
134 Part Two • IPv6 Protocols
the payload is encrypted, and provides enough information for the
authorized destination node to decrypt it.
Chapter 9 provides more complete details about what IPv6 options are
and how they are used.
7.6 IPv4 Packet Size Limits
IPv4 packet size is restricted by a number of factors, including the
following.
Total length field This IPv4 header field is 16 bits, restricting the total
size of any IPv4 packet to 65,575 octets or fewer.
Up to 576 octets The IPv4 specification in RFC 791 requires that all nodes
be capable of accepting packets of any size up to 576 octets. Thus,
although there is an upper bound on packet size, very