# \[PATCH net-next\] ethtool: return error from ethnl\_ops\_begin if dev is NULL

- From: Heiner Kallweit \<hkallweit1@gmail.com\>
- Date: 2021-08-05 19:08:39 
- List: netdev
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/netdev/2021/08/11208701
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/netdev/2021/08/11208701/t.md

```text
Julian reported that after d43c65b05b84 Coverity complains about a
missing check whether dev is NULL in ethnl_ops_complete().
There doesn't seem to be any valid case where dev could be NULL when
calling ethnl_ops_begin(), therefore return an error if dev is NULL.

Fixes: d43c65b05b84 ("ethtool: runtime-resume netdev parent in ethnl_ops_begin")
Reported-by: Julian Wiedmann <redacted>
Signed-off-by: Heiner Kallweit <hkallweit1@gmail.com>
---
 net/ethtool/netlink.c | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/net/ethtool/netlink.c b/net/ethtool/netlink.c
index 417aaf9ca..fe8bf2b3c 100644
--- a/net/ethtool/netlink.c
+++ b/net/ethtool/netlink.c
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ int ethnl_ops_begin(struct net_device *dev)
 	int ret;
 
 	if (!dev)
-		return 0;
+		return -ENODEV;
 
 	if (dev->dev.parent)
 		pm_runtime_get_sync(dev->dev.parent);
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ int ethnl_ops_begin(struct net_device *dev)
 
 void ethnl_ops_complete(struct net_device *dev)
 {
-	if (dev && dev->ethtool_ops->complete)
+	if (dev->ethtool_ops->complete)
 		dev->ethtool_ops->complete(dev);
 
 	if (dev->dev.parent)
-- 
2.32.0

```