sk_clone(9)

💅 sk_clone(9) — the Kernel API Manual moment 🎀

okay so bestie, welcome to sk_clone(9), aka the little page where the kernel clones a socket for you. yes, clones it. main character energy but make it struct sock. let's go ✨

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✨ NAME ✨

sk_clone — clone a socket 🫶

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct sock *sk_clone(const struct sock *sk, const gfp_t priority, bool lock);

like… three args, one socket, zero drama (until you forget to unlock it, but we'll get there 💀)

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• sk — the socket you wanna clone, bestie. the original. the blueprint. the source material 👑
• priority — the allocation priority, so like GFP_KERNEL, GFP_ATOMIC, etc. whatever your allocation vibes are rn ⭐
• lock — if true, the cloned sk gets locked. periodt 🔒

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so here's the tea ☕: if lock is true, the clone is locked by bh_lock_sock, and ngl the caller must unlock the socket — even in the error path — by calling bh_unlock_sock.

lowkey the important part: error path is still a path. you still gotta unlock. no skipping. not me letting you leak a locked socket 🙈

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

peep the kernel file ./net/core/sock.c and all these icons 🧚:

• sk_ns_capable(9)
• sk_capable(9)
• sk_net_capable(9)
• sk_set_memalloc(9)
• sk_alloc(9)
• skb_page_frag_refill(9)
• sk_wait_data(9)
• __sk_mem_raise_allocated(9)
• __sk_mem_schedule(9)
• __sk_mem_reduce_allocated(9)
• __sk_mem_reclaim(9)

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that's the whole vibe, bestie — go forth and clone responsibly 💅✨

shoutout to ./net/core for the source, dated October 2026 — and hey, this was sk_clone(9), ty for coming to my ted talk 🎀🦋💜