STRUCT CFG80211_INFORM_BSS(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 NAME 💖

struct cfg80211_inform_bss — bestie, it's the BSS inform data struct. This is the struct cfg80211_inform_bss(9) page from the Kernel API Manual, and we're gonna get into it 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct cfg80211_inform_bss {
    struct ieee80211_channel *chan;
    s32 signal;
    u64 boottime_ns;
    u64 parent_tsf;
    u8 parent_bssid[ETH_ALEN];
    u8 chains;
    s8 chain_signal[IEEE80211_MAX_CHAINS];
    u8 restrict_use:1, use_for:7;
    u8 cannot_use_reasons;
    void *drv_data;
 };

🎀 Members 🎀

Okay so here's the vibe check on every single field, no skips, no cap 🫶

  • chan — the channel the frame was received on. Like, where the frame was literally hanging out 📡
  • signal — the signal strength value, and it's measured according to the wiphy's signal type (so don't assume it's always in the same units, iykyk).
  • boottime_ns — timestamp (CLOCK_BOOTTIME) of when the information was received. Lowkey important: this should match the time when the frame was actually received by the device — not just by the host, in case it got buffered on the device — and it should be accurate to about 10ms. If the frame isn't buffered, just passing the return value of ktime_get_boottime_ns is likely appropriate ✨
  • parent_tsf — the time at the start of reception of the first octet of the timestamp field of the frame. This time is the TSF of the BSS specified by parent_bssid. Periodt 🕐
  • parent_bssid — the BSS according to which parent_tsf is set. It's set to the BSS that requested the scan in which the beacon/probe was received 👑
  • chains — bitmask for the filled values in chain_signal. So it's telling you which chain entries are actually valid, fr fr 🦋
  • chain_signal — per-chain signal strength of the last received BSS, in dBm 📶
  • restrict_use — restrict usage. If this is not set, assume use_for is NL80211_BSS_USE_FOR_NORMAL. Cute little default for you 💅
  • use_for — bitmap of possible usage for this BSS, see enum nl80211_bss_use_for 🌈
  • cannot_use_reasons — the reasons (bitmap) for not being able to connect, if restrict_use is set and use_for is zero (empty). It may be 0 for unspecified reasons; see enum nl80211_bss_cannot_use_reasons. So like, the "why can't I sit with you" bit 😭
  • drv_data — data to be passed through to inform_bss. Just your little payload handoff 🎀

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

okay bestie so this page comes with a reading list — like the syllabus for the whole cfg80211 cinematic universe, and it lives in one file:

./include/net/cfg80211.h

every single one of these is a (9) page, so go read them when you're done here, mwah 💖

🌸 the starter pack

  • Introduction(9), Device registration(9) — read these two first fr, they're the "welcome to the fandom" posts.
  • 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) — the channels-and-rates core four (okay, six). privacy flag lives here too, yes ma'am.

📡 the cap stack (ht → vht → he → eht → uhr)

  • 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) — the whole glow-up timeline of capabilities, one struct at a time 💅

🦋 bands, edmg, s1g + the getters

🎀 actions and configuration era

  • Actions and configuration(9) — the section title itself, iconic, main character 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)

💫 chandef girlies, assemble

🧚 AP-side structs

  • 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)
  • 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) — the big one, she's the finale of that group 💅

🍓 sar, mesh, ocb, and friends

  • 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 (our section, basically)

  • Scanning and BSS list handling(9), 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_bss_ies(9), struct cfg80211_bss(9), ieee80211_bss_get_elem(9), ieee80211_bss_get_ie(9)

✨ auth, assoc, connect, wowlan, qos — the whole arc

  • 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_ibss_params(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, PMSR, and the rest of the sidebar

  • 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)

👑 ops, wiphy, and the big structs

  • 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), struct wiphy(9) — yes, THE wiphy 🫶

🎀 wiphy accessors & work queue helpers (the glue)

🦋 utility functions & data path helpers

💀 regulatory, because someone has to

🌸 scan/BSS event notifications & mgmt frames

🧚 rfkill, vendor cmds, test mode

💖 connect / roam / station / mgmt notifs — the big finish

no cap, that is every single cross-reference, in order, nothing skipped. if you read all of these you're genuinely unhinged in the best way possible 👑

aaaand there's still more of this page coming, so don't close the tab bestie 💜

okay so the rest of the SEE ALSO lineup keeps going, and every single name is right here — same order, no cap 👑:

and that's the whole list, bestie 🫶 source: ./include/net · date/version: October 2026 · page: struct cfg80211_inform_bss(9) — iconic, periodt 💅✨

📦 where this page comes from