i40e_build_skb(9)

💅 i40e_build_skb — a kernel API manual, but make it make sense 🎀

okay bestie, welcome to the i40e_build_skb(9) page, straight out of the Kernel API Manual ✨. yes it's a driver function, no it's not scary, sit down and let's go 💖

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🌸 NAME 🌸

i40e_build_skb — literally builds an skb around a buffer that already exists. no cap, that's the whole vibe 🦋

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct sk_buff * i40e_build_skb (struct i40e_ring *rx_ring , struct xdp_buff *xdp );

look at her. two args, one return, main character energy 👑

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🫶 ARGUMENTS 🫶

• rx_ring — the Rx descriptor ring that's gonna transact packets on. it's the hangout spot for the packets, basically 💅
• xdp — an xdp_buff pointing at the data. it's giving "i know a guy who knows where the bytes live" 🎀

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so what she does is: this function builds an sk_buff around an Rx buffer that's already there — like, no new buffer, we're working with what we have, we're resourceful like that 💖

and the way she does it? taking care to set up the skb correctly and avoid any memcpy overhead. not me being obsessed with skipping the copy 😭 that's the whole point. zero copying, maximum slay. 🔥

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

the kernel file we're talking about lives at ./drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e/i40e_txrx.c — go say hi 🧚

and then the whole extended friend group, in the order the page lists them (yes i'm keeping all of them, every single one, don't @ me):

• i40e_fdir(9), i40e_program_fdir_filter(9), i40e_create_dummy_packet(9), i40e_create_dummy_udp_packet(9), i40e_create_dummy_tcp_packet(9), i40e_create_dummy_sctp_packet(9), i40e_prepare_fdir_filter(9), i40e_change_filter_num(9), i40e_add_del_fdir_udp(9), i40e_add_del_fdir_tcp(9), i40e_add_del_fdir_sctp(9), i40e_add_del_fdir_ip(9), i40e_add_del_fdir(9), i40e_fd_handle_status(9) — the whole fdir clique, iconic 🌈
• i40e_unmap_and_free_tx_resource(9), i40e_clean_tx_ring(9), i40e_free_tx_resources(9), i40e_get_tx_pending(9), i40e_detect_recover_hung(9), i40e_clean_tx_irq(9), i40e_enable_wb_on_itr(9), i40e_force_wb(9), i40e_update_itr(9) — the tx-cleanup-and-interrupt-squad 💀
• i40e_reuse_rx_page(9), i40e_clean_programming_status(9), i40e_setup_tx_descriptors(9), i40e_clean_rx_ring(9), i40e_free_rx_resources(9), i40e_setup_rx_descriptors(9), i40e_release_rx_desc(9), i40e_alloc_mapped_page(9), i40e_alloc_rx_buffers(9) — setup and teardown besties 🎀
• i40e_rx_checksum(9), i40e_rx_hash(9), i40e_process_skb_fields(9), i40e_cleanup_headers(9), i40e_can_reuse_rx_page(9), i40e_rx_buffer_flip(9), i40e_get_rx_buffer(9), i40e_put_rx_buffer(9), i40e_process_rx_buffs(9), i40e_construct_skb(9), i40e_is_non_eop(9) — the rx processing girlies, lowkey the real MVPs 💅
• i40e_run_xdp(9), i40e_xdp_ring_update_tail(9), i40e_update_rx_stats(9), i40e_finalize_xdp_rx(9), i40e_inc_ntp(9), i40e_add_xdp_frag(9), i40e_consume_xdp_buff(9), i40e_clean_rx_irq(9), i40e_buildreg_itr(9), i40e_update_enable_itr(9), i40e_napi_poll(9), i40e_atr(9) — xdp & napi crew, highkey underrated ⭐
• i40e_tx_prepare_vlan_flags(9), i40e_tso(9), i40e_tsyn(9), i40e_tx_enable_csum(9), i40e_create_tx_ctx(9), __i40e_maybe_stop_tx(9), __i40e_chk_linearize(9), i40e_tx_map(9), i40e_xmit_xdp_ring(9), i40e_xmit_frame_ring(9), i40e_lan_xmit_frame(9), i40e_xdp_xmit(9) — offload + transmit squad, they ate and left no crumbs 🍓

iykyk 🐝

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fr fr bestie, that's the whole page. no missing options, no hidden extras, we keep it accurate around here 🫶

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mwah 💋 that's a wrap! this page came from the ./drivers/net/ethernet/intel/i40e corner of the kernel, dated October 2026 — and it's still i40e_build_skb(9), periodt. 💖✨