ENUM MAC80211_SCAN_FLAGS(9)

🦋 enum mac80211_scan_flags(9) — the scan-mode mood ring 💅

okay bestie, welcome to section 9 of the kernel API manual, where we meet enum mac80211_scan_flags — literally just the enum that tracks currently active scan mode. that's the whole vibe. it's giving "little enum, big responsibilities" ✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

enum mac80211_scan_flags {
    SCAN_SW_SCANNING ,
    SCAN_HW_SCANNING ,
    SCAN_ONCHANNEL_SCANNING ,
    SCAN_COMPLETED ,
    SCAN_ABORTED ,
    SCAN_HW_CANCELLED ,
    SCAN_BEACON_WAIT ,
    SCAN_BEACON_DONE

};

no cap, that's the whole thing. eight constants, zero drama (okay, slight drama, they're scan states). let's get into them 🫶

🎀 Constants 🎀

• SCAN_SW_SCANNING — so we're currently mid-scan, but honestly we might as well be sitting on the operating channel. it's a software scan situation, we're just out here vibing on-channel-ish 💫
• SCAN_HW_SCANNING — the hardware is doing the scanning for us 👑 which means we have no way to determine whether we're on the operating channel or not. not us being completely in the dark about our own location 😭 literally no idea, and that's fine, the hardware's got it
• SCAN_ONCHANNEL_SCANNING — do a software scan on only the current operating channel. the whole point? this should not interrupt normal traffic. polite scanning, main character energy that doesn't step on anyone else's moment 🧚
• SCAN_COMPLETED — set for our scan work function when the driver reported that the scan completed. good news era 🎉
• SCAN_ABORTED — set for our scan work function when the driver reported a scan complete for an aborted scan. yeah. it "completed." we're choosing to be positive about it 💀
• SCAN_HW_CANCELLED — set for our scan work function when the scan is being cancelled. not the slay we wanted, but here we are 🙈
• SCAN_BEACON_WAIT — set whenever we're passive scanning because of radar / no-IR, and we could send a probe request after receiving a beacon. we're waiting, we're patient, we're radar-respectful 🌸
• SCAN_BEACON_DONE — beacon received!! we can now send a probe request. the wait is over, bestie, go send it 🔥

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./net/mac80211/ieee80211_i.h enum, plus the whole friend group:

• ieee80211_bss_corrupt_data_flags(9)
• enum ieee80211_bss_valid_data_flags(9)
• enum ieee80211_packet_rx_flags(9)
• enum ieee80211_rx_flags(9)
• struct ieee80211_if_ocb(9)
• struct ieee80211_mesh_sync_ops(9)
• struct mesh_table(9)
• struct mesh_tx_cache(9)
• enum ieee80211_sub_if_data_flags(9)
• enum ieee80211_sdata_state_bits(9)
• enum ieee80211_chanctx_mode(9)
• enum ieee80211_chanctx_replace_state(9)
• struct txq_info(9)
• struct ieee80211_if_nan(9)
• struct ieee80211_if_nan_data(9)
• enum mac80211_scan_state(9)
• ieee80211_parse_ch_switch_ie(9)
• struct ieee80211_elems_parse_params(9)

like, the entire mac80211 polycule honestly 😭 go read them all, iykyk 💜

fr fr though: if you only remember one thing, remember that these flags describe scan state — some of them are set by the driver reporting things back, and a couple of them are about passive scanning and waiting on beacons. don't conflate them, bestie, they're each doing their own little job 🎀

and that's the page!! 🦋 sign-off time: this lil beauty lives in ./net/mac80211, it's dated October 2026, and you can call it enum mac80211_scan_flags(9) anytime you need it. periodt 💖⭐