e1000e_sanitize_systim(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 e1000e_sanitize_systim — the kernel API manual, bestie edition

okay so real talk, we're in the <pink>e1000e_sanitize_systim(9)</pink> page of the Kernel API Manual, and it's honestly such a mood. it's giving "tiny function, huge responsibility" and I'm obsessed. let's get into it ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

e1000e_sanitize_systim — sanitize raw cycle counter reads

like, it takes the raw numbers and makes them presentable. self-care for timestamps, fr fr 🫶

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

u64 e1000e_sanitize_systim (struct e1000_hw *hw , u64 systim , struct
ptp_system_timestamp *sts );

that's the whole vibe right there. it returns a u64, and bestie, no cap, it's doing the absolute most with those three args 👑

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • hw — pointer to the HW structure. the hardware's whole personality lives in here 💖
  • systim — the PHC time value that got read; it comes in, gets sanitized, and gets returned. glow-up arc, literally ✨
  • sts — structure to hold system time before and after reading SYSTIML. it may be NULL — so don't panic if it's not there, it's valid 🙈

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

so here's the tea: there's errata for 82574/82583 where you can possibly read bad bits out of SYSTIMH/SYSTIML. not ideal, but iconic of them to warn us 💀

the function's whole job is to check that the time is incrementing at a reasonable rate and that it's a multiple of incvalue. that's the sanitization pass — vibe check for the cycle counter, and honestly? we love a function that double-checks its friends 🌈

lowkey important: this is the fix-up layer for a documented hardware quirk, so don't skip it and then act surprised when the timestamps look cursed 😭

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the kernel file it lives in, plus the whole extended friend group:

and that's the page, bestie 🧚 ok real quick, the cute sign-off: this one's sourced from <purple>./drivers/net/ethernet/intel/e...</purple> and dated <cyan>October 2026</cyan> — so yeah, future-flavored documentation, we love to see it 💜 periodt 🍓

📦 where this page comes from