alloc_etherdev_mqs(9)

💖 alloc_etherdev_mqs(9) — the Kernel API Manual glow-up 🎀

okay so bestie, welcome to the alloc_etherdev_mqs(9) page from the Kernel API Manual ✨ this is the one that literally makes you an Ethernet device out of thin air (well, out of memory). let's get into it 🦋

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✨ NAME ✨

alloc_etherdev_mqs — Allocates and sets up an Ethernet device 💅 no cap, that's the whole vibe

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct net_device * alloc_etherdev_mqs (int sizeof_priv , unsigned int
txqs , unsigned int rxqs );

it's giving "one function, three args, infinite possibilities" 🔥

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• sizeof_priv — Size of additional driver-private structure to be allocated for this Ethernet device. yep, that's your little private stash, sized exactly how you ask 🫶
• txqs — The number of TX queues this device has. count 'em, queen 👑
• rxqs — The number of RX queues this device has. same energy, but for receiving 💌

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so what does it actually do? Fill in the fields of the device structure with Ethernet-generic values. Basically does everything except registering the device — main character behavior honestly, it does the whole makeover and then hands you the keys 😭✨

It constructs a new net device, complete with a private data area of size (sizeof_priv). And listen — a 32-byte (not bit) alignment is enforced for this private data area. not bit, bestie, byte. do not come for me on this, the docs said it, I said it 💀

lowkey important: it sets everything up but does not register the device. that part is on you, iykyk 🙈

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./net/ethernet/eth.c — and here's the whole friend group, no one left out fr fr:

• eth_header(9)
• eth_get_headlen(9)
• eth_type_trans(9)
• eth_header_cache(9)
• eth_header_cache_update(9)
• eth_header_parse_protocol(9)
• eth_prepare_mac_addr_change(9)
• eth_commit_mac_addr_change(9)
• eth_mac_addr(9)
• ether_setup(9)
• platform_get_ethdev_address(9)
• nvmem_get_mac_address(9)
• fwnode_get_mac_address(9)
• device_get_mac_address(9)
• device_get_ethdev_address(9)

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and that's the page, bestie 🧚💖 this whole thing lives in ./net/ethernet and it's dated October 2026, all under the alloc_etherdev_mqs(9) banner — slay, go forth and allocate 🍓⭐