Description of the Internet Protocol Packet Size Setting

SUMMARY

In Windows 98, it is possible to modify the default Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) settings. This article describes these settings, and why it may be beneficial to alter them.

To view these settings, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network.
2. On the Configuration tab, click Dial-Up Adapter, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click IP Packet Size. The following list shows the values you can select in the Values box:

       - Automatic    Programmatic control, this is the default setting
       - Large        1500
       - Medium       1000
       - Small        576
    
   						

   NOTE: When you use Automatic mode, all Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connections at speeds below 128kbps are made with an MTU of 576. At speeds above 128kbps, all connections are made with an MTU of 1500. Regardless of the MTU setting, the MTU will be further reduced to account for the network overhead if Virtual Private Networking (VPN) is used.