xref: /freebsd/share/man/man4/rtnetlink.4 (revision f5f40dd63bc7acbb5312b26ac1ea1103c12352a6)
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25.Dd November 1, 2022
26.Dt RTNETLINK 4
27.Os
28.Sh NAME
29.Nm RTNetlink
30.Nd Network configuration-specific Netlink family
31.Sh SYNOPSIS
32.In netlink/netlink.h
33.In netlink/netlink_route.h
34.Ft int
35.Fn socket AF_NETLINK SOCK_RAW NETLINK_ROUTE
36.Sh DESCRIPTION
37The
38.Dv NETLINK_ROUTE
39family aims to be the primary configuration mechanism for all
40network-related tasks.
41Currently it supports configuring interfaces, interface addresses, routes,
42nexthops and arp/ndp neighbors.
43.Sh ROUTES
44All route configuration messages share the common header:
45.Bd -literal
46struct rtmsg {
47	unsigned char	rtm_family;	/* address family */
48	unsigned char	rtm_dst_len;	/* Prefix length */
49	unsigned char	rtm_src_len;	/* Deprecated, set to 0 */
50	unsigned char	rtm_tos;	/* Type of service (not used) */
51	unsigned char	rtm_table;	/* deprecated, set to 0 */
52	unsigned char	rtm_protocol;	/* Routing protocol id (RTPROT_) */
53	unsigned char	rtm_scope;	/* Route distance (RT_SCOPE_) */
54	unsigned char	rtm_type;	/* Route type (RTN_) */
55	unsigned 	rtm_flags;	/* Route flags (not supported) */
56};
57.Ed
58.Pp
59The
60.Va rtm_family
61specifies the route family to be operated on.
62Currently,
63.Dv AF_INET6
64and
65.Dv AF_INET
66are the only supported families.
67The route prefix length is stored in
68.Va rtm_dst_len
69.
70The caller should set the originator identity (one of the
71.Dv RTPROT_
72values) in
73.Va rtm_protocol
74.
75It is useful for users and for the application itself, allowing for easy
76identification of self-originated routes.
77The route scope has to be set via
78.Va rtm_scope
79field.
80The supported values are:
81.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
82RT_SCOPE_UNIVERSE	Global scope
83RT_SCOPE_LINK		Link scope
84.Ed
85.Pp
86Route type needs to be set.
87The defined values are:
88.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
89RTN_UNICAST	Unicast route
90RTN_MULTICAST	Multicast route
91RTN_BLACKHOLE	Drops traffic towards destination
92RTN_PROHIBIT	Drops traffic and sends reject
93.Ed
94.Pp
95The following messages are supported:
96.Ss RTM_NEWROUTE
97Adds a new route.
98All NL flags are supported.
99Extending a multipath route requires NLM_F_APPEND flag.
100.Ss RTM_DELROUTE
101Tries to delete a route.
102The route is specified using a combination of
103.Dv RTA_DST
104TLV and
105.Va rtm_dst_len .
106.Ss RTM_GETROUTE
107Fetches a single route or all routes in the current VNET, depending on the
108.Dv NLM_F_DUMP
109flag.
110Each route is reported as
111.Dv RTM_NEWROUTE
112message.
113The following filters are recognised by the kernel:
114.Pp
115.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
116rtm_family	required family or AF_UNSPEC
117RTA_TABLE	fib number or RT_TABLE_UNSPEC to return all fibs
118.Ed
119.Ss TLVs
120.Bl -tag -width indent
121.It Dv RTA_DST
122(binary) IPv4/IPv6 address, depending on the
123.Va rtm_family .
124.It Dv RTA_OIF
125(uint32_t) transmit interface index.
126.It Dv RTA_GATEWAY
127(binary) IPv4/IPv6 gateway address, depending on the
128.Va rtm_family .
129.It Dv RTA_METRICS
130(nested) Container attribute, listing route properties.
131The only supported sub-attribute is
132.Dv RTAX_MTU , which stores path MTU as  uint32_t.
