dev_change_net_namespace(9)

💅 dev_change_net_namespace(9)

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's about dev_change_net_namespace — the little icon that relocates a whole network device into a different nethost namespace. bestie, it's giving "moving out of your group chat into a new one" energy 🦋

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✨ NAME ✨

dev_change_net_namespace — move device to different nethost namespace

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int dev_change_net_namespace (struct net_device *dev , struct net *net ,
const char *pat );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• dev — the device. the main character we're relocating 💅
• net — the network namespace. this is where it's moving to, new address new vibe ✨
• pat — if this is not NULL, it's a name pattern to try when the current device name is already taken in the destination network namespace. like, "oof that handle's taken, let's try this variant" 🙈

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

so what it does: this function shuts down a device interface and moves it to a new network namespace. that's the whole plot. on success 0 is returned, and on a failure a negative errno code is returned. no cap 📉

⚠️ callers must hold the rtnl semaphore. like, this is not optional, the lock is the vibe check and you WILL fail it if you skip it 💀

⭐ RETURN ⭐

0 on success, -errno on failure. that's it, that's the whole return section 🫶

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

kernel file ./net/core/dev_api.c — and honestly the whole friend group:

• dev_change_name(9)
• dev_set_alias(9)
• dev_change_flags(9)
• dev_set_group(9)
• dev_change_carrier(9)
• dev_change_tx_queue_len(9)
• dev_change_proto_down(9)
• dev_open(9)
• dev_close(9)
• dev_disable_lro(9)
• dev_set_promiscuity(9)
• dev_set_allmulti(9)
• dev_set_mac_address(9)
• netdev_state_change(9)

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and that's the page!! 💖 it lives in ./net/core, dated October 2026, and it's signed off as dev_change_net_namespace(9) — go forth and namespace responsibly, bestie 👑🎀