Timeout (telecommunication)
Encyclopedia
In telecommunication
and related engineering (including computer networking and programming
), the term timeout or time-out has several meanings, including
Timeout allows a more efficient usage of limited resources without requiring additional interaction from the agent interested in the goods that cause the consumption of these resources. The basic idea is that in situations where a system must wait for something to happen, rather than waiting indefinitely, the waiting will be aborted after the timeout period has elapsed. This is based on the assumption that further waiting is useless, and some other action is necessary.
Other examples are
Another usage: in some webbrowsers, pages may load too slow, so increasing time-out may prevent from closing connection unnecessary (like in Opera browsers). Usually this time is set to some little value, so this concept is made for some people who do not wait for slow sites to load, but they use just fast websites, not taking into account content. So here problem arises: user wants to use website faster, but browser closes it due to time-out value. Thus, solution is to use browser which increases such value. In other case - user has to reload page again and again till it loads...
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
and related engineering (including computer networking and programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
), the term timeout or time-out has several meanings, including
- A networkTelecommunications networkA telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
parameter related to an enforced eventEvent-driven programmingIn computer programming, event-driven programming or event-based programming is a programming paradigm in which the flow of the program is determined by events—i.e., sensor outputs or user actions or messages from other programs or threads.Event-driven programming can also be defined as an...
designed to occur at the conclusion of a predetermined elapsed timeTimeTime is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
. - A specified period of time that will be allowed to elapse in a systemSystemSystem is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
before a specified event is to take place, unless another specified event occurs first; in either case, the period is terminated when either event takes place. Note: A timeout condition can be canceled by the receipt of an appropriate time-out cancellation signal. - An event that occurs at the end of a predetermined period of time that began at the occurrence of another specified event. The timeout can be prevented by an appropriate signal.
Timeout allows a more efficient usage of limited resources without requiring additional interaction from the agent interested in the goods that cause the consumption of these resources. The basic idea is that in situations where a system must wait for something to happen, rather than waiting indefinitely, the waiting will be aborted after the timeout period has elapsed. This is based on the assumption that further waiting is useless, and some other action is necessary.
Other examples are
- In POPPost Office ProtocolIn computing, the Post Office Protocol is an application-layer Internet standard protocol used by local e-mail clients to retrieve e-mail from a remote server over a TCP/IP connection. POP and IMAP are the two most prevalent Internet standard protocols for e-mail retrieval. Virtually all modern...
connections, the server will usually close a client connection after a certain period of inactivity (the timeout period). This ensures that connections do not persist forever, if the client crashes or the network goes down. Open connections consume resources, and may prevent other clients from accessing the same mailbox. - In HTTP persistent connections, the web server saves opened connections (which consume CPU timeCPU timeCPU time is the amount of time for which a central processing unit was used for processing instructions of a computer program, as opposed to, for example, waiting for input/output operations. The CPU time is often measured in clock ticks or as a percentage of the CPU's capacity...
and memoryComputer memoryIn computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
). The web client does not have to send an "end of requests series" signal. Connections are closed (timed out) after 5 minutes of inactivity; this ensures that the connections do not persist indefinitely.
Another usage: in some webbrowsers, pages may load too slow, so increasing time-out may prevent from closing connection unnecessary (like in Opera browsers). Usually this time is set to some little value, so this concept is made for some people who do not wait for slow sites to load, but they use just fast websites, not taking into account content. So here problem arises: user wants to use website faster, but browser closes it due to time-out value. Thus, solution is to use browser which increases such value. In other case - user has to reload page again and again till it loads...
- In a timed light switch, both energyEnergyIn physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
and lamp's life-span are saved. The user does not have to switch off manually. - In an electronic text-based customer relationship managementCustomer relationship managementCustomer relationship management is a widely implemented strategy for managing a company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes—principally sales activities, but also those for marketing,...
software tool, the threads can be auto-closed in a timed base, allowing the workers save browse time. The customer does not have to send an "I'm done" signal.