gsm_print_packet(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 gsm_print_packet — a Kernel API Manual moment (section 9, bestie)

okay so real talk, this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's all about one lil function that prints frames so you can debug them. no cap, it's iconic in a very nerdy way. let's get into it 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

gsm_print_packet — display a frame for debug 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void gsm_print_packet (const char *hdr , int addr , int cr , u8 control
, const u8 *data , int dlen );

like, that's the whole signature. she's void, she takes six things, she's living her best life 💅

✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

so every single one of these matters, don't skip any 👑

  • hdr — the header you want printed out before the decode happens. it's the vibe-setter, the little intro card 🌸
  • addr — the address, specifically the EA from the frame
  • cr — the C/R bit, seen as initiator
  • control — the control field, and yes it includes the PF bit
  • data — the data bytes that follow
  • dlen — the length of that data 💖

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so what does it actually do? it displays a packet in human readable format, purely for debugging purposes. that's the whole assignment, and she ate 🔥

the style is based on amateur radio LAP-B dump display — yes, that's a real aesthetic, and honestly? it's giving retro-cool. iykyk 📻✨

ngl this is a debug tool, so it's here to help you look at frames, not to do anything spicy to them 🫶

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

okay bestie, brace yourself, because the related-functions list is long and we're not skipping a single one — the kernel file is ./drivers/tty/n_gsm.c, and here's the whole squad 💀👇

periodt. that's all of them, every last one 💜

and that's the page! little sign-off from your girl: this one lives in ./drivers/tty, dated October 2026, and it's gsm_print_packet(9) — go print some packets, bestie, and slay it 🌈👑🎀

📦 where this page comes from