Date:        Sat,  2 Sep 2000 01:14:33 -0400 (EDT)
    From:        woods@weird.com (Greg A. Woods)
    Message-ID:  <20000902051433.E73A85@proven.weird.com>

  | In any case lowering mssdflt, even well below half the lowest MTU on any
  | path to any server I was having problems connecting to did not have the
  | desired effect.

That's what jhawk was trying to tell you.  You clearly aren't
understanding what the variable alters (it can raise the MSS, it can't
lower it).   The warning in the man page is there for a reason, and
it isn't just "you will cause fragmentation".

This sysctl var is a truly weird one - with very limited utility, which
almost no-one should ever be fooling with.

kre