At 16:17 +0200 5/7/07, Daniel Stenberg wrote:
>On Mon, 7 May 2007, Ralph Mitchell wrote:
>
>>> > curl: (52) Empty reply from server.
>
>>>When curl says that, it didn't get _any_ response from the HTTP server when it sent its request.
>>
>>I was just asked the same thing here at work. Just to clarify, am I right in thinking that '52' means the connection is accepted, but then dropped by the remote server before a single byte is transferred?? I.e, it's not a timeout or other failure in transmission.
>
>Exactly: Connect, sent request successfully, connection closed.
>
>Since HTTP is defined to always have the server respond with at least something, not responding with anything at all is considered an error.

Now my curiosity is up.

Assuming TCP-IP and not UDP does that convict the server of committing the error? Is there an observable difference between. "I answered you but the mail didn't get delivered" and "I'm sorry, I just never answered before I closed the connection"?

Would some obscure TCP logs have something to look at? A retry count or something like it?

Might network address translation have anything to do with it? A packet getting lost or mangled on the return path through a local NAT router?

Does an empty packet satisfy the HTTP requirement to respond?

-- 
--> From the U S of A, the only socialist country that refuses to admit it. <--