Veritas NetBackup™ 53xx Appliance Initial Configuration Guide

Last Published:
Product(s): Appliances (3.1)

About configuring the maximum transmission unit size

The MTU property controls the maximum transmission unit size for an Ethernet frame. The standard maximum transmission unit size for Ethernet is 1500 bytes (without headers). In supported environments, the MTU property can be set to larger values in excess of 9,000 bytes. Setting a larger frame size on an interface is commonly referred to as using jumbo frames. Jumbo frames help reduce fragmentation as data is sent over the network and in some cases, can also provide better throughput and reduced CPU usage. To take advantage of jumbo frames, the Ethernet cards, drivers, and switching must all support jumbo frames. Additionally, each server interface that is used to transfer data to the appliance must be configured for jumbo frames.

If you configure the MTU property of an interface to values larger than 1500 bytes, it is recommended that all systems that are connected to the appliance on the specific interface have the same maximum transmission unit size. Such systems include, but are not limited to, NetBackup clients and remote desktops. Also verify the network hardware, the OS, and the driver support on all systems before you configure the MTU property.

You can configure the MTU property for an interface by using the SetProperty command in the NetBackup Appliance Shell Menu.

See the SetProperty command in the NetBackup Appliance Command Reference Guide.