Segments & small writes
09TCP chooses segment sizes using peer limits, the path, available windows, and small-write handling.
Related RFCs and changes
“Updates” changes part of an earlier RFC. “Obsoletes” replaces it. This list shows selected related documents.
DIAGRAM§ 3.7 ↗
RFC 9293 · § 3.7EXAMPLE
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04
Send a suitable byte range.
Segment construction also respects flow and congestion constraints.
Protocol participantThreat or exceptionProtocol controlSimplified drawings · precise section references
Read the updated RFC section ↗
An MSS is a payload limit, not a packet size.
- The MSS option describes the largest TCP payload the sender of that option can receive.
- Path MTU discovery helps avoid IP fragmentation.
- Nagle coalesces small writes when data is outstanding; applications must be able to disable it per connection.
Nagle and silly-window avoidance solve related but different problems. Neither creates application message boundaries.
Read the RFC section ↗Diagrams simplify the RFC. Read the linked sections for complete requirements.
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