No TIME_WAIT connections, why?

Question

If I have sysctl tw_reuse=0 and tw_recycle=0, and netstat doesn't report any TIME_WAIT connections, that means...? It's local network connections between two servers, A -> B, A has TIME_WAIT connections to B in netstat, but B to A not.

Answer 1

Only the side of the connection that closes the communication can be in TIME_WAIT state, see the relevant UNIX Socket FAQ sequence diagram.

Remember that TCP guarantees all data transmitted will be delivered, if at all possible. When you close a socket, the server goes into a TIME_WAIT state, just to be really really sure that all the data has gone through.