synchronize_net(9)

💅 synchronize_net 💅 — from the Kernel API Manual

🌸 NAME 🌸

synchronize_net — Synchronize with packet receive processing.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void synchronize_net (void );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• void — no arguments. Literally none, bestie. 🫶

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so synchronize_net() waits for packets currently being received to be done. That's the whole vibe. It does not block later packets from starting. So it's giving “let the current receive processing finish” energy, not “freeze the queue forever” energy. ✨

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file: ./net/core/dev.c. The whole squad is here, and yes, every single one is invited:

dev_add_pack(9), __dev_remove_pack(9),
dev_remove_pack(9), dev_get_iflink(9), dev_fill_metadata_dst(9),
netdev_napi_by_id_lock(9), __dev_get_by_name(9), dev_get_by_name_rcu(9),
netdev_get_by_name(9), __dev_get_by_index(9), dev_get_by_index_rcu(9),
netdev_get_by_index(9), dev_get_by_napi_id(9),
netdev_get_by_index_lock(9), netdev_get_name(9), dev_getbyhwaddr_rcu(9),
dev_getbyhwaddr(9), netdev_get_by_flags_rcu(9), dev_valid_name(9),
__dev_alloc_name(9), dev_alloc_name(9), dev_get_alias(9),
netdev_features_change(9), __netdev_notify_peers(9),
netdev_notify_peers(9), dev_disable_gro_hw(9),
register_netdevice_notifier(9), unregister_netdevice_notifier(9),
register_netdevice_notifier_net(9),
unregister_netdevice_notifier_net(9), call_netdevice_notifiers_info(9),
call_netdevice_notifiers_info_robust(9), call_netdevice_notifiers(9),
call_netdevice_notifiers_mtu(9), dev_forward_skb(9),
dev_nit_active_rcu(9), netif_setup_tc(9),
netif_set_real_num_rx_queues(9), netif_set_real_num_queues(9),
netif_set_tso_max_size(9), netif_set_tso_max_segs(9),
netif_inherit_tso_max(9), netif_get_num_default_rss_queues(9),
netif_device_detach(9), netif_device_attach(9), dev_loopback_xmit(9),
__dev_queue_xmit(9), rps_flow_is_active(9), rps_may_expire_flow(9),
__netif_rx(9), netif_rx(9), netdev_is_rx_handler_busy(9),
netdev_rx_handler_register(9), netdev_rx_handler_unregister(9),
netif_receive_skb_core(9), netif_receive_skb(9),
netif_receive_skb_list(9), __napi_schedule(9), napi_schedule_prep(9),
__napi_schedule_irqoff(9), netif_threaded_enable(9),
netif_queue_set_napi(9), napi_disable(9), napi_enable(9),
netdev_has_upper_dev(9), netdev_has_upper_dev_all_rcu(9),
netdev_has_any_upper_dev(9), netdev_master_upper_dev_get(9),
netdev_has_any_lower_dev(9), netdev_upper_get_next_dev_rcu(9),
netdev_lower_get_next_private(9), netdev_lower_get_next_private_rcu(9),
netdev_lower_get_next(9), netdev_lower_get_first_private_rcu(9),
netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu(9), netdev_upper_dev_link(9),
netdev_master_upper_dev_link(9), netdev_upper_dev_unlink(9),
netdev_bonding_info_change(9), netdev_get_xmit_slave(9),
netdev_sk_get_lowest_dev(9), netdev_lower_state_changed(9),
netif_get_flags(9), netif_set_mtu_ext(9),
netif_pre_changeaddr_notify(9), dev_get_phys_port_id(9),
dev_get_phys_port_name(9), netif_get_port_parent_id(9),
netdev_port_same_parent_id(9),
netdev_change_proto_down_reason_locked(9), dev_change_xdp_fd(9),
dev_index_reserve(9), netdev_update_features(9),
netdev_change_features(9), netif_stacked_transfer_operstate(9),
register_netdevice(9), register_netdev(9), netdev_wait_allrefs_any(9),
dev_get_stats(9), dev_fetch_sw_netstats(9), dev_get_tstats64(9),
netdev_sw_irq_coalesce_default_on(9), alloc_netdev_mqs(9),
free_netdev(9), alloc_netdev_dummy(9), unregister_netdevice_queue(9),
unregister_netdevice_many(9), unregister_netdev(9),
netdev_increment_features(9), netdev_compute_master_upper_features(9),
netdev_drivername(9)

okay bestie, that's the whole page 💖 this one came from source/version ./net/core, dated October 2026, and it's the synchronize_net(9) page. slay, go sync those packets ✨👑