Netstack has traditionally parsed headers on-demand as a packet moves up the
stack. This is conceptually simple and convenient, but incompatible with
iptables, where headers can be inspected and mangled before even a routing
decision is made.
This changes header parsing to happen early in the incoming packet path, as soon
as the NIC gets the packet from a link endpoint. Even if an invalid packet is
found (e.g. a TCP header of insufficient length), the packet is passed up the
stack for proper stats bookkeeping.
PiperOrigin-RevId: 315179302
Kevin Krakauer
32b823fcdb