Difference el=)ANNito) a)What is MTU? In networking, maximum transmission unit (MTU) is a measurement representing the largest data packet that a network-connected device will accept. Imagine it as being like a height limit for freeway underpasses or tunnels: Cars and trucks that exceed the height limit cannot fit through, just as packets that exceed the MTU of a network cannot pass through that network. However, unlike cars and trucks, data packets that exceed MTU are broken up into smaller pieces so that they can fit through. This process is called fragmentation. Fragmented packets are reassembled once they reach their destination. MTU is measured in bytes — a “byte” is equal to 8 bits of information, meaning 8 ones and zeroes. 1,500 bytes is the maximum MTU size.What is a packet? All data sent over the Internet is broken down into smaller chunks that are called packets. For example, when a webpage is sent from a web server to a user's laptop, the webpage’s constituent data travels over the Internet as a series of packets. The packets are then reassembled into the original, whole webpage by the laptop. Data packets have two main parts: the header and the payload. The header contains information about the packet's source and destination addresses, while the payload is the actual contents of the packet. Think of the header as a shipping label attached to a package, and the payload as the package's contents. (Unlike packages, packets on the Internet have multiple headers attached by different networking protocols.) MTU almost always is used in reference to layer 3* packets, or packets that use the Internet Protocol (IP). MTU measures the packet as a whole, including all headers and the payload. This includes the IP header and the TCP (Transport Control Protocol) header, which usually add up to 40 bytes in length. *The OSI model divides the functions that make the Internet possible into 7 layers; layer 3 is the network layer, where routing takes place.When do packets become fragmented? When two computing devices open a connection and begin exchanging packets, those packets are routed across multiple networks. It is necessary to take into account not just the MTU of the two devices at the ends of each communication, but all routers, switches, and servers in the middle as well. Packets that exceed the MTU on any point in the network path are fragmented. Suppose Server A and Computer A are connected, but the data packets they send to each other have to pass through Router B and Router C along the way. Server A, Computer A, and Router B all have an MTU of 1,500 bytes. However, Router C has an MTU of 1,400 bytes. if Server A and Computer A are not aware of Router C's MTU and send 1,500-byte packets, all their data packets will be fragmented by Router B in transit. aniseFragmentation adds a small degree of latency and inefficiency to network communications, so it should be avoided if possible. (Outdated network equipment may be vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks that exploit fragmentation, such as the “ping of death” attack.) How does fragmentation work? All network routers check the size of each IP packet they receive against the MTU of the next router that will receive the packet. If the packet exceeds the MTU of the next router, the first router breaks the payload into two or more packets, each with its own headers. Each new packet has a header copied from the original packet (so that the packets all have the original source and destination IP addresses, etc.) with some important changes. The router edits certain fields in the IP header to indicate that the packets are fragmented and require reassembly, how many packets there are, and in what order they are being sent. Imagine a shipping company is handling a package that exceeds the weight limits of one of their facilities. Instead of refusing to deliver the package, the shipping company divides the package contents into three smaller packages. It also duplicates the shipping label for each package and adds a note indicating that each package is one part of a series that must arrive together — the first package is 1 of 3, the second is 2 of 3, etc. (Such an approach by a shipping company would be a violation of privacy, so it should not occur in the real world.)When is fragmentation not possible? In certain cases, packets cannot be fragmented, and therefore they will not be delivered if they exceed the MTU of any router or device along the network path: 1. Fragmentation is not permitted in IPv6. IPvé6 is the latest version of the Internet Protocol, although IPv4 is still widely used. Routers that support IPv6 will drop any IPv6 packets that exceed the MTU, because they cannot be fragmented. 