TCP Extended Data Offset Option
USC/ISI
MTI Systems
TCP segments include a Data Offset field to indicate space for TCP options, but the size of the field can limit the space available for complex options that have evolved. This document updates RFC 793 with an optional TCP extension to that space to support the use of multiple large options such as SACK with either TCP Multipath or TCP AO. It also explains why the initial SYN of a connection cannot be extending as a single segment.