Java NIO Threading issue with SocketChannel.write()

Question

Sometimes, while sending a large amount of data via SocketChannel.write(), the underlying TCP buffer gets filled up, and I have to continually re-try the write() until the data is all sent.

So, I might have something like this:

public void send(ByteBuffer bb, SocketChannel sc){
   sc.write(bb);
   while (bb.remaining()>0){
      Thread.sleep(10);
      sc.write(bb);          
   }
}

The problem is that the occasional issue with a large ByteBuffer and an overflowing underlying TCP buffer means that this call to send() will block for an unexpected amount of time. In my project, there are hundreds of clients connected simultaneously, and one delay caused by one socket connection can bring the whole system to a crawl until this one delay with one SocketChannel is resolved. When a delay occurs, it can cause a chain reaction of slowing down in other areas of the project, and having low latency is important.

I need a solution that will take care of this TCP buffer overflow issue transparently and without causing everything to block when multiple calls to SocketChannel.write() are needed. I have considered putting send() into a separate class extending Thread so it runs as its own thread and does not block the calling code. However, I am concerned about the overhead necessary in creating a thread for EACH socket connection I am maintaining, especially when 99% of the time, SocketChannel.write() succeeds on the first try, meaning there's no need for the thread to be there. (In other words, putting send() in a separate thread is really only needed if the while() loop is used -- only in cases where there is a buffer issue, perhaps 1% of the time) If there is a buffer issue only 1% of the time, I don't need the overhead of a thread for the other 99% of calls to send().

I hope that makes sense... I could really use some suggestions. Thanks!

Solution 1

The more I read about Java NIO, the more it gives me the willies. Anyway, I think this article answers your problem...

http://weblogs.java.net/blog/2006/05/30/tricks-and-tips-nio-part-i-why-you-must-handle-opwrite

It sounds like this guy has a more elegant solution than the sleep loop.

Also I'm fast coming to the conclusion that using Java NIO by itself is too dangerous. Where I can, I think I'll probably use Apache MINA which provides a nice abstraction above Java NIO and its little 'surprises'.

Solution 2

Prior to Java NIO, you had to use one Thread per socket to get good performance. This is a problem for all socket based applications, not just Java. Support for non-blocking IO was added to all operating systems to overcome this. The Java NIO implementation is based on Selectors.

See The definitive Java NIO book and this On Java article to get started. Note however, that this is a complex topic and it still brings some multithreading issues into your code. Google "non blocking NIO" for more information.