Q152474: Window Socket Application Failure with Connection Reset Event

Article: Q152474
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): winnt:3.51
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbnetwork kbAPI kbSDKPlatform kbWinsock kbGrpDSNet
Last Modified: 09-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.51 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.51 
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SYMPTOMS
========

A Windows Socket (WinSock) application fails to receive data from a remote
server. It may display a message indicating that a Connection Reset message or a
WSAECONNRESET event occurred.

CAUSE
=====

Under certain circumstances, a condition exists with Microsoft TCP/IP where a
TCP packet can be sent on a connection that has already closed causing a Reset
packet to be issued. This causes the WinSock application to fail with a
WSAECONNRESET event.

Detailed Explanation:

In a normal WinSock client-server TCP/IP communication sequence, the following
type of conversation could be observed with a Network Monitor product.

  CLIENT               SERVER
  ======               ======
  SYN         -->
           <--      SYN - ACK
  ACK         -->

  TCP (Data - request) -->
           <--      ACK

           <--      TCP (Data - response)
  ACK         -->

     ... potentially many Data/Ack response packets ...

  FIN         -->
           <--      ACK
           <--      FIN
  ACK         -->

When the final FIN packet is sent by the server, and the ACK packet returns, the
server is free to close the socket created for the client communication. In this
instance, the client initiated the closing of communications, followed by the
server.

In a WinSock client-server TCP/IP communication sequence that exposes the
Connection Reset problem, the following type of conversation could be observed
with a Network Monitor product.

  CLIENT               SERVER
  ======               ======
  SYN         -->
           <--      SYN - ACK
  ACK         -->

  TCP (Data - request) -->
           <--      ACK

  FIN         -->
           <--      ACK

           <--      TCP (Data - response)
  ACK         -->

     ... potentially many Data/Ack response packets ...

           <--      FIN
  ACK         -->

  ACK (this is bad) -->

           <--      RESET
  ACK         -->

In the problem scenario above, the following events transpired. The client issues
a Shutdown on their local socket after they sent the request to the server,
notifying the socket that it will not be sending any more data. This causes a
FIN packet to be sent very early in the conversation (this is perfectly
legitimate programming style). Later, the server issues a FIN to indicate it is
done sending data, and the client acknowledges the FIN packet. Due to the way
that Delayed Acknowledgments worked, it was possible for another ACK to be sent
to the server after the ACK for the FIN packet. If the server has already closed
the socket it was communicating with the client on, this will generate a RESET
packet to the client.

If the client was still reading data, the RESET packet will cause the client read
of data to return in error with a WSAECONNRESET, indicating that the connection
was reset.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this problem, install the fix mentioned below.

Obtain the fix mentioned below or wait for the next Windows NT Service Pack.

The fix was to modify TCPIP.SYS to not send an acknowledgment if an
acknowledgment was already sent for a FIN packet.


STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem with Windows NT version 3.51. This
problem was corrected in the latest U.S. Service Pack for Windows NT Workstation
or Server version 3.51. For information on obtaining this update, query on the
following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

  S E R V P A C K


Additional query words: prodnt wsock32

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Keywords          : kbnetwork kbAPI kbSDKPlatform kbWinsock kbGrpDSNet 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNT351search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS351search
Version           : winnt:3.51

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