Juniper Networks, Inc.
Apparatus, device, and method for fragmenting packets into segments that comply with the maximum transmission unit of egress interfaces

Abstract:

A socket-intercept layer in kernel space on a network device may intercept a packet destined to egress out of the network device. The socket-intercept layer may then query a routing daemon for the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) value of the interface out of which that packet is to egress from the network device. In response to this query, the routing daemon may provide the socket-intercept layer with the MTU value of that interface. A tunnel driver in kernel space may identify the size of the packet and fragment the packet into segments whose sizes are each less than or equal to the MTU value of the interface. The tunnel driver may then push the segments of the packet to a packet forwarding engine on the network device. In turn, the packet forwarding engine may forward the segments of the packet to the corresponding destination via the interface.