diff --git a/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go b/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go
index 8ffc41af700..f3204dfaefb 100644
--- a/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go
+++ b/test/e2e/framework/network/utils.go
@@ -73,6 +73,9 @@ const (
 	RegexIPv6                 = "(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){6})(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:::(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){5})(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){4})(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){0,1}(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){3})(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){0,2}(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){2})(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){0,3}(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):)(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){0,4}(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::)(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9]))\\.){3}(?:(?:25[0-5]|(?:[1-9]|1[0-9]|2[0-4])?[0-9])))))))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){0,5}(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::)(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))|(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})):){0,6}(?:(?:[0-9a-fA-F]{1,4})))?::))))"
 	resizeNodeReadyTimeout    = 2 * time.Minute
 	resizeNodeNotReadyTimeout = 2 * time.Minute
+	// netexec dial commands
+	// the destination will echo its hostname.
+	echoHostname = "hostname"
 )
 
 // NetexecImageName is the image name for agnhost.
@@ -146,12 +149,30 @@ type NetworkingTestConfig struct {
 
 // DialFromEndpointContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in an endpoint container.
 func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromEndpointContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) {
-	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, config.EndpointPods[0].Status.PodIP, targetIP, EndpointHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
+	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, echoHostname, config.EndpointPods[0].Status.PodIP, targetIP, EndpointHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
 }
 
 // DialFromTestContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in a test container.
 func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) {
-	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
+	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, echoHostname, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedEps)
+}
+
+// DialEchoFromTestContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in a test container. The response is expected to match the echoMessage.
+func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialEchoFromTestContainer(protocol, targetIP string, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, echoMessage string) {
+	expectedResponse := sets.NewString()
+	expectedResponse.Insert(echoMessage)
+	var dialCommand string
+
+	// NOTE(claudiub): netexec /dialCommand will send a request to the given targetIP and targetPort as follows:
+	// for HTTP: it will send a request to: http://targetIP:targetPort/dialCommand
+	// for UDP: it will send targetCommand as a message. The consumer receives the data message and looks for
+	// a few starting strings, including echo, and treats it accordingly.
+	if protocol == "http" {
+		dialCommand = fmt.Sprintf("echo?msg=%s", echoMessage)
+	} else {
+		dialCommand = fmt.Sprintf("echo%%20%s", echoMessage)
+	}
+	config.DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, config.TestContainerPod.Status.PodIP, targetIP, testContainerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries, expectedResponse)
 }
 
 // diagnoseMissingEndpoints prints debug information about the endpoints that
@@ -186,23 +207,29 @@ func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) EndpointHostnames() sets.String {
 //   at least once.
 // - maxTries is the maximum number of curl attempts. If this many attempts pass
 //   and we don't see all expected endpoints, the test fails.
-// - expectedEps is the set of endpointnames to wait for. Typically this is also
-//   the hostname reported by each pod in the service through /hostName.
+// - targetIP is the source Pod IP that will dial the given dialCommand using the given protocol.
+// - dialCommand is the command that the targetIP will send to the targetIP using the given protocol.
+//   the dialCommand should be formatted properly for the protocol (http: URL path+parameters,
+//   udp: command%20parameters, where parameters are optional)
+// - expectedResponses is the unordered set of responses to wait for. The responses are based on
+//   the dialCommand; for example, for the dialCommand "hostname", the expectedResponses
+//   should contain the hostnames reported by each pod in the service through /hostName.
 // maxTries == minTries will confirm that we see the expected endpoints and no
 // more for maxTries. Use this if you want to eg: fail a readiness check on a
 // pod and confirm it doesn't show up as an endpoint.
-func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, containerIP, targetIP string, containerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedEps sets.String) {
+func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, dialCommand, containerIP, targetIP string, containerHTTPPort, targetPort, maxTries, minTries int, expectedResponses sets.String) {
 	ipPort := net.JoinHostPort(containerIP, strconv.Itoa(containerHTTPPort))
 	// The current versions of curl included in CentOS and RHEL distros
 	// misinterpret square brackets around IPv6 as globbing, so use the -g
 	// argument to disable globbing to handle the IPv6 case.
-	cmd := fmt.Sprintf("curl -g -q -s 'http://%s/dial?request=hostName&protocol=%s&host=%s&port=%d&tries=1'",
+	cmd := fmt.Sprintf("curl -g -q -s 'http://%s/dial?request=%s&protocol=%s&host=%s&port=%d&tries=1'",
 		ipPort,
+		dialCommand,
 		protocol,
 		targetIP,
 		targetPort)
 
