nl_dump_check_consistent(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 bestie's guide to nl_dump_check_consistent 💅

okay so this is the Kernel API Manual page for nl_dump_check_consistent(9), and it's literally about checking if your sequence stayed consistent during a dump — and advertising it if it didn't. No cap. 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

nl_dump_check_consistent — checks if the sequence is consistent, and advertises it if it's not. That's the whole assignment, bestie. 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void nl_dump_check_consistent (struct netlink_callback *cb , struct nlmsghdr *nlh );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • cb — the netlink callback structure that stores the sequence number. This is where the sequence number lives. 🦋
  • nlh — the netlink message header you write the flag to. Yep, that one. 💅

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

okay so here's the tea: this function checks if the sequence (generation) number changed during the dump. If it did, it advertises it in the netlink message header. That's it. That's the slay. ✨

The correct way to use it is a whole little ritual:

  1. Set cb->seq to the generation counter when all locks for dumping have been acquired. All of them. No skipping. 🔒
  2. Then call this function for each message that is generated. Every single one, bestie. 💖
🚨 note bestie: because of initialisation concerns, 0 is an invalid sequence number and must not be used by code that uses this functionality. So do not roll up with 0. Periodt. 💀

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

This is the part where the manpage just lists the entire netlink extended family, and honestly? iconic. Here's every single reference, no cap:

and that's the whole extended netlink family, bestie — no cap. 💖

mwah 💋 — source/version: ./include/net; date: October 2026. This was nl_dump_check_consistent(9), and yes, the netlink extended family is huge. bye bestie! 💖

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