Patent attributes
An apparatus includes a message receiver circuit that receives, at a port of a network node, a message from a neighboring network node. The message includes a maximum transmission unit (“MTU”) of the neighboring network node. The network nodes communicate using a layer-2 protocol. The apparatus includes a comparison circuit that determines if the received MTU is larger than an MTU for the port, and an approval circuit that, after determining that the received MTU is larger than the port's MTU, determines if the received MTU is supported by the network node. The method includes an increase circuit that, after determining that the received MTU is supported, changes the MTU of the network node's ports to match the received MTU, and a message circuit that, after determining that the received MTU is supported, sends a message with the MTU to network nodes connected to ports of the network node.