In complex networks and consumer computers, there is a digital component called a socket that connects two different platforms. When there is a problem with the socket connection, such as the network is not available or there is no internet, the socket will keep trying to connect. A socket timeout interrupts this connection after a specified period of time. The socket timeout command is usually created in object-oriented programming (OOP) or network programming, and it prevents the socket from creating bloated problems by cutting the connection.
Sockets, whether used in Linux® or another operating system (OS), are made to establish a connection between a client program and a server.
A socket timeout is a designated period of time from when the socket is connected until the connection is dropped. Many users believe that the timeout itself is a problem, but actually the timeout is done to prevent further problems from manifesting. The software or operating system (OS) programmers set the amount of time between connection and timeout. Without a timeout command, the socket will keep trying to connect indefinitely.
If the socket timeout is not programmed, the socket will remain open while waiting for the other side to connect. Allowing it to remain open opens up the computer to possible malicious attacks; more commonly, the computer simply uses excess memory to connect to an unresponsive network. This also prevents the socket from being used for anything else, slowing down the entire computer.
OS and software developers should specify the socket timeout. This is most commonly seen in OOP or network programming, because these are the programs that use sockets the most; most website programming doesn’t use sockets as often and doesn’t have timeout commands. The timeout is usually measured in milliseconds, but the programmer can make the timeout several minutes or even hours if desired.
Most programmers have two socket timeout messages, one for a connection that is not responding and one for when the server or network program is closed. A socket timeout is not always necessary for a socket to break the connection. When a server or computer is about to close the connection, it sends a signal to the socket to do the same and close the connection between the two systems. This signal is not always received, even when the Internet suddenly freezes or the Ethernet cable is removed during connection time. In such cases, the socket will continue to wait for data.
