STRUCT RTNL_LINK_OPS(9)

💜 struct rtnl_link_ops(9) 💜

okay bestie, buckle up — this one lives in the Kernel API Manual, and it's literally the blueprint for how rtnetlink link operations get defined ✨ it's the struct that tells the kernel "hey, here's a new kind of link and here's how to make it, change it, kill it, and brag about it in netlink attributes" 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

struct rtnl_link_ops — rtnetlink link operations, no cap 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

struct rtnl_link_ops {
    struct list_head        list;
    struct srcu_struct      srcu;
    const char              *kind;
    size_t priv_size;
    struct net_device       *(*alloc)(struct nlattr *tb[], const char
*ifname, unsigned char name_assign_type, unsigned int num_tx_queues,
unsigned int num_rx_queues);
    void (*setup)(struct net_device *dev);
    bool netns_refund;
    const u16               peer_type;
    unsigned int            maxtype;
    const struct nla_policy *policy;
    int (*validate)(struct nlattr *tb[], struct nlattr *data[], struct
netlink_ext_ack *extack);
    int (*newlink)(struct net_device *dev, struct rtnl_newlink_params
*params, struct netlink_ext_ack *extack);
    int (*changelink)(struct net_device *dev, struct nlattr *tb[],
struct nlattr *data[], struct netlink_ext_ack *extack);
    void (*dellink)(struct net_device *dev, struct list_head *head);
    size_t (*get_size)(const struct net_device *dev);
    int (*fill_info)(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct net_device *dev);
    size_t (*get_xstats_size)(const struct net_device *dev);
    int (*fill_xstats)(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct net_device
*dev);
    unsigned int            (*get_num_tx_queues)(void);
    unsigned int            (*get_num_rx_queues)(void);
    unsigned int            slave_maxtype;
    const struct nla_policy *slave_policy;
    int (*slave_changelink)(struct net_device *dev, struct net_device
*slave_dev, struct nlattr *tb[], struct nlattr *data[], struct
netlink_ext_ack *extack);
    size_t (*get_slave_size)(const struct net_device *dev, const struct
net_device *slave_dev);
    int (*fill_slave_info)(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct net_device
*dev, const struct net_device *slave_dev);
    struct net              *(*get_link_net)(const struct net_device
*dev);
    size_t (*get_linkxstats_size)(const struct net_device *dev, int
attr);
    int (*fill_linkxstats)(struct sk_buff *skb, const struct net_device
*dev, int *prividx, int attr);
 };

🦋 Members 🦋

like, here's the whole cast of characters, one by one, main character energy only 👑

• list — Used internally, protected by link_ops_mutex and SRCU 🔒 internal business, don't touch.
• srcu — Used internally. that's it, that's the description 🙈
• kind — Identifier 🏷️
• priv_size — sizeof net_device private space 📏
• alloc — the netdev allocation function. it can be NULL, and when it is, it's then used in place of alloc_netdev_mqs — and in that case priv_size and setup are unused. Returns a netdev or ERR_PTR 😭 so yes, handle your error pointers, bestie.
• setup — net_device setup function 🛠️
• netns_refund — Physical device, move to init_net on netns exit 🏠
• peer_type — Peer device specific netlink attribute number (e.g. VETH_INFO_PEER) 👯
• maxtype — Highest device specific netlink attribute number 🔢
• policy — Netlink policy for device specific attribute validation 📜
• validate — Optional validation function for netlink/changelink parameters ✅ optional is the key word here
• newlink — Function for configuring and registering a new device 🎀
• changelink — Function for changing parameters of an existing device 🔁
• dellink — Function to remove a device 💀
• get_size — Function to calculate required room for dumping device specific netlink attributes 📦
• fill_info — Function to dump device specific netlink attributes 🗂️
• get_xstats_size — Function to calculate required room for dumping device specific statistics 📊
• fill_xstats — Function to dump device specific statistics ✨
• get_num_tx_queues — Function to determine number of transmit queues to create when creating a new device. 📤
• get_num_rx_queues — Function to determine number of receive queues to create when creating a new device. 📥
• get_link_net — Function to get the i/o netns of the device 🌐
• get_linkxstats_size — Function to calculate the required room for dumping device-specific extended link stats 🧮
• fill_linkxstats — Function to dump device-specific extended link stats 🌟

fyi bestie 💕 — the struct up in the synopsis also shows slave_maxtype, slave_policy, slave_changelink, get_slave_size and fill_slave_info, and this page's Members list doesn't give them their own descriptions. don't come for me, i'm just matching what the page says 🫶

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Kernel file ./include/net/rtnetlink.h struct rtnl_msg_handler(9), struct rtnl_newlink_params(9), struct rtnl_af_ops(9) 👀 go read the whole cinematic universe

okay that's the whole page, you ate that 💅💖 this gem came from ./include/net and it's dated October 2026 — yes, future vibes only, periodt ⭐🎀🦋