Assignment 3
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hj43usAssignment 3
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hj43usAssignment #3: IP fragmentation
Assignment due date: Tuesday, April 1st, 2007.
As you know, IP is only allowed to deliver datagrams to the data link layer up a maximum
size (MTU = maximum transmission unit). Larger datagrams have to be fragmented, creating
a sequence of smaller IP datagrams also called “fragments”.
You are required to write a Java program that will take two or three parameters:
java IpFragmentation datagramSize MTU1 [MTU2]
Parameter datagramSize is the original datagram size, MT1 is the MTU of the first network. If
MTU2 is provided (it is optional) it is the MTU of a second network to go through.
Depending on the three values, zero, one or two fragmentation processes may be needed. No
IP options are used.
Your Code
Your code has to provide an output like this:
java IpFragmentation 4440 1500 538
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=0 Data bytes from 0 to 511
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=64 Data bytes from 512 to 1023
Fragment: DatagramSize=476 Offset=128 Data bytes from 1024 to 1479
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=185 Data bytes from 1480 to 1991
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=249 Data bytes from 1992 to 2503
Fragment: DatagramSize=476 Offset=313 Data bytes from 2504 to 2959
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=370 Data bytes from 2960 to 3471
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=434 Data bytes from 3472 to 3983
Fragment: DatagramSize=456 Offset=498 Data bytes from 3984 to 4419
java IpFragmentation 4000 1500
Fragment: DatagramSize=1500 Offset=0 Data bytes from 0 to 1479
Fragment: DatagramSize=1500 Offset=185 Data bytes from 1480 to 2959
Fragment: DatagramSize=1040 Offset=370 Data bytes from 2960 to 3979
java IpFragmentation 1500 538 780
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=0 Data bytes from 0 to 511
Fragment: DatagramSize=532 Offset=64 Data bytes from 512 to 1023
Fragment: DatagramSize=476 Offset=128 Data bytes from 1024 to 1479
In the first case, a datagram of 4440 bytes will go through a network with MTU1=1500 and
then all the resulting fragments will go through a second network with MTU2=538 (please
note that in this latter case datagrams can only be 532 bytes long ... Do you know why?
In the second case, a datagram of 4000 bytes goes through a network with MTU=1500, which
produces three fragments two of which are actually 1500 bytes long.
In the third case, because MTU1<MTU2, only one fragmentation process takes place. Same
result should have obtained if we omit the MTU2 value (780).
Some tips
• Please note that the program needs to check it has at least two parameters
(datagramSize + MTU1), if not it gives up printing a help line:
Usage: java IpFragmentation datagramSize MTU1 [MTU2]
• The value of parameter datagramSize is the total size of the original datagram,
including IP header, expressed in bytes.
• MTU1 and MTU2 are byte units too and they may or may not suitable values for an IP
datagram. Remember that an IP datagram may have any size (up to 64KB) but the
“fragment offset” field on an IP datagram header counts blocks of 8 bytes. This means
that IP fragments size may not be as large as the MTU value (as it is shown in the
examples where MTU=538).
• IP header size is 20 bytes (provided it does not have any IP options).
• If fragmentation is not required, because datagramSize<min(MTU2,MTU1), then the
message “Fragmentation not required” will be printed.
Due date
Your Java source code has to be submitted by email (address available on the front page)
before April 1st 2008.
© Miguel Sánchez 20052008
