__netdev_alloc_skb(9)

💖 __netdev_alloc_skb(9) 💖

okay bestie, gather round 💅 this is the Kernel API Manual page for __netdev_alloc_skb(9) — yes the title is also the function, we love a main character. It’s all about allocating an skbuff for rx on a specific device, and every detail is right here. 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

__netdev_alloc_skb — allocate an skbuff for rx on a specific device 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct sk_buff * __netdev_alloc_skb (struct net_device *dev , unsigned
int len , gfp_t gfp_mask );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• dev — the network device to receive on. 💖
• len — the length to allocate. ✨
• gfp_mask — the get_free_pages mask, passed to alloc_skb. 🧚

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

Okay so __netdev_alloc_skb allocates a new sk_buff and gives it a usage count of one. Iconic. The buffer comes with NET_SKB_PAD headroom built in, so when you’re allocating the headroom you think you need, do not account for that built-in space. The built-in space is there for optimisations. No cap. 🔥

NULL is returned if there is no free memory. 😭

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

The kernel file is ./net/core/skbuff.c, and the whole linked bestie squad is:

• drop_reasons_register_subsys(9)
• drop_reasons_unregister_subsys(9)
• skb_panic(9)
• napi_skb_cache_get_bulk(9)
• __build_skb(9)
• build_skb_around(9)
• __napi_build_skb(9)
• napi_build_skb(9)
• __alloc_skb(9)
• napi_alloc_skb(9)
• skb_pp_cow_data(9)
• skb_pp_frag_ref(9)
• __kfree_skb(9)
• sk_skb_reason_drop(9)
• skb_tx_error(9)
• consume_skb(9)
• __consume_stateless_skb(9)
• napi_consume_skb(9)
• alloc_skb_for_msg(9)
• skb_morph(9)
• skb_copy_ubufs(9)
• skb_clone(9)
• skb_copy(9)
• __pskb_copy_fclone(9)
• pskb_expand_head(9)
• skb_expand_head(9)
• skb_copy_expand(9)
• __skb_pad(9)
• pskb_put(9)
• skb_put(9)
• skb_push(9)
• skb_pull(9)
• skb_pull_data(9)
• skb_trim(9)
• __pskb_pull_tail(9)
• skb_copy_bits(9)
• skb_store_bits(9)
• skb_zerocopy(9)
• skb_dequeue(9)
• skb_dequeue_tail(9)
• skb_queue_purge_reason(9)
• skb_rbtree_purge(9)
• skb_queue_head(9)
• skb_queue_tail(9)
• skb_unlink(9)
• skb_append(9)
• skb_split(9)
• skb_shift(9)
• skb_prepare_seq_read(9)
• skb_seq_read(9)
• skb_abort_seq_read(9)
• skb_copy_seq_read(9)
• skb_find_text(9)
• skb_pull_rcsum(9)
• skb_segment(9)
• skb_to_sgvec(9)
• skb_cow_data(9)
• skb_clone_sk(9)
• skb_partial_csum_set(9)
• skb_checksum_setup(9)
• skb_checksum_maybe_trim(9)
• skb_checksum_trimmed(9)
• skb_try_coalesce(9)
• skb_scrub_packet(9)
• skb_eth_pop(9)
• skb_eth_push(9)
• skb_mpls_push(9)
• skb_mpls_pop(9)
• skb_mpls_update_lse(9)
• skb_mpls_dec_ttl(9)
• alloc_skb_with_frags(9)
• skb_condense(9)
• __skb_ext_alloc(9)
• __skb_ext_set(9)
• skb_ext_add(9)
• skb_attempt_defer_free(9)
• skb_splice_from_iter(9)

mwah 💋 this page’s source/version corner is ./net/core, dated October 2026 — periodt. 🎀