slave_set_ns_maddrs(9)

💫 slave_set_ns_maddrs(9) 💫

okay so real talk, this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's literally all about slave_set_ns_maddrs — the glow-up function that handles all the NS mac addresses for a slave. she's niche, she's networking, she's iconic. let's get into it bestie 🎀

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🌸 NAME 🌸

slave_set_ns_maddrs — add/del all NS mac addresses for slave, no cap ✨

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

void slave_set_ns_maddrs (struct bonding *bond , struct slave *slave ,
bool add );

like, that's the whole signature. she takes three things. periodt. 💅

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💖 ARGUMENTS 💖

• bond — the bond device 🫶 like the main character of this whole operation
• slave — the slave device, doing the actual work behind the scenes
• add — a bool that says whether we're adding or removing all the NS mac addresses. yes ma'am, add or remove, pick a lane ✨

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

so what does she actually do? this function tries to add or delete all the NS mac addresses on the slave. that's the whole vibe check. 💀

📌 important note bestie, don't skip this: the IPv6 NS target address is the unicast address in the Neighbor Solicitation (NS) message. the dest address of the NS message should be the solicited-node multicast address of the target. and the dest mac of the NS message is converted from the solicited-node multicast address. iykyk 🧚

and when does this function get called? great question, so glad you asked:

• when arp_validate changes 🔄
• when enslaving or releasing new slaves — yeah, the whole roster shuffle 👑

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./drivers/net/bonding/bond_options.c plus her whole friend group:

• bond_opt_parse(9)
• __bond_opt_set(9)
• __bond_opt_set_notify(9)
• bond_opt_tryset_rtnl(9)
• bond_opt_get(9)
• slave_set_ns_maddr(9)

go read them, they all ate 💅✨

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🍓 and that's the page fr fr!! this little beauty lives at ./drivers/net/bonding and the doc girlies stamped it October 2026. ty for coming to my ted talk, mwah 💖🦋🌸