Index: sys/kern/kern_mbuf.c
===================================================================
--- sys/kern/kern_mbuf.c
+++ sys/kern/kern_mbuf.c
@@ -1635,6 +1635,28 @@
 	counter_u64_add(snd_tag_count, -1);
 }
 
+void
+m_rcvif_serialize(struct mbuf *m)
+{
+	u_short idx, gen;
+
+	M_ASSERTPKTHDR(m);
+	idx = m->m_pkthdr.rcvif->if_idx;
+	gen = m->m_pkthdr.rcvif->if_idxgen;
+	m->m_pkthdr.rcvidx = idx;
+	m->m_pkthdr.rcvgen = gen;
+}
+
+struct ifnet *
+m_rcvif_restore(struct mbuf *m)
+{
+
+	M_ASSERTPKTHDR(m);
+
+	return ((m->m_pkthdr.rcvif = ifnet_byindexgen(m->m_pkthdr.rcvidx,
+	    m->m_pkthdr.rcvgen)));
+}
+
 /*
  * Allocate an mbuf with anonymous external pages.
  */
Index: sys/net/if.c
===================================================================
--- sys/net/if.c
+++ sys/net/if.c
@@ -406,6 +406,24 @@
 	return (ifp);
 }
 
+struct ifnet *
+ifnet_byindexgen(uint16_t idx, uint16_t gen)
+{
+	struct ifnet *ifp;
+
+	NET_EPOCH_ASSERT();
+
+	if (__predict_false(idx > if_idx))
+		return (NULL);
+
+	ifp = ck_pr_load_ptr(&if_table[idx].ife_ifnet);
+
+	if (ck_pr_load_16(&if_table[idx].ife_gencnt) == gen)
+		return (ifp);
+	else
+		return (NULL);
+}
+
 /*
  * Allocate global and virtual ifindex entries for ifnet.
  * For a new interface ife = NULL.  For interface being if_vmove'd,
Index: sys/net/if_var.h
===================================================================
--- sys/net/if_var.h
+++ sys/net/if_var.h
@@ -614,12 +614,18 @@
 #define	IFNET_RUNLOCK()		sx_sunlock(&ifnet_sxlock)
 
 /*
- * Look up an ifnet given its index.  The returned value protected from
+ * Look up an ifnet given its *vnet* index.  The returned value protected from
  * being freed by the network epoch.  The _ref variant also acquires a
  * reference that must be freed using if_rele().
  */
 struct ifnet	*ifnet_byindex(int);
 struct ifnet	*ifnet_byindex_ref(int);
+/*
+ * ifnet_byindexgen() looks up ifnet by *global* index and generation
+ * count, attempting to restore a weak pointer that had been stored across
+ * the epoch.
+ */
+struct ifnet	*ifnet_byindexgen(uint16_t idx, uint16_t gen);
 
 /*
  * Given the index, ifaddr_byindex() returns the one and only
Index: sys/sys/mbuf.h
===================================================================
--- sys/sys/mbuf.h
+++ sys/sys/mbuf.h
@@ -159,6 +159,10 @@
 	union {
 		struct m_snd_tag *snd_tag;	/* send tag, if any */
 		struct ifnet	*rcvif;		/* rcv interface */
+		struct {
+			uint16_t rcvidx;	/* rcv interface index ... */
+			uint16_t rcvgen;	/* ... and generation count */
+		};
 	};
 	SLIST_HEAD(packet_tags, m_tag) tags; /* list of packet tags */
 	int32_t		 len;		/* total packet length */
@@ -862,6 +866,8 @@
 void		 m_snd_tag_init(struct m_snd_tag *, struct ifnet *,
 		    const struct if_snd_tag_sw *);
 void		 m_snd_tag_destroy(struct m_snd_tag *);
+void		m_rcvif_serialize(struct mbuf *);
+struct ifnet *	m_rcvif_restore(struct mbuf *);
 
 static __inline int
 m_gettype(int size)