__in6_dev_get(9)

✨ __in6_dev_get(9) ✨

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual bestie, and it's about grabbing an inet6_dev pointer off a netdevice 💖 it's short, it's sweet, it's giving "tiny function, big rules" energy.

🌸 NAME 🌸

__in6_dev_get — get inet6_dev pointer from netdevice

like literally, that's the whole gig 🎀 you hand it a netdevice, it hands you back the inet6_dev pointer. slay.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

struct inet6_dev * __in6_dev_get (const struct net_device *dev );

💅 ARGUMENTS 💅

• dev — network device 👑 that's the netdevice you're pulling the pointer from. that's it. that's the argument.

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

okay so listen, this is the important part, do not skip it 🙈

Caller must hold rcu_read_lock or RTNL, because this function does not take a reference on the inet6_dev.

so like… the function is lowkey doing zero refcounting for you — no safety net, no little extra hold on the object, nothing 😭 so you have to already be holding either rcu_read_lock or RTNL before you call it. that's the vibe check and you have to pass it. no cap, if you're not holding one of those, that's a you problem and it's giving undefined chaos 💀

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Kernel file ./include/net/addrconf.h — literally the header where this lives, go read it bestie 📖
• __in6_dev_stats_get(9)
• __in6_dev_get_safely(9) — ooh, the safe one, iconic 👀
• in6_dev_get(9)

and that's the whole page, bestie 🫶 sign-off time: it's sourced from ./include/net, dated October 2026, and lives under the __in6_dev_get(9) title. mwah 💋✨🍓