__genl_sk_priv_get(9)

💅 __genl_sk_priv_get — Kernel API Manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so picture this: we're deep in the kernel, in <pink>Kernel API Manual</pink> land, and there's this little function called __genl_sk_priv_get that's about to become your new hyperfixation. no cap. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

__genl_sk_priv_get — Get family private pointer for socket, if exists 🎀

like, it goes and fetches the private pointer for a socket. if it exists. that "if exists" is doing a lot of heavy lifting, jsyk.

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

void * __genl_sk_priv_get (struct genl_family *family , struct sock *sk );

that's it. that's the whole vibe check. one return value, two args, zero drama. 🌸

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💖 ARGUMENTS 💖

• family — the family. literally just the family. a struct genl_family *, the Generic netlink family we're digging around in 👑
• sk — the socket. a struct sock *. the socket whose private stuff we're looking up 🧚

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🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

so here's the tea ☕: this function looks up a private memory for a Generic netlink family and the socket you specified. that's the whole job. family + socket → private memory. mwah. 💅

⚠️ but bestie, listen — the caller should make sure this is called in an RCU read locked section. that's not optional. that's not a suggestion. that's the rule. don't be the person who forgets the RCU read lock, i'm begging 😭🙈

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

okay so what do you get back? three possible situations, and you need to know all of them:

• a valid pointer on success — slay ✨
• otherwise, a negative error value encoded by ERR_PTR 💀
• NULL in case priv does not exist 🫠

so like, check your return value properly. NULL is a real answer, not an error, and the error is a negative value wrapped up in ERR_PTR. two different things. don't conflate them, i'm on my knees 😭

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• Kernel file ./net/netlink/genetlink.c 📁
• genl_sk_priv_get(9)
• genl_register_family(9)
• genl_unregister_family(9)
• genlmsg_put(9)

iykyk — go read the source, it's giving main character energy 👑

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and that's a wrap, bestie 🎀✨ this icon of a page came to you from the kernel source at ./net/netlink, dated October 2026, and it's literally the __genl_sk_priv_get(9) page, no cap. go forth and lock your RCU sections 💖🦋