133.It Dv RTA_MULTIPATH
134This attribute contains multipath route nexthops with their weights.
135These nexthops are represented as a sequence of
136.Va rtnexthop
137structures, each followed by
138.Dv RTA_GATEWAY
139or
140.Dv RTA_VIA
141attributes.
142.Bd -literal
143struct rtnexthop {
144	unsigned short		rtnh_len;
145	unsigned char		rtnh_flags;
146	unsigned char		rtnh_hops;	/* nexthop weight */
147	int			rtnh_ifindex;
148};
149.Ed
150.Pp
151The
152.Va rtnh_len
153field specifies the total nexthop info length, including both
154.Va struct rtnexthop
155and the following TLVs.
156The
157.Va rtnh_hops
158field stores relative nexthop weight, used for load balancing between group
159members.
160The
161.Va rtnh_ifindex
162field contains the index of the transmit interface.
163.Pp
164The following TLVs can follow the structure:
165.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
166RTA_GATEWAY	IPv4/IPv6 nexthop address of the gateway
167RTA_VIA		IPv6 nexthop address for IPv4 route
168RTA_KNH_ID	Kernel-specific index of the nexthop
169.Ed
170.It Dv RTA_KNH_ID
171(uint32_t) (FreeBSD-specific) Auto-allocated kernel index of the nexthop.
172.It Dv RTA_RTFLAGS
173(uint32_t) (FreeBSD-specific) rtsock route flags.
174.It Dv RTA_TABLE
175(uint32_t) Fib number of the route.
176Default route table is
177.Dv RT_TABLE_MAIN .
178To explicitly specify "all tables" one needs to set the value to
179.Dv RT_TABLE_UNSPEC .
180.It Dv RTA_EXPIRES
181(uint32_t) seconds till path expiration.
182.It Dv RTA_NH_ID
183(uint32_t) useland nexthop or nexthop group index.
184.El
185.Ss Groups
186The following groups are defined:
187.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
188RTNLGRP_IPV4_ROUTE	Notifies on IPv4 route arrival/removal/change
189RTNLGRP_IPV6_ROUTE	Notifies on IPv6 route arrival/removal/change
190.Ed
191.Sh NEXTHOPS
192All nexthop/nexthop group configuration messages share the common header:
193.Bd -literal
194struct nhmsg {
195        unsigned char	nh_family;	/* transport family */
196	unsigned char	nh_scope;	/* ignored on RX, filled by kernel */
197	unsigned char	nh_protocol;	/* Routing protocol that installed nh */
198	unsigned char	resvd;
199	unsigned int	nh_flags;	/* RTNH_F_* flags from route.h */
200};
201.Ed
202The
203.Va nh_family
204specifies the gateway address family.
205It can be different from route address family for IPv4 routes with IPv6
206nexthops.
207The
208.Va nh_protocol
209is similar to
210.Va rtm_protocol
211field, which designates originator application identity.
212.Pp
213The following messages are supported:
214.Ss RTM_NEWNEXTHOP
215Creates a new nexthop or nexthop group.
216.Ss RTM_DELNEXTHOP
217Deletes nexthop or nexthhop group.
218The required object is specified by the
219.Dv RTA_NH_ID
220attribute.
221.Ss RTM_GETNEXTHOP
222Fetches a single nexthop or all nexthops/nexthop groups, depending on the
223.Dv NLM_F_DUMP
224flag.
225The following filters are recognised by the kernel:
226.Pp
227.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
228RTA_NH_ID	nexthop or nexthtop group id
229NHA_GROUPS	match only nexthtop groups
230.Ed
231.Ss TLVs
232.Bl -tag -width indent
233.It Dv RTA_NH_ID
234(uint32_t) Nexthhop index used to identify particular nexthop or nexthop group.
235Should be provided by userland at the nexthtop creation time.
236.It Dv NHA_GROUP
237This attribute designates the nexthtop group and contains all of its nexthtops
238and their relative weights.
