title: AIX: IBM Java: java.net.SocketException: Connection timed out:could be due to invalid address
body: <p>We have seen the following exceptions very frequently on IBM AIX when attempting to make an SSL connection to our server:</p>
  
  <pre><code>java.net.SocketException: Socket closed
  at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.SSLSocketImpl.a(DashoA6275(Compiled Code))
  at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.AppOutputStream.write(DashoA6275(Compiled Code))
  at java.io.BufferedOutputStream.flushBuffer(BufferedOutputStream.java(Inlined Compiled Code))
  at java.io.BufferedOutputStream.flush(BufferedOutputStream.java(Compiled Code))
  at java.io.FilterOutputStream.flush(FilterOutputStream.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.methods.EntityEnclosingMethod.writeRequestBody(EntityEnclosingMethod.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpMethodBase.writeRequest(HttpMethodBase.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpMethodBase.execute(HttpMethodBase.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpMethodDirector.executeWithRetry(HttpMethodDirector.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpMethodDirector.executeMethod(HttpMethodDirector.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpClient.executeMethod(HttpClient.java(Compiled Code))
  at org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpClient.executeMethod(HttpClient.java(Inlined Compiled Code))
  at com.eximtechnologies.httptransport.client.ClientTransport.receiveMessages(ClientTransport.java(Compiled Code))
  at com.eximtechnologies.httptransport.client.ClientTransport.receiveMessages(ClientTransport.java(Inlined Compiled Code))
  at com.eximtechnologies.ecserver.connection.XMSHTTPConnection.checkForNewMessages(XMSHTTPConnection.java(Compiled Code))
  at com.eximtechnologies.ecserver.connection.XMSHTTPConnection.timeoutExpired(XMSHTTPConnection.java(Compiled Code))
  at com.eximtechnologies.xmd.timer.TimerEvent$1.run(TimerEvent.java(Compiled Code))
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>From the error, you would think this was just a network problem, but the client had never experienced the problem before about 2 months ago, and AFAIK, there haven't been any changes to the network layout.</p>
  
  <p>We also receive this fairly frequently:</p>
  
  <pre><code>java.net.SocketException: Connection timed out:could be due to invalid address
  at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.socketConnect(Native Method)
  at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.doConnect(PlainSocketImpl.java:336)
  at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connectToAddress(PlainSocketImpl.java:201)
  at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connect(PlainSocketImpl.java:188)
  at java.net.Socket.connect(Socket.java:478)
  at java.net.Socket.connect(Socket.java:428)
  at java.net.Socket.&lt;init&gt;(Socket.java:335)
  at java.net.Socket.&lt;init&gt;(Socket.java:210)
  at javax.net.ssl.SSLSocket.&lt;init&gt;(Unknown Source)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I'm suspecting that this is an AIX problem, but I guess it could be a firewall issue?  I also saw some people in google searches hinting at a problem with commons http, but I couldn't see how that would be related.</p>
  
  <p>Is this something that others have seen with AIX recently?</p>