STRUCT CFG80211_IBSS_PARAMS(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 NAME 💖

struct cfg80211_ibss_params — the IBSS parameters struct, bestie. yes that's it, that's the whole vibe. it's a kernel API manual page and it's literally the blueprint for how an IBSS (ad-hoc, no-AP, we-are-the-network) setup gets described to the kernel 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

okay so here's the whole struct, copy it exactly, don't @ me:

struct cfg80211_ibss_params {
    const u8 *ssid;
    const u8 *bssid;
    struct cfg80211_chan_def chandef;
    const u8 *ie;
    u8 ssid_len, ie_len;
    u16 beacon_interval;
    u32 basic_rates;
    bool channel_fixed;
    bool privacy;
    bool control_port;
    bool control_port_over_nl80211;
    bool userspace_handles_dfs;
    int mcast_rate[NUM_NL80211_BANDS];
    struct ieee80211_ht_cap ht_capa;
    struct ieee80211_ht_cap ht_capa_mask;
    struct key_params *wep_keys;
    int wep_tx_key;
 };

look at her. seventeen fields of pure main character energy 👑

🌸 Members 🌸

this is the part where we go down the list one by one, no skipping, i promised 🫶

  • ssid — the SSID, and it will always be non-null. non-negotiable. she's always there 💅
  • bssid — the fixed BSSID you're requesting. this one may be NULL (yes, it's allowed to ghost you). but if it IS set, don't go searching for IBSSs with a different BSSID — that's the whole point, periodt.
  • chandef — defines the channel to use if no other IBSS to join can be found. it's the fallback plan, the backup outfit, the "if nobody else shows up we're doing this" channel 🌈
  • ie — information element(s) to include in the beacon. yep, plural, go off 🎀
  • ssid_len — the length of the SSID, and it will always be non-zero. like ssid, it never flops, never zero, always valid ✨
  • ie_len — length of that. (that = the ie. iykyk)
  • beacon_interval — the beacon interval to use. they will hear from you at this interval, fr fr 📣
  • basic_rates — bitmap of basic rates to use when creating the IBSS. a whole bitmap, iconic.
  • channel_fixed — the channel should be fixed — meaning do not search for IBSSs to join on other channels. she stays on her channel. no wandering 🔒
  • privacy — this is a protected network, keys will be configured after joining. locked down, keys come later, order of operations is important bestie 🔐
  • control_port — whether user space controls the IEEE 802.1X port, i.e., sets/clears NL80211_STA_FLAG_AUTHORIZED. if true, the driver is required to assume that the port is unauthorized until authorized by user space. otherwise, the port is marked authorized by default. so like. default is "trusted", flip it and user space holds the keys 🔑
  • control_port_over_nl80211 — TRUE if userspace expects to exchange control port frames over NL80211 instead of the network interface. different pipe, same drama 💫
  • userspace_handles_dfs — whether user space controls DFS operation, i.e. changes the channel when a radar is detected. this is required to operate on DFS channels — like, actually required, not a suggestion, don't skip it 🚨
  • mcast_rate — per-band multicast rate index + 1 (0: disabled). the +1 is doing so much work here, do not forget it, and 0 means disabled, simple as 🍓
  • ht_capa — HT Capabilities over-rides. values set in ht_capa_mask will be used in ht_capa. un-supported values will be ignored. mask says what's real, unsupported gets politely ignored 🙈
  • ht_capa_mask — the bits of ht_capa which are to be used. that's it. that's the field. she's the filter 💅
  • wep_keys — static WEP keys; if not NULL it points to an array of CFG80211_MAX_WEP_KEYS WEP keys. (yes, WEP, we don't talk about it, but it's in the struct so it goes in the doc 😭)
  • wep_tx_key — key index (0..3) of the default TX static WEP key. zero through three, no more no less, that's the range 👑

🔥 Description 🔥

this structure defines the IBSS parameters for the join_ibss method. that's the whole thing.

like, if join_ibss is the function, this struct is the little note you hand it with everything it needs to know — who you are, what channel, what beacon interval, whether the port is cool or not. one struct, all the vibes, and the kernel handles the rest 💖

