Re: HTTP was OS/400 command set

I didn't realize you wanted this much detail about the HTTP protocol.

In HTTP/1.0 and earlier, persistent connections were the exception not
the rule.  Each document you retrieved was a whole new connection.

In HTTP/1.1 persistent connections are part of the base standard, rather
than an extension, and any good HTTP server will support them, because it
makes a dramatic difference in speed to not have to open a new connection
for each file transfer.   However, they're still not REQUIRED, if either
the client or server sends the keyword 'Connection: close' during the
protocol negotiation, then it will still be just one connection per
request.

So, Adam and I do not contradict...

In either case, they're still not 'connectionless'.  You make a
connection, you request a document.  In most cases with modern servers you
can then request another document.   Once you've gotten whatever you want,
you disconnect.

In either case, you've got a connection.   TCP is a
'connection-oriented' protocol.


On Thu, 14 Nov 2002, Leif Svalgaard wrote:

> From: Adam Lang <aalang@rutgersinsurance.com>
> > It doesn't know.
> > You request one resource at a time.  After you get that resource,
> > connection closes.
> > > From: Scott Klement <klemscot@klements.com>
> > > > No, HTTP is not "connectionless".   When you get something from a web
> > > > server, you connect, you request a document, it sends it, you request
> > > > the next, it sends it, etc... all during one TCP connection.
>
> you fight this out with Scott   :-)
> AFAICT, your two postings are contradictory....