dev_index_reserve(9)

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so bestie, this is dev_index_reserve(9) from the Kernel API Manual, and it’s giving “reserve me an ifindex in a namespace” energy ✨

• dev_index_reserve — allocate an ifindex in a namespace 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

int dev_index_reserve (struct net *net , u32 ifindex );

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💅 ARGUMENTS 💅

• net — the applicable net namespace 🫶
• ifindex — requested ifindex; pass 0 to get one allocated ✨

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so the whole point: allocate an ifindex for a new device. The caller must either use that ifindex to store the device (via list_netdevice) or call dev_index_release to give the index up. That’s the rule, no cap 💖

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

a suitable unique value for a new device interface number or -errno 👑

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./net/core/dev.c plus the whole friend group:

• dev_add_pack(9), __dev_remove_pack(9), dev_remove_pack(9), dev_get_iflink(9), dev_fill_metadata_dst(9), netdev_napi_by_id_lock(9), __dev_get_by_name(9), dev_get_by_name_rcu(9), netdev_get_by_name(9)
• __dev_get_by_index(9), dev_get_by_index_rcu(9), netdev_get_by_index(9), dev_get_by_napi_id(9), netdev_get_by_index_lock(9), netdev_get_name(9), dev_getbyhwaddr_rcu(9), dev_getbyhwaddr(9), netdev_get_by_flags_rcu(9), dev_valid_name(9)
• __dev_alloc_name(9), dev_alloc_name(9), dev_get_alias(9), netdev_features_change(9), __netdev_notify_peers(9), netdev_notify_peers(9), dev_disable_gro_hw(9), register_netdevice_notifier(9), unregister_netdevice_notifier(9)
• register_netdevice_notifier_net(9), unregister_netdevice_notifier_net(9), call_netdevice_notifiers_info(9), call_netdevice_notifiers_info_robust(9), call_netdevice_notifiers(9), call_netdevice_notifiers_mtu(9), dev_forward_skb(9), dev_nit_active_rcu(9), netif_setup_tc(9)
• netif_set_real_num_rx_queues(9), netif_set_real_num_queues(9), netif_set_tso_max_size(9), netif_set_tso_max_segs(9), netif_inherit_tso_max(9), netif_get_num_default_rss_queues(9), netif_device_detach(9), netif_device_attach(9), dev_loopback_xmit(9)
• __dev_queue_xmit(9), rps_flow_is_active(9), rps_may_expire_flow(9), __netif_rx(9), netif_rx(9), netdev_is_rx_handler_busy(9), netdev_rx_handler_register(9), netdev_rx_handler_unregister(9), netif_receive_skb_core(9)
• netif_receive_skb(9), netif_receive_skb_list(9), __napi_schedule(9), napi_schedule_prep(9), __napi_schedule_irqoff(9), netif_threaded_enable(9), netif_queue_set_napi(9), napi_disable(9), napi_enable(9)
• netdev_has_upper_dev(9), netdev_has_upper_dev_all_rcu(9), netdev_has_any_upper_dev(9), netdev_master_upper_dev_get(9), netdev_has_any_lower_dev(9), netdev_upper_get_next_dev_rcu(9), netdev_lower_get_next_private(9), netdev_lower_get_next_private_rcu(9), netdev_lower_get_next(9)
• netdev_lower_get_first_private_rcu(9), netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu(9), netdev_upper_dev_link(9), netdev_master_upper_dev_link(9), netdev_upper_dev_unlink(9), netdev_bonding_info_change(9), netdev_get_xmit_slave(9), netdev_sk_get_lowest_dev(9), netdev_lower_state_changed(9)
• netif_get_flags(9), netif_set_mtu_ext(9), netif_pre_changeaddr_notify(9), dev_get_phys_port_id(9), dev_get_phys_port_name(9), netif_get_port_parent_id(9), netdev_port_same_parent_id(9), netdev_change_proto_down_reason_locked(9), dev_change_xdp_fd(9)
• netdev_update_features(9), netdev_change_features(9), netif_stacked_transfer_operstate(9), register_netdevice(9), register_netdev(9), netdev_wait_allrefs_any(9), dev_get_stats(9), dev_fetch_sw_netstats(9), dev_get_tstats64(9)
• netdev_sw_irq_coalesce_default_on(9), alloc_netdev_mqs(9), free_netdev(9), alloc_netdev_dummy(9), synchronize_net(9), unregister_netdevice_queue(9), unregister_netdevice_many(9), unregister_netdev(9), netdev_increment_features(9)
• netdev_compute_master_upper_features(9), netdev_drivername(9)

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mwah 💋 this page’s source is ./net/core, dated October 2026, and it’s the dev_index_reserve(9) page — slay and goodbye 🫶