STRUCT IEEE80211_VIF(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

okay so welcome to the Kernel API Manual page for struct ieee80211_vif(9) — the per-interface data struct, and yes bestie, this is the main character of driver-facing vif data 💅✨

💖 NAME 💖

struct ieee80211_vif — per-interface data. That's the vibe: one struct holding the data for a virtual interface. No cap.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

Here's the exact shape, bestie — don't let the brackets scare you:

struct ieee80211_vif {
    enum nl80211_iftype type;
    struct ieee80211_vif_cfg cfg;
    struct ieee80211_bss_conf bss_conf;
    struct ieee80211_bss_conf *link_conf[IEEE80211_MLD_MAX_NUM_LINKS];
    u16 valid_links, active_links, dormant_links, suspended_links;
    struct ieee80211_neg_ttlm neg_ttlm;
    u8 addr[ETH_ALEN];
    bool addr_valid;
    bool p2p;
    u8 cab_queue;
    u8 hw_queue[IEEE80211_NUM_ACS];
    struct ieee80211_txq *txq;
    struct ieee80211_txq *txq_mgmt;
    netdev_features_t netdev_features;
    u32 driver_flags;
    u32 offload_flags;
  #ifdef CONFIG_MAC80211_DEBUGFS;
    struct dentry *debugfs_dir;
  #endif;
    bool probe_req_reg;
    bool rx_mcast_action_reg;
    u8 drv_priv[];
};

🎀 Members 🎀

okay, field-by-field, because every single one matters (yes, even the quiet ones):

  • type — type of this virtual interface, bestie. It's an enum nl80211_iftype situation.
  • cfg — the vif configuration. See struct ieee80211_vif_cfg for the details 💖
  • bss_conf — BSS configuration for this interface: either our own BSS or the BSS we're associated to.
  • link_conf — in case of MLD, this is the per-link BSS configuration, indexed by link ID. Yep, it's literally struct ieee80211_bss_conf *link_conf[IEEE80211_MLD_MAX_NUM_LINKS].
  • valid_links — bitmap of valid links, or 0 for non-MLO. Simple as that.
  • active_links — the bitmap of active links, or 0 for non-MLO. ⚠️ the driver shouldn't change this directly — use the API calls meant for that purpose, fr fr.
  • dormant_links — a subset of the valid links that are disabled/suspended due to advertised or negotiated TTLM respectively. 0 for non-MLO. The TTLM lore is real.
  • suspended_links — subset of dormant_links representing links that are suspended due to negotiated TTLM, and could be activated in the future by tearing down the TTLM negotiation. 0 for non-MLO.
  • neg_ttlm — negotiated TID to link mapping info. See struct ieee80211_neg_ttlm. TID, not tidying up — okay, moving on 💅
  • addr — address of this interface.
  • addr_valid — indicates if the address is actively used. Set to false for passive monitor interfaces, and true in all other cases. No cap.
  • p2p — indicates whether this AP or STA interface is a p2p interface, i.e. a GO or p2p-sta respectively. P2P representation matters ✨
  • cab_queue — content-after-beacon (DTIM beacon really) queue, AP mode only. It's giving beacon afterparty.
  • hw_queue — hardware queue for each AC.
  • txq — the multicast data TX queue.
  • txq_mgmt — the mgmt frame TX queue; currently only exists for NAN devices.
  • netdev_features — tx netdev features supported by the hardware for this vif. mac80211 initializes this to hw->netdev_features, and the driver can mask out specific tx features. mac80211 will handle software fixup for masked offloads (GSO, CSUM). Very much a team effort 🫶
  • driver_flags — flags/capabilities the driver has for this interface. These need to be set (or cleared) when the interface is added or, if supported by the driver, when the interface type is changed at runtime. mac80211 will never touch this field — it's driver main character energy.
  • offload_flags — 802.3 -> 802.11 enapsulation offload flags. See enum ieee80211_offload_flags.
  • debugfs_dir — debugfs dentry, can be used by drivers to create their own per-interface debug files. Note that it will be NULL for the virtual monitor interface (if that is requested).
  • probe_req_reg — probe requests should be reported to mac80211 for this interface.
  • rx_mcast_action_reg — multicast Action frames should be reported to mac80211 for this interface.
  • drv_priv — data area for driver use, will always be aligned to sizeof(void . — yes bestie, that's exactly how it's written on the page, so we're keeping it verbatim 😭

🌈 Description 🌈

Data in this structure is continually present for driver use during the life of a virtual interface. That's the whole point: it's the per-interface data that hangs around for the driver while the vif exists. Iconic, lowkey essential, periodt.

