Path MTU Discovery

Path MTU Discovery (PMTUD) is a standardized technique in computer networking for determining the maximum transmission unit (MTU) size on the network path between two Internet Protocol (IP) hosts, usually with the goal of avoiding IP fragmentation. PMTUD was originally intended for routers in Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4).[1] However, all modern operating systems use it on endpoints. In IPv6, this function has been explicitly delegated to the end points of a communications session.[2] As an extension to the standard path MTU discovery, a technique called Packetization Layer Path MTU Discovery works without support from ICMP.[3]

  1. ^ J. Mogul; S. Deering (November 1990). Path MTU Discovery. Network Working Group. doi:10.17487/RFC1191. RFC 1191. Draft Standard. Obsoletes RFC 1063.
  2. ^ J. McCann; S. Deering; J. Mogul (July 2017). R. Hinden (ed.). Path MTU Discovery for IP version 6. IETF. doi:10.17487/RFC8201. STD 87. RFC 8201. Internet Standard 87. Obsoletes RFC 1981.
  3. ^ G. Fairhurst; T. Jones; M. Tüxen; I. Rüngeler; T. Völker (September 2020). Packetization Layer Path MTU Discovery for Datagram Transports. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). doi:10.17487/RFC8899. ISSN 2070-1721. RFC 8899. Proposed Standard. Updates RFC 4821, 4960, 6951, 8085 and 8261.