Jumbo Frame - Super Jumbo Frames

Super jumbo frames (SJFs) are generally considered to be frames that have a payload size in excess of the tacitly accepted jumbo frame size of 9000 bytes. The relative scalability of network data throughput as a function of packet transfer rates is related in a complex manner to payload size per packet. Generally, as line bit rate increases, the packet payload size should increase in direct proportion to maintain equivalent timing parameters. This however implies the covariant scaling of numerous intermediating logic circuits along the network path, to accommodate the maximum transmission unit (MTU), required. As it has been a relatively difficult, and somewhat lengthy, process to increase the path MTU of high performance national research and education networks from 1518 bytes to 9000 bytes or so, a subsequent increase, possibly to 64000 bytes for example, may take some time.

The main factor involved with an increase in the maximum segment size (MSS) is an increase in the available memory buffer size in all of the intervening persistence mechanisms along the path. The main benefit of this is the reduction of the packet rate, both at end nodes and intermediate transit nodes. As the nodes in general use reciprocating logic to handle the packets, the total number of machine cycles spent parsing packet headers decreases as the average MSS of the packets increases. This relationship becomes increasingly important as average network line bit rate increases to 10 gigabits per second, and above.