239The attribute consists of a list of
240.Va nexthop_grp
241structures:
242.Bd -literal
243struct nexthop_grp {
244	uint32_t	id;		/* nexhop userland index */
245	uint8_t		weight;         /* weight of this nexthop */
246	uint8_t		resvd1;
247	uint16_t	resvd2;
248};
249.Ed
250.It Dv NHA_GROUP_TYPE
251(uint16_t) Nexthtop group type, set to one of the following types:
252.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
253NEXTHOP_GRP_TYPE_MPATH	default multipath group
254.Ed
255.It Dv NHA_BLACKHOLE
256(flag) Marks the nexthtop as blackhole.
257.It Dv NHA_OIF
258(uint32_t) Transmit interface index of the nexthtop.
259.It Dv NHA_GATEWAY
260(binary) IPv4/IPv6 gateway address
261.It Dv NHA_GROUPS
262(flag) Matches nexthtop groups during dump.
263.El
264.Ss Groups
265The following groups are defined:
266.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
267RTNLGRP_NEXTHOP		Notifies on nexthop/groups arrival/removal/change
268.Ed
269.Sh INTERFACES
270All interface configuration messages share the common header:
271.Bd -literal
272struct ifinfomsg {
273	unsigned char	ifi_family;	/* not used, set to 0 */
274	unsigned char	__ifi_pad;
275	unsigned short	ifi_type;	/* ARPHRD_* */
276	int		ifi_index;	/* Interface index */
277	unsigned	ifi_flags;	/* IFF_* flags */
278	unsigned	ifi_change;	/* IFF_* change mask */
279};
280.Ed
281.Ss RTM_NEWLINK
282Creates a new interface.
283The only mandatory TLV is
284.Dv IFLA_IFNAME .
285The following attributes are returned inside the nested
286.Dv NLMSGERR_ATTR_COOKIE :
287.Pp
288.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
289IFLA_NEW_IFINDEX	(uint32) created interface index
290IFLA_IFNAME		(string) created interface name
291.Ed
292.Ss RTM_DELLINK
293Deletes the interface specified by
294.Dv IFLA_IFNAME .
295.Ss RTM_GETLINK
296Fetches a single interface or all interfaces in the current VNET, depending on the
297.Dv NLM_F_DUMP
298flag.
299Each interface is reported as a
300.Dv RTM_NEWLINK
301message.
302The following filters are recognised by the kernel:
303.Pp
304.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
305ifi_index	interface index
306IFLA_IFNAME	interface name
307IFLA_ALT_IFNAME	interface name
308.Ed
309.Ss TLVs
310.Bl -tag -width indent
311.It Dv IFLA_ADDRESS
312(binary) Llink-level interface address (MAC).
313.It Dv IFLA_BROADCAST
314(binary) (readonly) Link-level broadcast address.
315.It Dv IFLA_IFNAME
316(string) New interface name.
317.It Dv IFLA_IFALIAS
318(string) Interface description.
319.It Dv IFLA_LINK
320(uint32_t) (readonly) Interface index.
321.It Dv IFLA_MASTER
322(uint32_t) Parent interface index.
323.It Dv IFLA_LINKINFO
324(nested) Interface type-specific attributes:
325.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
326IFLA_INFO_KIND		(string) interface type ("vlan")
327IFLA_INFO_DATA		(nested) custom attributes
328.Ed
329The following types and attributes are supported:
330.Bl -tag -width indent
331.It Dv vlan
332.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
333IFLA_VLAN_ID		(uint16_t) 802.1Q vlan id
334IFLA_VLAN_PROTOCOL	(uint16_t) Protocol: ETHERTYPE_VLAN or ETHERTYPE_QINQ
335.Ed
336.El
337.It Dv IFLA_OPERSTATE
338(uint8_t) Interface operational state per RFC 2863.
