STRUCT TIPC_NODE(9)

💖 struct tipc_node(9) 💖

okay so bestie, this is a page from the Kernel API Manual and it's all about struct tipc_node — the TIPC node structure. it's literally the main character of TIPC's node bookkeeping, and we're gonna go through every single field together, no skipping, no cap. 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

struct tipc_node — the TIPC node structure. that's it, that's the vibe check. 👑

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

here's the whole struct, character for character, don't touch anything:

struct tipc_node {
    u32 addr;
    struct kref kref;
    rwlock_t lock;
    struct net *net;
    struct hlist_node hash;
    int active_links[2];
    struct tipc_link_entry links[MAX_BEARERS];
    struct tipc_bclink_entry bc_entry;
    int action_flags;
    struct list_head list;
    int state;
    bool preliminary;
    bool failover_sent;
    u16 sync_point;
    int link_cnt;
    u16 working_links;
    u16 capabilities;
    u32 signature;
    u32 link_id;
    u8 peer_id[16];
    char peer_id_string[NODE_ID_STR_LEN];
    struct list_head publ_list;
    struct list_head conn_sks;
    unsigned long keepalive_intv;
    struct timer_list timer;
    struct rcu_head rcu;
    unsigned long delete_at;
    struct net *peer_net;
    u32 peer_hash_mix;
  #ifdef CONFIG_TIPC_CRYPTO;
    struct tipc_crypto *crypto_rx;
  #endif;
 };

yes the #ifdef line has semicolons on it. that's how it is in the source. we don't question it, we respect it. 💅

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🎀 Members 🎀

okay this is the part where we go through every single field one by one, and yes we're doing all of them:

• addr — the network address of the node. its lil address, basically.
• kref — reference counter to the node object. keeps track of who's still holding onto it.
• lock — an rwlock_t that governs access to the structure. respect the lock bestie.
• net — the applicable net namespace. the world it lives in.
• hash — links to adjacent nodes in the unsorted hash chain.
• active_links — the bearer ids of the active links, used as an index into the links[] array. iconique indexing behaviour.
• links — array containing references to all the links to this node.
• bc_entry — the broadcast link entry.
• action_flags — a bit mask of the different types of node actions.
• list — links to adjacent nodes in the sorted list of the cluster's nodes.
• state — connectivity state vs the peer node.
• preliminary — whether it's a preliminary node or not.
• failover_sent — whether failover was sent or not.
• sync_point — the sequence number where synch/failover is finished.
• link_cnt — number of links to the node.
• working_links — number of working links to the node (both active and standby). both!! 💖
• capabilities — a bitmap indicating the peer node's functional capabilities. it's giving résumé.
• signature — the node instance identifier.
• link_id — the local and remote bearer ids of the changing link, if any.
• peer_id — the 128-bit ID of the peer.
• peer_id_string — the ID string of the peer. the ✨aesthetic✨ version.
• publ_list — list of publications.
• conn_sks — list of connections (FIXME). yeah. FIXME. that's what the source says, we're just the messenger. 🙈
• keepalive_intv — the keepalive interval in milliseconds.
• timer — the node's keepalive timer.
• rcu — the rcu struct for tipc_node.
• delete_at — indicates the time for deleting a down node.
• peer_net — the peer's net namespace. its own little world 🦋
• peer_hash_mix — hash for this peer (FIXME). another FIXME ngl. author left us notes and we honor them fr fr.
• crypto_rx — the RX crypto handler. only around when CONFIG_TIPC_CRYPTO is defined, obviously.

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

go read these, they're all in the kernel file ./net/tipc/node.c, and every single one is listed here so you don't miss a thing:

tipc_node_crypto_rx(9), __tipc_node_link_up(9), tipc_node_link_up(9), tipc_node_link_failover(9), __tipc_node_link_down(9), tipc_node_get_linkname(9), tipc_node_xmit(9), tipc_node_bc_rcv(9), tipc_node_check_state(9), tipc_rcv(9), tipc_node_dump(9)

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ok that's the whole page bestie, every field accounted for, nothing dropped, we ate and left no crumbs 💅✨

and that's a wrap on the struct tipc_node(9) page from the Kernel API Manual, brought to you by the fine folks over at ./net/tipc, dated October 2026. mwah 💖 🎀 🌸