Man page 9 : ieee80211_sta_block_awake

ieee80211_sta_block_awake - block station from waking up

void ieee80211_sta_block_awake(struct ieee80211_hw *  hw , struct ieee80211_sta *  pubsta , bool  block );

hw
    the hardware

pubsta
    the station

block
    whether to block or unblock

Some devices require that all frames that are on the queues for a specific station that went to sleep are flushed before a poll response or frames after the station woke up can be delivered to that it. Note that such frames must be rejected by the driver as filtered, with the appropriate status flag.

This function allows implementing this mode in a race-free manner.

To do this, a driver must keep track of the number of frames still enqueued for a specific station. If this number is not zero when the station goes to sleep, the driver must call this function to force mac80211 to consider the station to be asleep regardless of the stationAqs actual state. Once the number of outstanding frames reaches zero, the driver must call this function again to unblock the station. That will cause mac80211 to be able to send ps-poll responses, and if the station queried in the meantime then frames will also be sent out as a result of this. Additionally, the driver will be notified that the station woke up some time after it is unblocked, regardless of whether the station actually woke up while blocked or not.

Johannes Berg <>
    Author.