Tag: nagle

nagle for TCP

Posted on by lechuck park

From Claude with some prompting
This image illustrates the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) packet structure and the Nagle algorithm.

  1. Top section:
    • Shows data transfer between two computers.
    • Demonstrates how data (payload) is divided into multiple packets for transmission.
  2. Middle section – Packet structure:
    • Data Payload: The actual data being transmitted
    • TCP/IP header: Contains control information for communication
    • Ethernet header: 14 Bytes
    • IPv4 header: 20 Bytes
    • TCP header: 20 Bytes
    • Data + Padding: Actual data and padding added if necessary
    • MTU Limit: Maximum Transmission Unit limit
  3. Bottom section – Nagle’s Algorithm:
    • Normal TCP/IP transmission: Small data packets are sent individually
    • With Nagle’s Algorithm: Small data packets are combined into larger packets before transmission
    • Packet sending conditions:
      1. When an ACK is received
      2. On timeout
      3. When the TCP sending window overflows

The image effectively demonstrates the packet structure in TCP communications and explains how the Nagle algorithm improves network efficiency. The main purpose of Nagle’s algorithm is to reduce network overhead by bundling small packets together before transmission.