TCP Socket Data Send/Recv Operation

Question

I'm working on a MMO game server. I have to understand TCP data send/recv operations (not usage, detail). I want to ask this: If I send a 5kb data from a .net socket client, may server socket handle this data send operation one more time? Namely can 5kb data be received one more operation like 5kb = 1. operation:2kb + 2. operation:3kb?

I want to tell this again; If client sent a data to server, can our server listener's Recv() method pass this data to our handler class at one more time (callback operation)?

Ross McNab · Accepted Answer · 2013-07-19T11:18:39.900

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You are not guaranteed to get all the data from a single Send() within a single Receive().

The TCP algorithm transparently splits your data into individual packets, and there's no direct API control over how big the packets are, or how data gets split when it's too big for a single packet. See Nagle's algorithm for the gory details of how TCP does this under the hood.

If you want to control exact packet contents and send timing, you should consider the packet based protocol UDP instead.

edited Jul 19 '13 at 11:18

answered Jun 19 '13 at 11:54

Ross McNab

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Even through TCP, we must create a packet header to combine them. Am I right? – Mehmet Fatih Marabaoğlu Jun 19 '13 at 11:57
Sorry - I'm not sure I understand. As a user of the .Net Socket class you don't need to worry about TCP packet headers. You get a abstracted two-way data pipe. – Ross McNab Jun 19 '13 at 12:04
We must combine datas coming from TCP for our data completely received? – Mehmet Fatih Marabaoğlu Jun 19 '13 at 12:11
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Yes - on the receiving end you need to combine multiple Receive() results, and you need to structure your data so that you can detect when you have a complete "message". E.g. use a delimiter between messages. – Ross McNab Jun 19 '13 at 12:15
I'll add a packet header to first message. That header contains data lenght and delimiter key. Thanks! – Mehmet Fatih Marabaoğlu Jun 19 '13 at 13:04

TCP Socket Data Send/Recv Operation

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