On Mon, 2026-02-02 at 20:00 -0800, Jakub Kicinski wrote:

quoted

+		info->user_ptr[1] = parent_devlink;

Let's convert devlink to use proper overlay struct over info->cb ?
The user_ptr array only has two entries so devlink stuffs all the
extra pointers into the second slot. But the cb is much larger - 48B
so we can easily give each of these values a dedicated pointer.

I assume you are referring to info->ctx, added by Paolo as part of the
netshaper series. If that's the case, sure, I'll convert devlink to
that as part of the next version of this series.

quoted

+		/* Drop the parent devlink lock but don't release
the reference.
+		 * This will keep it alive until the end of the
request.
+		 */

To be clear -- devlink instances do not behave like netdev instances.
netdev instances prevent unregistration of the netdev.
devlink refs are normal refs, they just keep the memory around.
If memory serves me..

If no reference is held, a concurrent user op could release the parent
devlink instance altogether, and free its memory, that's the reason for
keeping a ref alive for the duration of this request.

Cosmin.