sme_features(9)
• enum nl80211_feature_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_ext_feature_index(9)
• enum nl80211_probe_resp_offload_support_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_connect_failed_reason(9)
• enum nl80211_timeout_reason(9)
• enum nl80211_scan_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_acl_policy(9)
• enum nl80211_smps_mode(9)
• enum nl80211_radar_event(9)
• enum nl80211_dfs_state(9)
• enum nl80211_protocol_features(9)
• enum nl80211_crit_proto_id(9)
• enum nl80211_rxmgmt_flags(9)
• struct nl80211_vendor_cmd_info(9)
• enum nl80211_tdls_peer_capability(9)
• enum nl80211_sched_scan_plan(9)
• struct nl80211_bss_select_rssi_adjust(9)
• enum nl80211_bss_select_attr(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_function_type(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_publish_type(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_func_term_reason(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_func_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_srf_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_match_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_band_conf_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_conf_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_external_auth_action(9)
• enum nl80211_ftm_responder_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_preamble(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_type(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_status(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_req(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_resp(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_ftm_req_type(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_peer_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_ftm_capa(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_ftm_type_capa(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_ftm_req(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_ftm_failure_reasons(9)
• enum nl80211_peer_measurement_ftm_resp(9)
• enum nl80211_obss_pd_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_bss_color_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_iftype_akm_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_fils_discovery_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_unsol_bcast_probe_resp_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_sae_pwe_mechanism(9)
• enum nl80211_sar_type(9)
• enum nl80211_sar_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_sar_specs_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_mbssid_config_attributes(9)
• enum nl80211_ap_settings_flags(9)
• enum nl80211_wiphy_radio_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_wiphy_radio_freq_range(9)
• enum nl80211_s1g_short_beacon_attrs(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_capabilities(9)
• enum nl80211_nan_peer_map_attrs(9)

and that's the whole page, bestie! source/version: ./include/uapi/linux · date: October 2026 · page: Station handling(9) — mwah 💋🎀