Setting TIME_WAIT TCP

Question

We're trying to tune an application that accepts messages via TCP and also uses TCP for some of its internal messaging. While load testing, we noticed that response time degrades significantly (and then stops altogether) as more simultaneous requests are made to the system. During this time, we see a lot of TCP connections in TIME_WAIT status and someone suggested lowering the TIME_WAIT environment variable from it's default 60 seconds to 30.

From what I understand, the TIME_WAIT setting essentially sets the time a TCP resource is made available to the system again after the connection is closed.

I'm not a "network guy" and know very little about these things. I need a lot of what's in that linked post, but "dumbed down" a little.

• I think I understand why the TIME_WAIT value can't be set to 0, but can it safely be set to 5? What about 10? What determines a "safe" setting for this value?
• Why is the default for this value 60? I'm guessing that people a lot smarter than me had good reason for selecting this as a reasonable default.
• What else should I know about the potential risks and benefits of overriding this value?

Answer 1

A TCP connection is specified by the tuple (source IP, source port, destination IP, destination port).

The reason why there is a TIME_WAIT state following session shutdown is because there may still be live packets out in the network on their way to you (or from you which may solicit a response of some sort). If you were to re-create that same tuple and one of those packets showed up, it would be treated as a valid packet for your connection (and probably cause an error due to sequencing).

So the TIME_WAIT time is generally set to double the packets maximum age. This value is the maximum age your packets will be allowed to get to before the network discards them.

That guarantees that, before you're allowed to create a connection with the same tuple, all the packets belonging to previous incarnations of that tuple will be dead.

That generally dictates the minimum value you should use. The maximum packet age is dictated by network properties, an example being that satellite lifetimes are higher than LAN lifetimes since the packets have much further to go.

Answer 2

Usually, only the endpoint that issues an 'active close' should go into TIME_WAIT state. So, if possible, have your clients issue the active close which will leave the TIME_WAIT on the client and NOT on the server.

See here: http://www.serverframework.com/asynchronousevents/2011/01/time-wait-and-its-design-implications-for-protocols-and-scalable-servers.html and http://www.isi.edu/touch/pubs/infocomm99/infocomm99-web/ for details (the later also explains why it's not always possible due to protocol design that doesn't take TIME_WAIT into consideration).