__skb_pad(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 NAME 💅

__skb_pad — zero pad the tail of an skb ✨ (like, we're literally putting zeros at the end, bestie, no cap)

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

int __skb_pad (struct sk_buff *skb , int pad , bool free_on_error );

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • skb — the buffer to pad. the main character, the one getting the glow-up 💅
  • pad — how much space to pad, fr fr
  • free_on_error — free the buffer on error. yes/no, that's the vibe check 🫶

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

Okay so picture this: you've got a buffer, right? This function makes sure that buffer is followed by a padding area that is zero filled. Iconic. It's used by network drivers which may DMA or transfer data beyond the buffer end onto the wire — like the driver is reaching past the edge and we're just making sure it doesn't grab random garbage 😭

It may return an error in out of memory cases (💀 lowkey stressful). And listen: the skb is freed on error if free_on_error is true. That's the deal, periodt.

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./net/core/skbuff.c:

and that's the whole page, bestie 🧚💖 this one's living in the ./net/core era, dated October 2026 — go off, kernel docs, you ate 👑✨

📦 where this page comes from