__skb_ext_alloc(9)

💖 __skb_ext_alloc(9) — Kernel API Manual 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual ✨. We're talking about __skb_ext_alloc — yes, she has a dramatic number of underscores, and honestly? Iconic.

🌟 NAME 🌟

__skb_ext_alloc — allocate a new skb extensions storage 🎀

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

struct skb_ext * __skb_ext_alloc (gfp_t flags );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• flags — for the details, the manual literally says “See kmalloc.” That's the whole pointer, bestie. Go check kmalloc for the flags lore 💅.

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

This one returns the newly allocated pointer. That pointer can later be attached to a skb via __skb_ext_set. So it's giving “allocate now, attach later” — very main character energy 🔥.

🫶 NOTE 🫶

The caller must handle the skb_ext as opaque data. No peeking inside, no vibe-checking its internals — opaque means opaque, periodt. 🫶

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

The original points at the kernel file ./net/core/skbuff.c and then name-drops this entire group chat:

• 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)
• __netdev_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_set(9)
• skb_ext_add(9)
• skb_attempt_defer_free(9)
• skb_splice_from_iter(9)

mwah 💋 — brought to you by the ./net/core source/version, dated October 2026, and the page __skb_ext_alloc(9). byeee 🦋