How do I prevent Socket/Port Exhaustion?

Question

I am attempting to performance test a website by hitting it with requests across multiple threads. Each thread executes n times. (in a for loop)

However, I

Answer 1

Q: How do I explicitly close a socket ... in order to prevent TIME_WAIT states?

A: Dude, TIME_WAIT is an integral - and important! - part of TCP/IP itself!

You can tune the OS to reduce TIME_WAIT (which can have negative repercussions).

And you can tune the OS to increase #/ephemeral ports:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa560610%28v=bts.20%29.aspx

Here's a link on why TIME_WAIT exists ... and why it's a Good Thing:

• http://www.serverframework.com/asynchronousevents/2011/01/time-wait-and-its-design-implications-for-protocols-and-scalable-servers.html