2. Fragmentation is also not possible when the “Don't Fragment’ flag is activated in a packet's IP header. What is the ‘Don't Fragment’ flag in an IP header? Think of the IP header as being like a form consumers fill out when shipping a package to someone. The form indicates source address, destination address, how soon the package should be delivered, and other special instructions for the delivery workers The "Don't Fragment" flag is a special instruction for routers, an option that can be selected in the "form" of an IP header. When the flag is set, the attached packet cannot be fragmented. Any router that receives the packet will analyze the header and check for the Don't Fragment flag. If the flag is on and the packet exceeds the MTU, the router then drops the packet instead of fragmenting it. In addition to dropping the packet, the router sends back an ICMP message to the packet's origin. An ICMP message is a very small data packet that sends a status update. In this case, it essentially says, “This router or device could not deliver these packets because they were too big and could not be fragmented."What is path MTU discovery? Path MTU discovery, or PMTUD, is the process of discovering the MTU of all devices, routers, and switches on a network path. If Computer A and Server A from the example above were to use PMTUD, they wauld identify Router B's MTU requirements and adjust their packet size accordingly to avoid fragmentation. PMTU works slightly differently depending on whether the connected devices are using IPv4 or IPv6: IPv4: |Pv4 allows fragmentation and thus includes the Don't Fragment flag in the IP header. PMTUD in IPv4 works by sending test packets along the network path with the Don't Fragment flag turned on. If any router or device along the path drops the packet, it sends back an ICMP message with its MTU. The source device lawers its MTU and sends another test packet. This process is repeated until the test packets are small enough to traverse the entire network path without being dropped. IPv6: For IPv6, which does not allow fragmentation, PMTUD works in much the same way. The key difference is that IPv6 headers do not have the Don't Fragment option and so the flag is not set. Routers that support IPv6 will not fragment IPv6 packets, so if the test packets exceed the MTU, the routers drop the packets and send back corresponding ICMP messages without checking for a Don’t Fragment flag. IPvé PMTUD sends smaller and smaller test packets until the packets can traverse the entire network path, just like in IPv4.MPLS MTUWhat is maximum segment size (MSS)? MSS (maximum segment size) limits the size of packets, or small chunks of data, that travel across a network, such as the Internet. alll data that travels over a network is broken up into packets. Packets have several headers attached to them that contain information about their contents and destination. MSS measures the non-header portion of a packet, which is called the payload. If a data packet is compared to a transport truck, with the header being the truck itself and the payload being the trailer and cargo, then MSS is like a scale that measures only the trailer. If the trailer weighs too much, then the truck is not allowed to continue to its destination. More specifically, MSS is the largest TCP (Transport Control Protocol) segment size that a network-connected device can receive. MSS defines “segment' as only the length of the payload, not any attached headers. MSS is measured in bytes. Data packet iP Top Payload header] | header (TCP segment) 20bpes | | 20bm= | MSS(1460 bytes max) I Tu (1500 bytes max)MSS is determined by another metric that has to do with packet size: MTU, or the maximum transmission unit, which does include the TCP and IP (Internet Protocal) headers. To continue the analogy, MTU measures the total weight of the truck and its trailer and cargo, instead of just the trailer and cargo. Essentially, the MSS is equal to MTU minus the size of a TCP header and an IP header: MTU - (TCP header + IP header) = MSS One of the key differences between MTU and MSS is that if a packet exceeds a device's MTU, it is broken up into smaller pieces, or “fragmented.” In contrast, if a packet exceeds the MSS, itis dropped and not delivered. What is TCP? What is a TCP header? The Transport Control Protocol, or TCP, is a protocol that ensures data packets are delivered and received in order, with no dropped packets. Imagine if parcel delivery services called all package recipients ahead of time to make sure they would be home ata certain time before delivering packages, then sent word back to the sender to confirm they had been delivered. TCP works somewhat like that, with data packets as the “packages” being delivered. TCP works by opening a connection between the two devices that are communicating via a process called a TCP handshake. The MSS is agreed on during the TCP handshake: both devices communicate the size of the packets they are able to receive (this can be called “MSS clamping”; see below). TCP adds a header to all packets to indicate which open connection each packet is a part of and what order the packets go in.How long are TCP and IP headers? TCP headers are almost always 20 bytes* long. IP headers include information such as the source and destination IP address, and they are also 20 bytes long. Both TCP and IP packets include optional header fields that can make the