centos man page for register_netdevice

REGISTER_NETDEVICE(9)					      Network device support					     REGISTER_NETDEVICE(9)

NAME
       register_netdevice - register a network device

SYNOPSIS
       int register_netdevice(struct net_device * dev);

ARGUMENTS
       dev
	   device to register

DESCRIPTION
       Take a completed network device structure and add it to the kernel interfaces. A NETDEV_REGISTER message is sent to the netdev notifier
       chain. 0 is returned on success. A negative errno code is returned on a failure to set up the device, or if the name is a duplicate.

       Callers must hold the rtnl semaphore. You may want register_netdev instead of this.

BUGS
       The locking appears insufficient to guarantee two parallel registers will not get the same name.

COPYRIGHT
Kernel Hackers Manual 3.10					     June 2014						     REGISTER_NETDEVICE(9)