Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!TRANTOR.UMD.EDU!louie
From: louie@TRANTOR.UMD.EDU ("Louis A. Mamakos")
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re: KeepAlive
Message-ID: <8905251417.AA09561@trantor.umd.edu>
Date: 25 May 89 14:17:50 GMT
References: <1409@ns.network.com>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 11

I suppose that if you were using a TELNET connection to a remote host, and
you really cared to detect that the network failed, you could periodically
have your TELNET client send TELNET  NOP sequences on the connection.  If the
remote host crashed or the path disappeared, this would cause the otherwise
idle TCP connection to start retransmitting the TELNET NOP.

Of course, I really only care that the network is working or not if I'm trying
to get work done.  In that case, the connection isn't idle and all this is moot.

Louis Mamakos
Univ of Maryland