-	eps := sets.NewString()
+	responses := sets.NewString()
 
 	for i := 0; i < maxTries; i++ {
 		stdout, stderr, err := config.f.ExecShellInPodWithFullOutput(config.HostTestContainerPod.Name, cmd)
@@ -219,25 +246,27 @@ func (config *NetworkingTestConfig) DialFromContainer(protocol, containerIP, tar
 				continue
 			}
 
-			for _, hostName := range output["responses"] {
-				trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(hostName)
+			for _, response := range output["responses"] {
+				trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(response)
 				if trimmed != "" {
-					eps.Insert(trimmed)
+					responses.Insert(trimmed)
 				}
 			}
 		}
-		framework.Logf("Waiting for endpoints: %v", expectedEps.Difference(eps))
+		framework.Logf("Waiting for responses: %v", expectedResponses.Difference(responses))
 
 		// Check against i+1 so we exit if minTries == maxTries.
-		if (eps.Equal(expectedEps) || eps.Len() == 0 && expectedEps.Len() == 0) && i+1 >= minTries {
+		if (responses.Equal(expectedResponses) || responses.Len() == 0 && expectedResponses.Len() == 0) && i+1 >= minTries {
 			return
 		}
 		// TODO: get rid of this delay #36281
 		time.Sleep(hitEndpointRetryDelay)
 	}
 
-	config.diagnoseMissingEndpoints(eps)
-	framework.Failf("Failed to find expected endpoints:\nTries %d\nCommand %v\nretrieved %v\nexpected %v\n", maxTries, cmd, eps, expectedEps)
+	if dialCommand == echoHostname {
+		config.diagnoseMissingEndpoints(responses)
+	}
+	framework.Failf("Failed to find expected responses:\nTries %d\nCommand %v\nretrieved %v\nexpected %v\n", maxTries, cmd, responses, expectedResponses)
 }
 
 // GetEndpointsFromTestContainer executes a curl via kubectl exec in a test container.
diff --git a/test/e2e/network/networking.go b/test/e2e/network/networking.go
index 7d9345165fd..cdd8e08dfa7 100644
--- a/test/e2e/network/networking.go
+++ b/test/e2e/network/networking.go
@@ -295,6 +295,20 @@ var _ = SIGDescribe("Networking", func() {
 				framework.Failf("Unexpected endpoints return: %v, expect 1 endpoints", eps)
 			}
 		})
+
+		ginkgo.It("should be able to handle large requests: http", func() {
+			config := e2enetwork.NewNetworkingTestConfig(f)
+			ginkgo.By(fmt.Sprintf("dialing(http) %v --> %v:%v (config.clusterIP)", config.TestContainerPod.Name, config.ClusterIP, e2enetwork.ClusterHTTPPort))
+			message := strings.Repeat("42", 1000)
+			config.DialEchoFromTestContainer("http", config.ClusterIP, e2enetwork.ClusterHTTPPort, config.MaxTries, 0, message)
+		})
+
+		ginkgo.It("should be able to handle large requests: udp", func() {
+			config := e2enetwork.NewNetworkingTestConfig(f)
+			ginkgo.By(fmt.Sprintf("dialing(udp) %v --> %v:%v (config.clusterIP)", config.TestContainerPod.Name, config.ClusterIP, e2enetwork.ClusterUDPPort))
+			message := "n" + strings.Repeat("o", 1999)
+			config.DialEchoFromTestContainer("udp", config.ClusterIP, e2enetwork.ClusterUDPPort, config.MaxTries, 0, message)
+		})
 	})
 
 	ginkgo.It("should recreate its iptables rules if they are deleted [Disruptive]", func() {