What is fragmentation and why does it happen?

What is fragmentation and why does it happen?

• A. Fragmentation is the process of dividing packets that are too large for a network's hardware into smaller packets that can traverse the network.
• B. Fragmentation is when packets are duplicated to improve reliability.
• C. Fragmentation occurs when a device resets due to error.
• D. Fragmentation is the process of compressing data for transmission.

Answer: (A)

Fragmentation is the process of dividing packets that are too large to fit on a network segment into smaller pieces so they can be forwarded. Each network link has a maximum packet size, called the MTU. When a packet is bigger than the MTU of the next hop, it must be split into fragments that can traverse the path and later be reassembled at the destination. This isn’t about duplicating packets, resetting devices, or compressing data; those would describe other behaviors. In practice, networks try to avoid fragmentation with techniques like Path MTU Discovery, and in IPv4 it can be prevented by the Don't Fragment bit, whereas IPv6 handles fragmentation differently, usually at the source.

Fragmentation is the process of dividing packets that are too large to fit on a network segment into smaller pieces so they can be forwarded. Each network link has a maximum packet size, called the MTU. When a packet is bigger than the MTU of the next hop, it must be split into fragments that can traverse the path and later be reassembled at the destination. This isn’t about duplicating packets, resetting devices, or compressing data; those would describe other behaviors. In practice, networks try to avoid fragmentation with techniques like Path MTU Discovery, and in IPv4 it can be prevented by the Don't Fragment bit, whereas IPv6 handles fragmentation differently, usually at the source.