Using a Mac OSX box as a client connecting to a Linux server, we have found
that when certain applications (such as 'ab'), are abruptly terminated
(via ^C), a FIN is sent followed by a RST packet on tcp connections. The
FIN is accepted by the Linux stack but the RST is sent with the same
sequence number as the FIN, and Linux responds with a challenge ACK per
RFC 5961. The OSX client then sometimes (they are rate-limited) does not
reply with any RST as would be expected on a closed socket.

This results in sockets accumulating on the Linux server left mostly in
the CLOSE_WAIT state, although LAST_ACK and CLOSING are also possible.
This sequence of events can tie up a lot of resources on the Linux server
since there may be a lot of data in write buffers at the time of the RST.
Accepting a RST equal to rcv_nxt - 1, after we have already successfully
processed a FIN, has made a significant difference for us in practice, by
freeing up unneeded resources in a more expedient fashion.

A packetdrill test demonstrating the behavior:

// testing mac osx rst behavior

// Establish a connection
0.000 socket(..., SOCK_STREAM, IPPROTO_TCP) = 3
0.000 setsockopt(3, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, [1], 4) = 0
0.000 bind(3, ..., ...) = 0
0.000 listen(3, 1) = 0

0.100 < S 0:0(0) win 32768 <mss 1460,nop,wscale 10>
0.100 > S. 0:0(0) ack 1 <mss 1460,nop,wscale 5>
0.200 < . 1:1(0) ack 1 win 32768
0.200 accept(3, ..., ...) = 4

// Client closes the connection
0.300 < F. 1:1(0) ack 1 win 32768

// now send rst with same sequence
0.300 < R. 1:1(0) ack 1 win 32768

// make sure we are in TCP_CLOSE
0.400 %{
assert tcpi_state == 7
}%
Signed-off-by: Jason Baron <jbaron@akamai.com>
Cc: Eric Dumazet <edumazet@google.com>
Acked-by: Eric Dumazet <edumazet@google.com>
Signed-off-by: David S. Miller <davem@davemloft.net>