ath5k_hw_start_tx_dma(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 ath5k_hw_start_tx_dma — the Kernel API Manual page, bestie edition

Okay so real talk, this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's all about ath5k_hw_start_tx_dma. Buckle up, it's actually not scary 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

ath5k_hw_start_tx_dma — start DMA transmit for a specific queue 💫

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

int ath5k_hw_start_tx_dma (struct ath5k_hw *ah , unsigned int queue );

That's it, that's the whole vibe check. You hand it a chip and a queue number, it gives you back an int. Slay.

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

  • ah — the struct ath5k_hw, i.e. your main character. The hardware struct. Obviously.
  • queue — the hw queue number 👑 literally just which queue you're pointing at.

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So what does it do? It starts DMA transmit for a specific queue. Easy.

But here's the tea ☕ — 5210 doesn't have QCU/DCU, so for that chip you set up the queue parameters right here, inside this function, based on queue type. And the queue types are:

  • one queue for normal data 📦
  • one queue for beacons 🔔

For queue setup on the newer chips, go check out qcu.c instead, iykyk.

It returns -EINVAL if the queue number is out of range — or, plot twist, if the queue is already disabled. Yeah. Already disabled. Not a typo, that's what it says 🙈

⭐ NOTE ⭐

Bestie, listen. This one must be called after setting up the tx control descriptor for that queue (see below). Order matters, fr fr. Don't come at it out of sequence.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

That's the whole squad 🧚 go read them, they're all iconic.

And that's a wrap! This masterpiece lives in ./drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath5k, version dated October 2026 🍓 catch you in the next man page, mwah 💜

📦 where this page comes from