
Software Version 2.7.5 5
Software Version 2.7.5
C613-10454-00 REV A
MSS Clamping
Maximum Segment Size (MSS) clamping functionality has been introduced to
Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) to allow the following:
■ User configuration of the MSS clamping value via the command line
interface.
■ A clamping range of 40 - 200 bytes.
Previously, MSS clamping occurred at a fixed value of 120 bytes.
Overview
MSS clamping reserves a set amount of space within a TCP packet for the
header, which in turn limits the amount of space that may be consumed by the
data (payload). Setting the header space value to an appropriate level prevents
packet fragmentation from occurring.
Maximum
Transmission Unit and
Maximum Segment
Size
The Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) is the maximum number of bytes per
packet that may be transmitted by the network interface. If a single packet
exceeds the MTU, it is divided into smaller packets before being transmitted.
For a TCP packet, the MTU can be illustrated by the following equation:
MTU = Header Size + Maximum Segment Size
where:
■ Header Size is the size of the packet header
■ Maximum Segment Size is the largest amount of TCP data, in bytes, that
the router or switch can transmit or receive in one single data packet.
MTU is set with the set interface mtu command. For more information, see the
Interfaces chapter of the Software Reference.
Data Transmission and
MSS clamping
As packets are sent across various protocols, each protocol adds its own header
and encapsulates the information. This can increase the size of the packet being
transmitted, potentially exceeding the MTU of devices on the TCP/IP link.
When the packet exceeds the defined MTU for an interface, fragmentation
occurs. Packet fragmentation can be costly for the following reasons:
■ decreased throughput, the amount of data transferred or processed in a
specified amount of time
■ networks that are explicitly set to drop fragmented packets suffer
communication loss.
Each TCP device uses its MSS value to communicate the highest allowable
amount of data it can receive. Although devices in a TCP/IP connection
calculate the amount of data to send in a packet based on variables, such as the
current window size and various algorithms, the amount of actual data can
never exceed the MSS of the device the packet is being sent to.
Setting the MSS clamping value at an appropriate limit prevents fragmentation
by reserving a set amount of space within a TCP packet for the header, so that
the packet nver needs to be fragmented at any point in its journey. Allowing
header space, in turn, limits the amount of space that may be consumed by the
data payload.
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