headers longer, but these are almost never used. *in computer science, a byte is a unit of memory size that represents eight binary digits; in other words, a combination of eight ones and zeroes. TCP MSS example Suppose a network router has an MTU of 1,500, meaning it only accepts packets up to 1,500 bytes long. (Longer packets will be fragmented.) What should the MSS for the router be set to? MTU - (TCP header + IP header) = MSS 1,500 - (20 + 20) = 1,460 The router's MSS should be set to 1,460 bytes. Packets with a payload size larger than 1,460 bytes will be dropped. (A device could send an overly large packet like this by mistake if it is not aware of the MTU and MSS settings of the routers in between it and another device. A process called path MTU discovery helps avoid such incidents.)How does the use of IPsec impact MSS? IPsec (Internet Protocol security) is the encrypted version of IP. Data packets sent using IPsec are scrambled so that only the two connected devices are able to interpret them, keeping their payload contents secure from anyone who might intercept the packets. IPsec is often used to set up Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs. IPsec adds a few bytes to the length of a packet. On connections that use this encryption, MSS must take IPsec into account as well: MTU - (TCP header + IP header + IPsec) = MSS Is MSS a network layer or transport layer metric? MSS is a layer 4, or transport layer, metric. It is used with TCP, a transport layer protocol. However, it is closely related to MTU, which applies to layer 3 (the network layer).What is MSS clamping? Occasionally, a router along a network path has an MTU value set lower than the typical 1,500 bytes. This can result in packet loss and can be difficult to discover. To ensure packets still reach their destination in this situation, one option is to reduce the size of incoming packet payloads. This can be achieved by configuring the server to apply an MSS clamp: during the TCP handshake, the server can signal the MSS for packets it is willing to receive, “clamping” the maximum payload size from the other server. For example, if servers A and B are establishing a TCP connection and server B communicates an MSS of 1,436 bytes, server A will send packets with a maximum payload size of 1,436 bytes for the duration of the connection. Another application of MSS clamping is in the case of GRE tunneling, where a 24-byte header is added to the original packet in order to send it to a new destination. If the original packet was larger than 1,476 bytes, this could make the new packet exceed the typical 1,500-byte MTU; an MSS clamp can be applied to require incoming packets to be less than 1,500 bytes even after the GRE header is applied.Factors MTU MSS Definition MTU stands for Maximum MSS stands for Maximum Transmission Unit. Segment Size. Protocol MTU is a link layer parameter that is ATCP option called MSS is dependent on both the network layer | negotiated as part of the protocol and the physical media. It handshake. The IP header and contains both the TCP and IP headers. | the TCP header are not included. Fragmentation | Fragmentation is allowed by MTU. MSS prohibits fragmentation. Formula MTU = MSS + 40 (IP header + TCP MSS = MTU - 40 (IP header + TCP header) header) Value 1500 bytes 1460 bytes Dependency MTU size does not rely on the value of | MSS size totally depends on the MSS. value of the underlying MTU.Maximum Transmission Unit Maximum Segment Size , A i The maximum amount of data ina TCP segment The maximum amount of information that can be ote transferred in a single network packet. pene ena ee tion, ecemeiei uaa ooo eh ae TGP (Transmission Gontrol Protocal) jotocol) Bytes Bytes MTU is determined by the underlying network a - MSS is negotiated between the sender and technology, and can be configured on network receiver during the TCP handshake devices. if a packet is larger than the MTU, it is fragmented into smaller packets to be transmitted across the network, and then reassembled at the receiver. Fragmentation can result in additional processing overhead and increased network traffic uch can ct a MTU can impact the performance and reliability of network connections, especially in environments where fragmentation is common. fa TCP segment is larger than the MSS, it is divided into smaller segments and sent separately. Fragmentation of large segments can result in increased overhead and reduced performance. MSS can impact the performance and reliability of TCP connections.Frequently Asked Questions Ql. Is MTU the same as MSS? MTU is the maximum size of a packet, including headers. MSS is the maximum size of the data part only. They are related but not the same. Q2. Can MSS be greater than MTU? MSS is less than MTU as it does not include TCP/IP header data. Q3. What is the TCP MSS for 1500 MTU? TCP MSS for 1500 MTU is 1460 bytes, as the TCP header and IP header are 20 bytes each. Q4. How do you calculate MSS from MTU? You can use the formula for calculating the MSS from MTU, i.e., MSS = MTU — 40 (IP header + TCP header)