connecting to non-responding hosts: 1 hr timeout (fwd)

[Pekka Savola]

Hello all,

If you try to make a TCP connection to a host, and the host is down,
timeouts can be as long as an hour.  This is not specific to ssh, or OS.

Is this a scenario worth working around, e.g. with a timer when
connecting or the like?

-- 
Pekka Savola                 "Tell me of difficulties surmounted,
Netcore Oy                   not those you stumble over and fall"
Systems. Networks. Security.  -- Robert Jordan: A Crown of Swords

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2001 06:39:23 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rob Landley <telomerase at yahoo.com>
To: pekkas at netcore.fi
Subject: ssh hang.  (Help?)

[ snip typical sleep &; exit scenario ]

Another fun way to hang ssh is to try to contact a
host that's down.  It makes 4 attempts, each of which
takes about 20 minutes to time out on a host that's
routable but which isn't responding to any packets.
("No route to host" returns immediately, but unplug
the network cable from the box you're trying to
connect and it'll spend an hour trying.)

All of this is on Red Hat 7.0.

Rob

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