DEV_ALLOC_NAME(9)                     Network device support                    DEV_ALLOC_NAME(9)



NAME
       dev_alloc_name - allocate a name for a device

SYNOPSIS
       int dev_alloc_name(struct net_device * dev, const char * name);

ARGUMENTS
       dev
           device

       name
           name format string

DESCRIPTION
       Passed a format string - eg “ltd” it will try and find a suitable id. It scans list of
       devices to build up a free map, then chooses the first empty slot. The caller must hold
       the dev_base or rtnl lock while allocating the name and adding the device in order to
       avoid duplicates. Limited to bits_per_byte * page size devices (ie 32K on most platforms).
       Returns the number of the unit assigned or a negative errno code.

COPYRIGHT
Kernel Hackers Manual 4.8.                 January 2017                         DEV_ALLOC_NAME(9)