Very Computer

Any real socket gurus out there that can answer this question?

I've got a server process running on an Ultra1, Solaris 2.5.1.  It listens
for connections on a port and forks a copy of itself to handle the
communications.  I set the SO_KEEPALIVE option on the socket, and use
signal() to catch SIGPIPE.  Now, my server process normally runs in a loop,
calling select() with a timeout - the select call watches for input from a
number of file descriptors, one of  which is the above named connection.

Here's the problem:  if the far end of the socket closes, I don't seem to
be getting any notification via the SIGPIPE handler.  I've looked for
information that might tell me what the time interval is between
"KEEPALIVE"s, but none is forthcoming.  I've tried looking for it with
tcpdump, but it doesn't show...

Is the KEEPALIVE option functional under Solaris 2.5.1, or is this one of
those "not implemented in this version" problems?

TIA,

Bob Scott

  AFAIK:

  If the peer calls close() or exits, without having messed with
  SO_LINGER, then our calls to read() should return 0. It is less clear
  what happens to write() calls in this case; I would expect EPIPE, not
  on the next call, but the one after.

  If the peer reboots, or sets l_onoff = 1, l_linger = 0 and then
  closes, then we should get ECONNRESET (eventually) from read(), or
  EPIPE from write().

  I should also point out that when write() returns EPIPE, it also
  raises the SIGPIPE signal - you never see the EPIPE error unless you
  handle or ignore the signal.

  If the peer remains unreachable, we should get some other error.

  I don't think that write() can legitimately return 0.  read() should
  return 0 on receipt of a FIN from the peer, and on all following
  calls.

  So yes, you must expect read() to return 0.

  As an example, suppose you are receiving a file down a TCP link; you
  might handle the return from read() like this:

  rc = read(sock,buf,sizeof(buf));
  if (rc > 0)
  {
      write(file,buf,rc);
      /* error checking on file omitted */
  }
  else if (rc == 0)
  {
      close(file);
      close(sock);
      /* file received successfully */
  }
  else /* rc < 0 */
  {
      /* close file and delete it, since data is not complete
         report error, or whatever */
  }

--
Michael