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

okay bestie, breathe. this section is the entire mac80211 cinematic universe in one list 😭 it's giving "the professor said the exam covers everything" energy. but every single entry is here, no skips, no cap.

first up, the actual header this whole page lives in:

  • ./include/net/mac80211.h — Kernel file

then the big-picture reads (start here if you're new, fr):

okay now the types zone 💅 queues, channel contexts, and the whole event family:

  • enum ieee80211_max_queues(9)
  • enum ieee80211_ac_numbers(9)
  • struct ieee80211_tx_queue_params(9)
  • enum ieee80211_chanctx_change(9)
  • struct ieee80211_chan_req(9)
  • struct ieee80211_chanctx_conf(9)
  • enum ieee80211_chanctx_switch_mode(9)
  • struct ieee80211_vif_chanctx_switch(9)
  • enum ieee80211_bss_change(9)
  • enum ieee80211_event_type(9)
  • enum ieee80211_rssi_event_data(9)
  • struct ieee80211_rssi_event(9)
  • enum ieee80211_mlme_event_data(9)
  • enum ieee80211_mlme_event_status(9)
  • struct ieee80211_mlme_event(9)
  • struct ieee80211_ba_event(9)
  • struct ieee80211_event(9)
  • struct ieee80211_mu_group_data(9)
  • struct ieee80211_ftm_responder_params(9)
  • struct ieee80211_fils_discovery(9)
  • struct ieee80211_parsed_tpe(9)
  • struct ieee80211_bss_npca_params(9)
  • struct ieee80211_bss_conf(9)
  • struct ieee80211_nan_channel(9)
  • struct ieee80211_nan_peer_map(9)
  • struct ieee80211_nan_peer_sched(9)

tx/rx status era 🦋 this chunk is lowkey the main character of driver writing:

  • enum mac80211_tx_info_flags(9)
  • enum mac80211_tx_control_flags(9)
  • enum mac80211_tx_status_flags(9)
  • enum mac80211_rate_control_flags(9)
  • struct ieee80211_tx_rate(9)
  • struct ieee80211_tx_info(9)
  • struct ieee80211_tx_status(9)
  • struct ieee80211_scan_ies(9)
  • ieee80211_tx_info_clear_status(9)
  • enum mac80211_rx_flags(9)
  • enum mac80211_rx_encoding_flags(9)
  • struct ieee80211_rx_status(9)
  • enum ieee80211_conf_flags(9)
  • enum ieee80211_conf_changed(9)
  • enum ieee80211_smps_mode(9)
  • struct ieee80211_conf(9)
  • struct ieee80211_channel_switch(9)
  • enum ieee80211_vif_flags(9)
  • enum ieee80211_offload_flags(9)
  • struct ieee80211_eml_params(9)
  • struct ieee80211_nan_sched_cfg(9)
  • struct ieee80211_vif_cfg(9)
  • struct ieee80211_neg_ttlm(9)
  • enum ieee80211_neg_ttlm_res(9)
  • ieee80211_vif_usable_links(9)
  • ieee80211_vif_is_mld(9)
  • ieee80211_vif_link_active(9)
  • wdev_to_ieee80211_vif(9)
  • ieee80211_vif_to_wdev(9)

keys and stations, the iconic duo 🔐:

  • enum ieee80211_key_flags(9)
  • struct ieee80211_key_conf(9)
  • struct ieee80211_key_seq(9)
  • enum set_key_cmd(9)
  • enum ieee80211_sta_state(9)
  • enum ieee80211_sta_rx_bandwidth(9)
  • struct ieee80211_sta_rates(9)
  • struct ieee80211_sta_txpwr(9)
  • struct ieee80211_sta_aggregates(9)
  • struct ieee80211_link_sta(9)
  • struct ieee80211_sta(9)
  • enum sta_notify_cmd(9)
  • struct ieee80211_tx_control(9)
  • struct ieee80211_txq(9)
  • enum ieee80211_hw_flags(9)
  • struct ieee80211_hw(9)
  • struct ieee80211_scan_request(9)
  • struct ieee80211_tdls_ch_sw_params(9)
  • wiphy_to_ieee80211_hw(9)
  • SET_IEEE80211_DEV(9)
  • SET_IEEE80211_PERM_ADDR(9)
  • ieee80211_free_txskb(9)
  • ieee80211_purge_tx_queue(9)

feature-doc o'clock 🎀 these are the "how does this whole thing actually work" pages:

rx path + powersave, the "what happens when frames actually show up" zone 🌸:

beacon besties 📡 honestly iconic that this many pages exist just for beacons:

TKIP + rekey + queue control, the vintage-but-still-here corner 💀:

iteration nation 🌀 macros and their function friends, together forever:

block-ack szn 🔥 plus sta lookups and airtime bookkeeping:

the "everything is on fire" collection 😭 loss, disconnect, radar, channel switch:

rate control + capability lookups + a whole cluster of helpers 🧚:

txq scheduling, the group project nobody wants but everybody needs 💜:

and the final boss batch: NAN, airtime, FILS, colours, links, bandwidth, and one very important encryption helper ⭐

and that's the whole list, bestie — you officially survived the mac80211 extended universe 🌈 go drink some water fr fr 🫶

this page lives in ./include/net, dated October 2026, and it's the struct ieee80211_vif(9) glow-up. mwah 💋✨

📦 where this page comes from