dev_mc_sync_multiple(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 dev_mc_sync_multiple — the kernel API manual moment

ok so real talk, bestie, this page lives in the Kernel API Manual (section 9, the kernel-internals one, iykyk) and it's about dev_mc_sync_multiple — synchronizing a device's multicast list over to another device, except it lets you do the multiple-device thing. no cap, that's the whole vibe.

✨ NAME ✨

dev_mc_sync_multiple — synchronize a device's multicast list to another device, but allow for multiple calls to sync to multiple devices 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int dev_mc_sync_multiple (struct net_device *to , struct net_device *from );

like, that's it. two pointers, one int. iconic.

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • to — the destination device. the one getting the addresses, the main character receiving the glow-up 💅
  • from — the source device. the one handing its addresses over, generous queen 🫶

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

okay so here's what actually happens: it adds the newly added addresses to the destination device, and releases addresses that have no users left. cleanup AND handoff, we love a multitasker ✨

⚠️ important, bestie: the source device must be locked by netif_addr_lock_bh. do not skip this. we are not doing unlocked chaos today 😭

this function is intended to be called from the ndo_set_rx_mode function of layered software devices. and the whole point — the reason it's the _multiple one and not just regular dev_mc_sync — is that it allows a single source device to be synced to multiple destination devices. one source, many destinations. sharing is caring, fr fr 🌈

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

everything in the kernel file ./net/core/dev_addr_lists.c, plus the whole friend group:

and that's the page!! 🎉 this little gem comes from ./net/core and it's dated October 2026 — so yeah, it's giving future-kernel energy 💀✨ mwah, go lock your source device, bestie 💜

📦 where this page comes from