Re: SOMAXCONN - bump up or sysctl?

[David S. Miller]

Tim Hockin writes:
 > We have a request to bump up SOMAXCONN.  Are there are repurcussions to
 > doing so?  Would it be better to make it a sysctl?

There is a very serious repurcussion to allowing this be increased in
any form, people won't fix their code if you just give them this
bandaid.

The new connection backlog controlled by an upper limit of
SOMAXCONN is a "buffer" between the kernel and userspace.

It is _NOT_ a permanent storage area inside the kernel for new
connections.  Once people writing these apps start thinking about it
as a buffer (ie. think "temporary"), the thought to increase SOMAXCONN
will occur less often in their minds.

I have never been shown a legitimate argument for increasing
SOMAXCONN.

Later,
David S. Miller
[e-mail]