Hi Team,
We are observing an intermittent regression in UDP fragmentation handling between Linux kernel versions v5.10.35 and v5.15.71.
Problem description: Our application sends UDP packets that exceed the path MTU. An intermediate hop returns an ICMP Type 3, Code 4 (Fragmentation Needed) message.
On v5.10.35, the kernel correctly updates the Path MTU cache, and subsequent packets are fragmented as expected.
On v5.15.71, although the ICMP message is received by the kernel, subsequent UDP packets are sometimes not fragmented and continue to be dropped.
System details:
Egress interface MTU: 9192 bytes
Path MTU at intermediate hop: 1500 bytes
Kernel parameter: ip_no_pmtu_disc=0 (default)
Questions / request for feedback:
Is this a known regression in the 5.15 kernel series?
We have verified that the Path MTU cache is usually updated correctly.
Is there a way to detect or log cases where the cache is not updated?
If this issue has already been addressed, could you please point us to the relevant fix commit so we can backport and test it?
We have reviewed several patches between v5.10.35 and v5.15.71 related to PMTU and ICMP handling and examined the code flow, but have not been able to pinpoint the root cause.
Any guidance, insights, or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Best regards, Chandrasekharreddy C
Hi Chandra Sekhar,
From a stable kernels point of view I have some comments.
On 18/09/25 08:54, CHANDRA SEKHAR REDDY wrote:
Hi Team,
We are observing an intermittent regression in UDP fragmentation handling between Linux kernel versions v5.10.35 and v5.15.71.
These both are like really old stable kernels. Can you try with the latest stable kernels ?
5.15.193 and 5.10.244 ?
If you could reproduce the same on 5.15.193, maybe we should try on different kernels to understand the cause better (i.e 5.15.0 and then narrow it if needed)
Problem description: Our application sends UDP packets that exceed the path MTU. An intermediate hop returns an ICMP Type 3, Code 4 (Fragmentation Needed) message.
On v5.10.35, the kernel correctly updates the Path MTU cache, and subsequent packets are fragmented as expected.
On v5.15.71, although the ICMP message is received by the kernel, subsequent UDP packets are sometimes not fragmented and continue to be dropped.
System details:
Egress interface MTU: 9192 bytes
Path MTU at intermediate hop: 1500 bytes
Kernel parameter: ip_no_pmtu_disc=0 (default)
Questions / request for feedback:
Is this a known regression in the 5.15 kernel series?
We have verified that the Path MTU cache is usually updated correctly.
Is there a way to detect or log cases where the cache is not updated?
If this issue has already been addressed, could you please point us to the relevant fix commit so we can backport and test it?
We have reviewed several patches between v5.10.35 and v5.15.71 related to PMTU and ICMP handling and examined the code flow, but have not been able to pinpoint the root cause.
Any guidance, insights, or pointers would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Harshit
Best regards, Chandrasekharreddy C
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