skb_pad(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 skb_pad(9) — like, the Kernel API Manual one, bestie ✨

okay so picture this: it's a Kernel API Manual page, the title is skb_pad(9), and it's about to be your new fave little helper. let's get into it 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

skb_pad — zero pad the tail of an skb. that's it, that's the whole vibe ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

int skb_pad (struct sk_buff *skb , int pad );

like, literally that's the signature. no cap. 📎

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • skb — the buffer you're padding, bestie. this is the one getting the lil glow-up at the end 💖
  • pad — how much space to pad. the amount. the quantity. the padding, if you will 🌸

👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

okay so here's the tea 🍵 — skb_pad makes sure that a buffer is followed by a padding area that is zero filled. like, it guarantees the tail is spotless. no leftover crumbs, no mystery bytes, just zeros. immaculate ✨

and why do we care? because it's used by network drivers which may DMA or transfer data beyond the buffer end onto the wire. so like, the hardware goes a lil past the edge of your data (rude, honestly) and this is what keeps that from being a whole situation 💀

⚠️ heads up bestie: it may return an error in out of memory cases. and when it errors, the skb is freed. so don't go touching that skb afterward, fr fr 😭

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

this list is long long, like scrolling-for-days long, but i gotchu — every single one, in order, no skips 👑

like… that's the whole friend group. every single one. i counted. twice. 🧚

🏁 and that's the page, bestie! this one came out of ./include/linux and it's dated October 2026, filed under the name skb_pad(9) — so if you ever need to find it again, that's the receipt 💜 mwah, study well, and remember: the skb gets freed on error, so like… don't be weird about it 😭👋
📦 where this page comes from