network packet size Option
Use the network packet size option to set the packet size (in bytes) used across the entire network. Packets are the fixed-size chunks of data that transfer requests and results between clients and servers. The default packet size set by SQL Server is 4,096 bytes. If an application does bulk copy operations, or sends or receives large amounts of text or image data, a packet size larger than the default may improve efficiency because it results in fewer network read and write operations. If an application sends and receives small amounts of information, the packet size can be set to 512 bytes, which is sufficient for most data transfers.
Note
Do not change the packet size unless you are certain that it will improve performance. For most applications, the default packet size is best.
On systems using differing network protocols, set network packet size to the size for the most common protocol used. The network packet size option improves network performance when network protocols support larger packets. Client applications can override this value.
You can also call OLE DB, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), and DB-Library functions request a change the packet size. If the server cannot support the requested packet size, the Database Engine will send a warning message to the client. In some circumstances, changing the packet size might lead to a communication link failure such as the following:
Native Error: 233, no process is on the other end of the pipe.
The network packet size option is an advanced option. If you are using the sp_configure system stored procedure to change the setting, you can change network packet size only when show advanced options is set to 1. After this setting is changed, all new connections receive the new value.
The maximum network packet size for encrypted connections is 16,383 bytes.
See Also