339Can be one of the following:
340.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
341IF_OPER_UNKNOWN		status can not be determined
342IF_OPER_NOTPRESENT	some (hardware) component not present
343IF_OPER_DOWN		down
344IF_OPER_LOWERLAYERDOWN	some lower-level interface is down
345IF_OPER_TESTING		in some test mode
346IF_OPER_DORMANT		"up" but waiting for some condition (802.1X)
347IF_OPER_UP		ready to pass packets
348.Ed
349.It Dv IFLA_STATS64
350(readonly) Consists of the following 64-bit counters structure:
351.Bd -literal
352struct rtnl_link_stats64 {
353	uint64_t rx_packets;	/* total RX packets (IFCOUNTER_IPACKETS) */
354	uint64_t tx_packets;	/* total TX packets (IFCOUNTER_OPACKETS) */
355	uint64_t rx_bytes;	/* total RX bytes (IFCOUNTER_IBYTES) */
356	uint64_t tx_bytes;	/* total TX bytes (IFCOUNTER_OBYTES) */
357	uint64_t rx_errors;	/* RX errors (IFCOUNTER_IERRORS) */
358	uint64_t tx_errors;	/* RX errors (IFCOUNTER_OERRORS) */
359	uint64_t rx_dropped;	/* RX drop (no space in ring/no bufs) (IFCOUNTER_IQDROPS) */
360	uint64_t tx_dropped;	/* TX drop (IFCOUNTER_OQDROPS) */
361	uint64_t multicast;	/* RX multicast packets (IFCOUNTER_IMCASTS) */
362	uint64_t collisions;	/* not supported */
363	uint64_t rx_length_errors;	/* not supported */
364	uint64_t rx_over_errors;	/* not supported */
365	uint64_t rx_crc_errors;		/* not supported */
366	uint64_t rx_frame_errors;	/* not supported */
367	uint64_t rx_fifo_errors;	/* not supported */
368	uint64_t rx_missed_errors;	/* not supported */
369	uint64_t tx_aborted_errors;	/* not supported */
370	uint64_t tx_carrier_errors;	/* not supported */
371	uint64_t tx_fifo_errors;	/* not supported */
372	uint64_t tx_heartbeat_errors;	/* not supported */
373	uint64_t tx_window_errors;	/* not supported */
374	uint64_t rx_compressed;		/* not supported */
375	uint64_t tx_compressed;		/* not supported */
376	uint64_t rx_nohandler;	/* dropped due to no proto handler (IFCOUNTER_NOPROTO) */
377};
378.Ed
379.El
380.Ss Groups
381The following groups are defined:
382.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
383RTNLGRP_LINK		Notifies on interface arrival/removal/change
384.Ed
385.Sh INTERFACE ADDRESSES
386All interface address configuration messages share the common header:
387.Bd -literal
388struct ifaddrmsg {
389	uint8_t		ifa_family;	/* Address family */
390	uint8_t		ifa_prefixlen;	/* Prefix length */
391	uint8_t		ifa_flags;	/* Address-specific flags */
392	uint8_t		ifa_scope;	/* Address scope */
393	uint32_t	ifa_index;	/* Link ifindex */
394};
395.Ed
396.Pp
397The
398.Va ifa_family
399specifies the address family of the interface address.
400The
401.Va ifa_prefixlen
402specifies the prefix length if applicable for the address family.
403The
404.Va ifa_index
405specifies the interface index of the target interface.
406.Ss RTM_NEWADDR
407Not supported
408.Ss RTM_DELADDR
409Not supported
410.Ss RTM_GETADDR
411Fetches interface addresses in the current VNET matching conditions.
412Each address is reported as a
413.Dv RTM_NEWADDR
414message.
415The following filters are recognised by the kernel:
416.Pp
417.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
418ifa_family	required family or AF_UNSPEC
419ifa_index	matching interface index or 0
420.Ed
421.Ss TLVs
422.Bl -tag -width indent
423.It Dv IFA_ADDRESS
424(binary) masked interface address or destination address for p2p interfaces.
