velocity_alloc_rx_buf(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 velocity_alloc_rx_buf — the Kernel API Manual moment 🎀

okay so bestie, welcome to the velocity_alloc_rx_buf(9) page, straight out of the Kernel API Manual. she's short, she's sweet, she's out here doing one (1) job and doing it iconically. let's get into it ✨

🌸 NAME 🌸

velocity_alloc_rx_buf — allocate aligned receive buffer

like, she allocates. she aligns. she's a receive buffer girlie. no cap 💖

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int velocity_alloc_rx_buf (struct velocity_info *vptr , int idx );

that's it. that's the whole vibe check. two args, one int coming back at you 🫶

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • vptr — the velocity, bestie. that's the struct velocity_info * situation right there 💫
  • idx — the ring index. which slot in the ring we're talking about, iykyk 🌈

👑 DESCRIPTION 👑

so here's what she does, and ngl it's honestly kind of a lot for one function to carry:

she allocates a brand new full sized buffer for the reception of a frame — yes, full sized, we don't do half measures here 🎀 — and then she maps it into PCI space so the hardware can go ahead and use it. like, she's handing the hardware its own lil workspace. generous queen 👑

BUT. and this is the part that makes her life harder than it needs to be, the hardware requires *64* byte alignment of the buffer. which, in her own words, "makes life less fun than would be ideal." 😭 and honestly? she's so right. alignment constraints are not the main character energy we asked for but we're dealing with it anyway 💀

lowkey feel for her fr fr — a full sized buffer PLUS a 64 byte alignment requirement is giving "group project where you do all the work" energy 🙈

⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

okay this list is LONG, so buckle up bestie, we're going through every single one, no skipping, periodt 💅

the kernel file itself lives at: Kernel file ./drivers/net/ethernet/via/via-velocity.c

and then all her friends and neighbours, in the order the page gives them:

yeah. that's all of them. she knows everybody at the function party and honestly? we love a well-connected icon 🧚‍♀️

aaaand that's the page!! 🍓 if you made it through the whole SEE ALSO list you deserve a little treat, fr fr 💜

this lil slice of documentation lives at ./drivers/net/ethernet/via, dated October 2026, and it's the velocity_alloc_rx_buf(9) page — go off, aligned buffer queen, we'll see you in the kernel 👑✨💖

📦 where this page comes from