Literally everything else in this page points you at more docs, so buckle up bestie, this is the see-also haul 💅

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

okay so first thing's first: the whole reason this struct exists is the kernel file ./include/net/cfg80211.h, and if you wanna actually understand it instead of just vibing next to it, go read these:

Introduction(9), Device registration(9), enum ieee80211_channel_flags(9), struct ieee80211_channel(9), enum ieee80211_rate_flags(9), enum ieee80211_bss_type(9), enum ieee80211_privacy(9), struct ieee80211_rate(9), struct ieee80211_he_obss_pd(9), struct cfg80211_he_bss_color(9), struct ieee80211_sta_ht_cap(9), struct ieee80211_sta_vht_cap(9), struct ieee80211_sta_he_cap(9), struct ieee80211_eht_mcs_nss_supp(9), struct ieee80211_sta_eht_cap(9), struct ieee80211_sta_uhr_cap(9), struct ieee80211_sband_iftype_data(9), enum ieee80211_edmg_bw_config(9), struct ieee80211_edmg(9), struct ieee80211_sta_s1g_cap(9), struct ieee80211_supported_band(9), _ieee80211_set_sband_iftype_data(9), ieee80211_set_sband_iftype_data(9), for_each_sband_iftype_data(9), ieee80211_get_sband_iftype_data(9), ieee80211_get_he_iftype_cap(9), ieee80211_get_he_6ghz_capa(9), ieee80211_get_eht_iftype_cap(9), ieee80211_get_uhr_iftype_cap(9), wiphy_read_of_freq_limits(9) — that's the band/capability girlies, they're the whole vibe check for what your hardware can even do ✨

🎀 Actions and configuration 🎀

this is the big one, the main character section, it's giving "everything you'd ever want to configure" energy:

struct vif_params(9), struct key_params(9), struct cfg80211_chan_def(9), struct cfg80211_tid_cfg(9), struct cfg80211_tid_config(9), struct cfg80211_fils_aad(9), struct cfg80211_set_hw_timestamp(9), cfg80211_get_chandef_type(9), cfg80211_chandef_create(9), cfg80211_chandef_identical(9), cfg80211_chandef_is_edmg(9), cfg80211_chandef_is_s1g(9), cfg80211_chandef_compatible(9), nl80211_chan_width_to_mhz(9), cfg80211_chandef_get_width(9), cfg80211_chandef_valid(9), cfg80211_chandef_usable(9), cfg80211_chandef_dfs_required(9), cfg80211_chandef_dfs_usable(9), cfg80211_chandef_dfs_cac_time(9), cfg80211_chandef_primary(9), cfg80211_chandef_npca_valid(9), cfg80211_chandef_add_npca(9), cfg80211_chandef_add_dbe(9), nl80211_send_chandef(9), ieee80211_chandef_max_power(9), cfg80211_chandef_s1g_pri_width(9), cfg80211_any_usable_channels(9)

then the survey + crypto + beacon-adjacent besties:

enum survey_info_flags(9), struct survey_info(9), struct cfg80211_crypto_settings(9), struct cfg80211_mbssid_config(9), struct cfg80211_mbssid_elems(9), struct cfg80211_rnr_elems(9), struct cfg80211_beacon_data(9), struct cfg80211_acl_data(9), struct cfg80211_fils_discovery(9), struct cfg80211_unsol_bcast_probe_resp(9), struct cfg80211_s1g_short_beacon(9), struct cfg80211_ap_settings(9), struct cfg80211_ap_update(9), struct cfg80211_csa_settings(9), struct cfg80211_color_change_settings(9), struct iface_combination_params(9)

and the station/rate/stats squad, which lowkey goes on forever:

enum station_parameters_apply_mask(9), struct sta_txpwr(9), struct link_station_parameters(9), struct link_station_del_parameters(9), struct cfg80211_ttlm_params(9), struct station_parameters(9), struct station_del_parameters(9), enum cfg80211_station_type(9), cfg80211_check_station_change(9), enum rate_info_flags(9), enum rate_info_bw(9), struct rate_info(9), enum bss_param_flags(9), struct sta_bss_parameters(9), struct cfg80211_txq_stats(9), struct cfg80211_tid_stats(9), struct link_station_info(9), struct station_info(9), struct cfg80211_sar_sub_specs(9), struct cfg80211_sar_specs(9), struct cfg80211_sar_freq_ranges(9), struct cfg80211_sar_capa(9), cfg80211_get_station(9), enum monitor_flags(9), enum mpath_info_flags(9), struct mpath_info(9), enum wiphy_bss_param_flags(9), struct bss_parameters(9), struct mesh_config(9), struct mesh_setup(9), struct ocb_setup(9), struct ieee80211_txq_params(9)

