mac_get_caps(9)

💅 mac_get_caps(9) — like, the Kernel API Manual, but make it make sense

okay bestie, so we're in the mac_get_caps(9) page today ✨ it's a little kernel-API moment from the Kernel API Manual, and honestly? it's short, it's sweet, and it's gonna take you like twelve seconds to get. let's go 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

mac_get_caps — get the MAC capabilities for a given interface mode, no cap 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

unsigned long mac_get_caps (struct phylink_config *config ,
phy_interface_t interface );

that's it. that's the whole signature. it hands you back an unsigned long and takes exactly two things, which we're about to break down 👇

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• config — a pointer to a struct phylink_config. yeah. that one. the config struct bestie 🫶
• interface — your PHY interface mode. like, which mode we're talking about here 🌈

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so this one is an optional method — lowkey important detail, don't skip it 🙈 if it's not provided, then config->mac_capabilities gets used instead. simple as that.

but when you do implement it? it returns the MAC capabilities for the specified interface mode — specifically for the cases where the MAC driver needs some special handling 🧚 like, for example, not supporting half-duplex in certain interface modes. it's giving "i have exceptions and i'm not sorry" energy, and honestly? iconic 👑

so no, it's not just a fancy wrapper — it's the escape hatch for when the default capabilities vibe check fails 😭

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💖 SEE ALSO 💖

buckle up, because this list is LONG and it ate 💀 every single one of these, bestie:

• Kernel file ./include/linux/phylink.h
• struct phylink_link_state(9)
• struct phylink_config(9)
• struct phylink_mac_ops(9)
• mac_select_pcs(9)
• mac_prepare(9)
• mac_config(9)
• mac_finish(9)
• mac_link_down(9)
• mac_link_up(9)
• mac_disable_tx_lpi(9)
• mac_enable_tx_lpi(9)
• mac_wol_set(9)
• struct phylink_pcs(9)
• struct phylink_pcs_ops(9)
• pcs_validate(9)
• pcs_inband_caps(9)
• pcs_enable(9)
• pcs_disable(9)
• pcs_get_state(9)
• pcs_config(9)
• pcs_an_restart(9)
• pcs_link_up(9)
• pcs_disable_eee(9)
• pcs_enable_eee(9)
• pcs_pre_init(9)
• phylink_get_link_timer_ns(9)
• phylink_mac_implements_lpi(9)

like i said. a whole friend group 😭

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ngl, if you're implementing a MAC driver and you're like "hmm do i need this one?" — it's optional, so the default is config->mac_capabilities, and you only reach for mac_get_caps when a specific interface mode needs special capability handling. fr fr.

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and that's the page!! 💜 this one ships out of ./include/linux, dated October 2026 — mwah, slay, periodt 🎀✨ go read phylink.h and stay hydrated bestie 🍓