dev_mc_del(9)

💅 dev_mc_del(9) — the Kernel API Manual, bestie edition 🎀

okay so before we even get into it — hi, you're reading a page from the Kernel API Manual, and today's main character is dev_mc_del. yes it's a real function name, no I didn't make it up, and yes it's lowkey iconic. let's get into it ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

dev_mc_del — Delete a multicast address. that's it. that's the whole job. she deletes. she's a deleter. periodt 💅

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

here's the whole vibe in one line, no cap:

int dev_mc_del (struct net_device *dev , const unsigned char *addr );

she takes two things and hands you back an int. that's the whole shape of her 🫶

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🍓 ARGUMENTS 🍓

two little besties walk in, and they are:

• dev — the device. that's your struct net_device *, the whole main character energy context of this operation 👑
• addr — the address to delete. it's a const unsigned char *, and it's the thing that's getting yeeted 🌈

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so here's what actually happens, bestie, listen up:

dev_mc_del releases the reference to a multicast address, and removes it from the device if the reference count drops to zero.

like — that "drops to zero" part? that's the whole plot twist. it's a refcount situation, so she's not just blindly nuking the address the second you ask. she drops the reference first, and only when the count hits zero does the address actually get removed from the device. iykyk 🧚

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

okay this is the group chat, the whole friend group, the entire Kernel file ./net/core/dev_addr_lists.c squad — every single one of them, no cap:

• __hw_addr_sync_dev(9)
• __hw_addr_ref_sync_dev(9)
• __hw_addr_ref_unsync_dev(9)
• __hw_addr_unsync_dev(9)
• __hw_addr_list_snapshot(9)
• __hw_addr_list_reconcile(9)
• dev_addr_flush(9)
• dev_addr_init(9)
• dev_addr_add(9)
• dev_addr_del(9)
• dev_uc_add_excl(9)
• dev_uc_add(9)
• dev_uc_del(9)
• dev_uc_sync(9)
• dev_uc_sync_multiple(9)
• dev_uc_unsync(9)
• dev_uc_flush(9)
• dev_uc_init(9)
• dev_mc_add_excl(9)
• dev_mc_add(9)
• dev_mc_add_global(9)
• dev_mc_del_global(9)
• dev_mc_sync(9)
• dev_mc_sync_multiple(9)
• dev_mc_unsync(9)
• dev_mc_flush(9)
• dev_mc_init(9)
• netif_uc_promisc_update(9)
• __dev_set_rx_mode(9)
• netif_rx_mode_sync(9)

like, that's the whole crew right there. literally all of them. go say hi 💖

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ok that's the page!! mwah 🫶

and a tiny cute sign-off to wrap it up — this one comes from ./net/core, dated October 2026, and yeah, it's still dev_mc_del(9) at the end because she's the star of the show. bye bestie, slay your refcounts 💜