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In computer networking, the maximum transmission unit (MTU) is the size of the largest protocol data unit (PDU) that can be communicated in a single network layer transaction. [ 1 ] : 25 The MTU relates to, but is not identical to the maximum frame size that can be transported on the data link layer , e.g., Ethernet frame .
This may require breaking large protocol data units or long data streams into smaller chunks called "segments", since the network layer imposes a maximum packet size called the maximum transmission unit (MTU), which depends on the maximum packet size imposed by all data link layers on the network path between the two hosts. The amount of data ...
If nothing was done, eventually the number of packets circulating would build up until the network was congested to the point of failure. Time to live is a field that is decreased by one each time a packet goes through a network hop. If the field reaches zero, routing has failed, and the packet is discarded. [6]
A network packet is the fundamental building block for packet-switched networks. [15] When an item such as a file, e-mail message, voice or video stream is transmitted through the network, it is broken into chunks called packets that can be more efficiently moved through the network than one large block of data.
Ethernet packet. The SFD (start frame delimiter) marks the end of the packet preamble. It is immediately followed by the Ethernet frame, which starts with the destination MAC address. [1] In computer networking, an Ethernet frame is a data link layer protocol data unit and uses the underlying Ethernet physical layer transport mechanisms.
The relative scalability of network data throughput as a function of packet transfer rates is related in a complex manner to payload size per packet. [17] Theoretically, as line bit rate increases, the packet payload size should increase in direct proportion to maintain equivalent timing parameters.
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If the packet size is bigger than the MTU, and the Do not Fragment (DF) bit in the packet's header is set to 0, then the router may fragment the packet. The router divides the packet into fragments. The maximum size of each fragment is the outgoing MTU minus the IP header size (20 bytes minimum; 60 bytes maximum).