🦋 Scanning and BSS list handling 🦋

the "how do I find a network and remember it" collection, genuinely iconic:

struct cfg80211_ssid(9), struct cfg80211_scan_info(9), struct cfg80211_scan_6ghz_params(9), struct cfg80211_scan_request(9), struct cfg80211_match_set(9), struct cfg80211_sched_scan_plan(9), struct cfg80211_bss_select_adjust(9), struct cfg80211_sched_scan_request(9), enum cfg80211_signal_type(9), struct cfg80211_inform_bss(9), struct cfg80211_bss_ies(9), struct cfg80211_bss(9), ieee80211_bss_get_elem(9), ieee80211_bss_get_ie(9)

then connecting and all its dramatic friends:

struct cfg80211_auth_request(9), struct cfg80211_assoc_link(9), struct cfg80211_ml_reconf_req(9), enum cfg80211_assoc_req_flags(9), struct cfg80211_assoc_request(9), struct cfg80211_deauth_request(9), struct cfg80211_disassoc_request(9), struct cfg80211_bss_selection(9), struct cfg80211_connect_params(9), enum cfg80211_connect_params_changed(9), enum wiphy_params_flags(9), struct cfg80211_pmksa(9), struct cfg80211_pkt_pattern(9), struct cfg80211_wowlan_tcp(9), struct cfg80211_wowlan(9), struct cfg80211_coalesce_rules(9), struct cfg80211_coalesce(9), struct cfg80211_wowlan_nd_match(9), struct cfg80211_wowlan_nd_info(9), struct cfg80211_wowlan_wakeup(9), struct cfg80211_gtk_rekey_data(9), struct cfg80211_update_ft_ies_params(9), struct cfg80211_mgmt_tx_params(9), struct cfg80211_dscp_exception(9), struct cfg80211_dscp_range(9), struct cfg80211_qos_map(9)

NAN girlies rise up 🌸 and also pmsr, external auth, owe, ops, wiphy stuff:

Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN)(9), struct cfg80211_nan_band_config(9), struct cfg80211_nan_conf(9), struct cfg80211_nan_channel(9), struct cfg80211_nan_local_sched(9), struct cfg80211_nan_peer_map(9), struct cfg80211_nan_peer_sched(9), enum cfg80211_nan_conf_changes(9), struct cfg80211_nan_func_filter(9), struct cfg80211_nan_func(9), struct cfg80211_pmk_conf(9), struct cfg80211_external_auth_params(9), struct cfg80211_ftm_responder_stats(9), struct cfg80211_pmsr_ftm_result(9), struct cfg80211_pmsr_result(9), struct cfg80211_pmsr_ftm_request_peer(9), struct cfg80211_pmsr_request_peer(9), struct cfg80211_pmsr_request(9), struct cfg80211_update_owe_info(9), struct mgmt_frame_regs(9), struct cfg80211_ops(9), enum wiphy_flags(9), struct ieee80211_iface_limit(9), struct ieee80211_iface_combination(9), enum wiphy_wowlan_support_flags(9), struct wiphy_wowlan_support(9), struct wiphy_coalesce_support(9), enum wiphy_vendor_command_flags(9), enum wiphy_opmode_flag(9), struct sta_opmode_info(9), struct wiphy_vendor_command(9), struct wiphy_iftype_ext_capab(9), cfg80211_get_iftype_ext_capa(9), struct cfg80211_pmsr_capabilities(9), struct wiphy_iftype_akm_suites(9), struct wiphy_radio_cfg(9), struct wiphy_radio_freq_range(9), struct wiphy_radio(9), enum wiphy_nan_flags(9), struct wiphy_nan_capa(9)

