What does MSS mean in ASSEMBLY

What it Means

In general, MSS dictates the maximum amount of user data that can be contained in one TCP segment. This number varies per system, depending on the network configuration, but is usually set somewhere between 536 bytes and 1,480 bytes. When establishing a TCP session between two systems, these systems must agree on an MSS value before transmission will begin. Whichever end has the lower window size dictates how large each segment should be; this value ultimately becomes the MSS for the connection.

What it Does

MSS directly affects data throughput in networking applications as it sets a limit on how much user data can be sent from one side to another. If two systems agree on an extremely small MSS value like 80 bytes, for example, each packet sent will contain only 80 bytes of user data followed by header information about where it came from and where it’s going—which can take up significant space resulting in wasted bandwidth over time. It’s important for network administrators to adjust their MSS values based on their particular environment — either manually or dynamically through an automated tool like Path MTU discovery — in order to ensure optimal performance.

Benefits

By adjusting MSS values appropriately, users can increase data throughput across their networks while reducing unnecessary overhead related to packet fragmentation. Adjusting windows sizes and/or disabling Nagle's algorithm in specific applications may also help provide better performance if necessary — although this could potentially create more opportunities for unneeded latency due to excessive retransmissions that occur when sending large amounts of small segments at once instead of larger chunks like what was intended with setting low MSS values in the first place.