TCP "IDLE" meaning

[Vytautas Vysniauskas]

What does "IDLE" mean under TCP streams implementation in HPUX ? Looking into LSOF source (program to track open descriptors), only two dialects (HPUX and Solaris) use this notion.

[Clemens van Everdingen]

Hi,

I believe that IDLE means that the port is open but not bound, so: not really being used.

See also this thread:

http://forums.itrc.hp.com/cm/QuestionAnswer/1,,0xa77fabe92dabd5118ff10090279cd0f9,00.html

Clemens.

[Ron Kinner]

Normally it's a UDP port which is considered Idle and not a TCP port.

Just another way of saying Listen. Some process is listening on that port for input to process. Think it's more a Solaris term than a HP-UX or it just may be a more or less meaningless distinction that LSOF makes.

http://ist.uwaterloo.ca/security/howto/2000-09-19/baseline.html

Ron

[MANOJ SRIVASTAVA]

Hi Vytautas Vysniauskas

The meaning of IDLe should be that the port is definately bound but there is no traffic going on through it at that moment.


Manoj Srivastava