425.It Dv IFA_LOCAL
426(binary) local interface address.
427Set for IPv4 and p2p addresses.
428.It Dv IFA_LABEL
429(string) interface name.
430.It Dv IFA_BROADCAST
431(binary) broadcast interface address.
432.El
433.Ss Groups
434The following groups are defined:
435.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
436RTNLGRP_IPV4_IFADDR	Notifies on IPv4 ifaddr arrival/removal/change
437RTNLGRP_IPV6_IFADDR	Notifies on IPv6 ifaddr arrival/removal/change
438.Ed
439.Sh NEIGHBORS
440All neighbor configuration messages share the common header:
441.Bd -literal
442struct ndmsg {
443	uint8_t		ndm_family;
444	uint8_t		ndm_pad1;
445	uint16_t	ndm_pad2;
446	int32_t		ndm_ifindex;
447	uint16_t	ndm_state;
448	uint8_t		ndm_flags;
449	uint8_t		ndm_type;
450};
451.Ed
452.Pp
453The
454.Va ndm_family
455field specifies the address family (IPv4 or IPv6) of the neighbor.
456The
457.Va ndm_ifindex
458specifies the interface to operate on.
459The
460.Va ndm_state
461represents the entry state according to the neighbor model.
462The state can be one of the following:
463.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
464NUD_INCOMPLETE		No lladdr, address resolution in progress
465NUD_REACHABLE		reachable & recently resolved
466NUD_STALE		has lladdr but it's stale
467NUD_DELAY		has lladdr, is stale, probes delayed
468NUD_PROBE		has lladdr, is stale, probes sent
469NUD_FAILED		unused
470.Ed
471.Pp
472The
473.Va ndm_flags
474field stores the options specific to this entry.
475Available flags:
476.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
477NTF_SELF		local station (LLE_IFADDR)
478NTF_PROXY		proxy entry (LLE_PUB)
479NTF_STICKY		permanent entry (LLE_STATIC)
480NTF_ROUTER		dst indicated itself as a router
481.Ed
482.Ss RTM_NEWNEIGH
483Creates new neighbor entry.
484The mandatory options are
485.Dv NDA_DST ,
486.Dv NDA_LLADDR
487and
488.Dv NDA_IFINDEX .
489.Ss RTM_DELNEIGH
490Deletes the neighbor entry.
491The entry is specified by the combination of
492.Dv NDA_DST
493and
494.Dv NDA_IFINDEX .
495.Ss RTM_GETNEIGH
496Fetches a single neighbor or all neighbors in the current VNET, depending on the
497.Dv NLM_F_DUMP
498flag.
499Each entry is reported as
500.Dv RTM_NEWNEIGH
501message.
502The following filters are recognised by the kernel:
503.Pp
504.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
505ndm_family	required family or AF_UNSPEC
506ndm_ifindex	target ifindex
507NDA_IFINDEX	target ifindex
508.Ed
509.Ss TLVs
510.Bl -tag -width indent
511.It Dv NDA_DST
512(binary) neighbor IPv4/IPv6 address.
513.It Dv NDA_LLADDR
514(binary) neighbor link-level address.
515.It Dv NDA_IFINDEX
516(uint32_t) interface index.
517.It Dv NDA_FLAGS_EXT
518(uint32_t) extended version of
519.Va ndm_flags .
520.El
521.Ss Groups
522The following groups are defined:
523.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
524RTNLGRP_NEIGH	Notifies on ARP/NDP neighbor  arrival/removal/change
525.Ed
526.Sh SEE ALSO
527.Xr netlink 4 ,
528.Xr route 4
529.Sh HISTORY
530The
531.Dv NETLINK_ROUTE
532protocol family appeared in
533.Fx 13.2 .
534.Sh AUTHORS
535The netlink was implemented by
536.An -nosplit
537.An Alexander Chernikov Aq Mt melifaro@FreeBSD.org .
538It was derived from the Google Summer of Code 2021 project by
539.An Ng Peng Nam Sean .
540