and the wiphy lifecycle+locking extended universe, no cap this is a lot:

struct wiphy(9), wiphy_priv(9), priv_to_wiphy(9), set_wiphy_dev(9), wiphy_dev(9), wiphy_name(9), wiphy_new_nm(9), wiphy_new(9), wiphy_register(9), rcu_dereference_wiphy(9), wiphy_dereference(9), get_wiphy_regdom(9), wiphy_unregister(9), wiphy_free(9), wiphy_lock(9), wiphy_unlock(9), wiphy_work_queue(9), wiphy_work_cancel(9), wiphy_work_flush(9), wiphy_delayed_work_queue(9), wiphy_delayed_work_cancel(9), wiphy_delayed_work_flush(9), wiphy_delayed_work_pending(9), wiphy_hrtimer_work_queue(9), wiphy_hrtimer_work_cancel(9), wiphy_hrtimer_work_flush(9), wiphy_hrtimer_work_pending(9), enum ieee80211_ap_reg_power(9), struct wireless_dev(9), wdev_priv(9), wdev_chandef(9)

💖 Utility functions 💖

the little helpers that carry the whole operation tbh:

ieee80211_channel_equal(9), ieee80211_channel_to_khz(9), ieee80211_channel_to_freq_khz(9), ieee80211_channel_to_frequency(9), ieee80211_freq_khz_to_channel(9), ieee80211_frequency_to_channel(9), ieee80211_get_channel_khz(9), ieee80211_get_channel(9), cfg80211_channel_is_psc(9), ieee80211_radio_freq_range_valid(9), cfg80211_radio_chandef_valid(9), cfg80211_wdev_channel_allowed(9), ieee80211_get_response_rate(9), ieee80211_mandatory_rates(9)

🍓 Data path helpers 🍓

frame shuffling and IE-hunting, aka the "where's that element" section:

struct ieee80211_radiotap_iterator(9), ieee80211_get_hdrlen_from_skb(9), ieee80211_hdrlen(9), ieee80211_get_mesh_hdrlen(9), ieee80211_data_to_8023_exthdr(9), ieee80211_data_to_8023(9), ieee80211_is_valid_amsdu(9), ieee80211_amsdu_to_8023s(9), ieee80211_get_8023_tunnel_proto(9), ieee80211_strip_8023_mesh_hdr(9), cfg80211_classify8021d(9), cfg80211_find_elem_match(9), cfg80211_find_ie_match(9), cfg80211_find_elem(9), cfg80211_find_ie(9), cfg80211_find_ext_elem(9), cfg80211_find_ext_ie(9), cfg80211_find_vendor_elem(9), cfg80211_find_vendor_ie(9), enum cfg80211_rnr_iter_ret(9), cfg80211_iter_rnr(9), cfg80211_defragment_element(9), cfg80211_send_layer2_update(9)

👑 Regulatory enforcement infrastructure 👑

the "please don't transmit where you're not allowed" girlies, respect them:

regulatory_hint(9), regulatory_set_wiphy_regd(9), regulatory_set_wiphy_regd_sync(9), wiphy_apply_custom_regulatory(9), freq_reg_info(9), reg_initiator_name(9), regulatory_pre_cac_allowed(9)

🌈 Internal regulatory db functions 🌈

reg_query_regdb_wmm(9)

💜 the scan-done / BSS-inform / mlme notification era 💜

okay this is the long tail of "hey userspace, something happened" callbacks, and yes, every single one of them counts:

