sock_alloc_file(9)

💅 sock_alloc_file — like, the whole glow-up where a socket gets a file

Ok so bestie, we're in the Kernel API Manual today and this one's a certified banger. It's called sock_alloc_file and honestly? It's giving matchmaker energy. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

sock_alloc_file — bind a &socket to a &file. That's it, that's the whole vibe. Two lonely structs, one function, zero cap. 🫶

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct file * sock_alloc_file (struct socket *sock , int flags , const
char *dname );

Look at that signature. Three args, no notes. Iconic. 💅

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• sock — the socket. Like, the actual socket you want to bind. Main character.
• flags — file status flags. The little personality settings for the file, iykyk.
• dname — protocol name. Just a string, no big deal. 💖

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

So what does it even do? It returns the file bound with sock, and — sneakily — it implicitly stores it in sock->file. Not me doing two things at once. 😭

If dname is NULL, it gets set to "". Empty string. Blank. A little ghost of a name. 👻

On failure, sock is released, and an ERR pointer is returned. So like, the socket doesn't survive a failed attempt, bestie. Be aware. 💀

Also important: this function uses GFP_KERNEL internally. That's the allocation flavour it's running on, no substitutions. ✨

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./net/socket.c — go read it, it's fine, it's literally right there. 📖

And the whole friend group shows up too:

• move_addr_to_kernel(9)
• move_addr_to_user(9)
• sock_read_xattr(9)
• sock_from_file(9)
• sockfd_lookup(9)
• sock_alloc(9)
• sock_release(9)
• sock_sendmsg(9)
• kernel_sendmsg(9)
• sock_recvmsg(9)
• kernel_recvmsg(9)
• sock_create_lite(9)
• __sock_create(9)
• sock_create(9)
• sock_create_kern(9)
• sock_register(9)
• sock_unregister(9)
• kernel_bind(9)
• kernel_listen(9)
• kernel_accept(9)
• kernel_connect(9)
• kernel_getsockname(9)
• kernel_getpeername(9)
• kernel_sock_shutdown(9)
• kernel_sock_ip_overhead(9)

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That's the whole thing, no crumbs left. 💜

Sign-off time 🎀 — this lil masterpiece lives under ./net in the source tree, dated October 2026, and it's filed under the sock_alloc_file(9) page name. Slay, go bind some sockets. 🦋