Name 

Description 

Client Connections 

Client connections connect a client socket on the local system to a server socket on a remote system. Client connections are initiated by the client socket. First, the client socket must describe the server socket to which it wishes to connect. The client socket then looks up the server socket and, when it locates the server, requests a connection. The server socket may not complete the connection right away. Server sockets maintain a queue of client requests, and complete connections as they find time. When the server socket accepts the client connection, it sends the client socket a full description... more 

Listening Connections 

Server sockets do not locate clients. Instead, they form passive "half connections" that listen for client requests. Server sockets associate a queue with their listening connections; the queue records client connection requests as they come in. When the server socket accepts a client connection request, it forms a new socket to connect to the client, so that the listening connection can remain open to accept other client requests. 

Server Connections 

Server connections are formed by server sockets when a listening socket accepts a client request. A description of the server socket that completes the connection to the client is sent to the client when the server accepts the connection. The connection is established when the client socket receives this description and completes the connection. 

Types of Socket Connections 

Socket connections can be divided into three basic types, which reflect how the connection was initiated and what the local socket is connected to. These are

• Client connections.
• Listening connections.
• Server connections.

Once the connection to a client socket is completed, the server connection is indistinguishable from a client connection. Both end points have the same capabilities and receive the same types of events. Only the listening connection is fundamentally different, as it has only a single endpoint.