Importance

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Abstract

A network adapter and corresponding method for its use are disclosed. The network adapter advertises a large packet data maximum segment size (MSS) to its host, even though it cannot support this MSS on its physical connection. When the host then tries to negotiate remote connections using this large MSS, the adapter performs packet header manipulations such that the host believes it has negotiated a large MSS connection, and the remote endpoint believes it has negotiated a smaller, physically achievable MSS connection. The host should then send large packets, corresponding to the large MSS, to the network adapter. This decreases the workload of the host CPU and decreases bus utilization by the adapter. Using its knowledge of the local and remote MSS values, the adapter transparently segments the large packets into multiple smaller packets that are digestible by the remote endpoint and transmits these according to the remote endpoint's receive window. Preferably, the adapter also emulates a receive window to the host that corresponds to the large MSS.

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First Claim