Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!JESSICA.STANFORD.EDU!almquist
From: almquist@JESSICA.STANFORD.EDU (Philip Almquist)
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: TCP/IP close connection TIME_WAIT ?
Message-ID: <8908290927.AA26586@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 29 Aug 89 04:26:00 GMT
References: <749@wrs.wrs.com>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
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Hwajin,
	Your message about how to shorten the amount of time a TCP
connection spends in TIME_WAIT state omitted what I think is a rather
crucial point: why shortening that time might be a very bad idea.

	For most users of the TCP protocol, one of its more important
properties is that it delivers data reliably.  Vint Cerf will correct
me if I'm wrong, but my impression is that TIME_WAIT state was not a
devious plot on the part of the protocol designers to tie up system
resources; rather, it was included in the protocol because it is
necessary to insure that delivery is indeed reliable.

						Philip