cfg80211_scan_done(9), cfg80211_sched_scan_results(9), cfg80211_sched_scan_stopped(9), cfg80211_sched_scan_stopped_locked(9), cfg80211_inform_bss_frame_data(9), cfg80211_gen_new_bssid(9), cfg80211_is_element_inherited(9), cfg80211_merge_profile(9), enum cfg80211_bss_frame_type(9), cfg80211_get_ies_channel_number(9), cfg80211_ssid_eq(9), cfg80211_inform_bss_data(9), __cfg80211_get_bss(9), cfg80211_get_bss(9), cfg80211_ref_bss(9), cfg80211_put_bss(9), cfg80211_unlink_bss(9), cfg80211_bss_iter(9), cfg80211_rx_mlme_mgmt(9), cfg80211_auth_timeout(9), struct cfg80211_rx_assoc_resp_data(9), cfg80211_rx_assoc_resp(9), struct cfg80211_assoc_failure(9), cfg80211_assoc_failure(9), cfg80211_tx_mlme_mgmt(9), cfg80211_rx_unprot_mlme_mgmt(9), cfg80211_michael_mic_failure(9), cfg80211_ibss_joined(9), cfg80211_notify_new_peer_candidate(9)

🧚 RFkill integration 🧚

wiphy_rfkill_set_hw_state_reason(9), wiphy_rfkill_start_polling(9), wiphy_rfkill_stop_polling(9)

🙈 Vendor commands 🙈

cfg80211_vendor_cmd_alloc_reply_skb(9), cfg80211_vendor_cmd_reply(9), cfg80211_vendor_cmd_get_sender(9), cfg80211_vendor_event_alloc(9), cfg80211_vendor_event_alloc_ucast(9), cfg80211_vendor_event(9)

💀 Test mode 💀

cfg80211_testmode_alloc_reply_skb(9), cfg80211_testmode_reply(9), cfg80211_testmode_alloc_event_skb(9), cfg80211_testmode_event(9)

🌸 connect / roam / notify / cqm / radar — the finale 🌸

we're so close bestie, hydration check, here's the rest:

struct cfg80211_fils_resp_params(9), struct cfg80211_connect_resp_params(9), cfg80211_connect_done(9), cfg80211_connect_bss(9), cfg80211_connect_result(9), cfg80211_connect_timeout(9), struct cfg80211_roam_info(9), cfg80211_roamed(9), cfg80211_port_authorized(9), cfg80211_disconnected(9), cfg80211_ready_on_channel(9), cfg80211_remain_on_channel_expired(9), cfg80211_tx_mgmt_expired(9), cfg80211_sinfo_alloc_tid_stats(9), cfg80211_link_sinfo_alloc_tid_stats(9), cfg80211_sinfo_release_content(9), cfg80211_new_sta(9), cfg80211_del_sta_sinfo(9), cfg80211_del_sta(9), cfg80211_conn_failed(9), struct cfg80211_rx_info(9), cfg80211_rx_mgmt_ext(9), cfg80211_rx_mgmt_khz(9), cfg80211_rx_mgmt(9), struct cfg80211_tx_status(9), cfg80211_mgmt_tx_status_ext(9), cfg80211_mgmt_tx_status(9), cfg80211_control_port_tx_status(9), cfg80211_rx_control_port(9), cfg80211_cqm_rssi_notify(9), cfg80211_cqm_pktloss_notify(9), cfg80211_cqm_txe_notify(9), cfg80211_cqm_beacon_loss_notify(9), __cfg80211_radar_event(9), cfg80211_sta_opmode_change_notify(9), cfg80211_cac_event(9), cfg80211_background_cac_abort(9), cfg80211_gtk_rekey_notify(9), cfg80211_pmksa_candidate_notify(9), cfg80211_rx_spurious_frame(9), cfg80211_rx_unexpected_4addr_frame(9), cfg80211_probe_status(9), cfg80211_report_obss_beacon_khz(9), cfg80211_report_obss_beacon(9), struct cfg80211_beaconing_check_config(9)

and that's the list, fr fr 🫶 you read all of it, crown yourself 👑

...and the rest of the guest list is long, bestie — like, 64 entries long. Every single one of these is a real page in the same manual, so go read them if you need the deep lore. 🔥

okay that's genuinely the whole list, no skips, no "etc." — I would never 🙈. If you got all the way down here, you're officially a cfg80211 main character. Go touch some grass (or, like, an antenna) and then come back and reread the Members section, because there's always one field you forgot. 💅

heads up bestie: this page is a kernel API doc, so it ships straight from the source tree at ./include/net, dated October 2026. That's your version deets, that's your date, that's the vibe.

xoxo, your favorite kernel bestie — stay beaconing 👑✨🫶

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