diff --git a/pkg/ip/link.go b/pkg/ip/link.go
index 43b37390..6431bb41 100644
--- a/pkg/ip/link.go
+++ b/pkg/ip/link.go
@@ -90,6 +90,14 @@ func RandomVethName() (string, error) {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("veth%x", entropy), nil
 }
 
+func RenameLink(curName, newName string) error {
+	link, err := netlink.LinkByName(curName)
+	if err == nil {
+		err = netlink.LinkSetName(link, newName)
+	}
+	return err
+}
+
 // SetupVeth sets up a virtual ethernet link.
 // Should be in container netns, and will switch back to hostNS to set the host
 // veth end up.
diff --git a/plugins/main/ipvlan/ipvlan.go b/plugins/main/ipvlan/ipvlan.go
index c7316bbe..a0f47705 100644
--- a/plugins/main/ipvlan/ipvlan.go
+++ b/plugins/main/ipvlan/ipvlan.go
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func createIpvlan(conf *NetConf, ifName string, netns ns.NetNS) error {
 	}
 
 	return netns.Do(func(_ ns.NetNS) error {
-		err := renameLink(tmpName, ifName)
+		err := ip.RenameLink(tmpName, ifName)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to rename ipvlan to %q: %v", ifName, err)
 		}
@@ -170,15 +170,6 @@ func cmdDel(args *skel.CmdArgs) error {
 	})
 }
 
-func renameLink(curName, newName string) error {
-	link, err := netlink.LinkByName(curName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return netlink.LinkSetName(link, newName)
-}
-
 func main() {
 	skel.PluginMain(cmdAdd, cmdDel, version.Legacy)
 }
diff --git a/plugins/main/macvlan/macvlan.go b/plugins/main/macvlan/macvlan.go
index 8e2adeb7..52c48700 100644
--- a/plugins/main/macvlan/macvlan.go
+++ b/plugins/main/macvlan/macvlan.go
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func createMacvlan(conf *NetConf, ifName string, netns ns.NetNS) error {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to set proxy_arp on newly added interface %q: %v", tmpName, err)
 		}
 
-		err := renameLink(tmpName, ifName)
+		err := ip.RenameLink(tmpName, ifName)
 		if err != nil {
 			_ = netlink.LinkDel(mv)
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to rename macvlan to %q: %v", ifName, err)
@@ -190,15 +190,6 @@ func cmdDel(args *skel.CmdArgs) error {
 	})
 }
 
-func renameLink(curName, newName string) error {
-	link, err := netlink.LinkByName(curName)
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	return netlink.LinkSetName(link, newName)
-}
-
 func main() {
 	skel.PluginMain(cmdAdd, cmdDel, version.Legacy)
 }