[HTTPCLIENT-1263] CachingHttpClient not consuming backend HttpResponse entity causing PoolingClientConnectionManager to become unresponsive

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 4.2.1
• Fix Version/s: 4.2.3
• Component/s: HttpClient (classic)
• Labels: cache connection-pooling consumed
• Assignee: Unassigned
• Reporter: Bryant Harris
• Created: 20/Nov/12 08:40
• Updated: 05/Oct/13 19:41
• Resolved: 23/Nov/12 13:00

Description

I've noticed that when issuing requests via a pooled and cached HttpClient that the client eventually becomes unresponsive (which appears to be because an HttpEntity is not getting consumed properly).

Steps to reproduce.
1. Here is how I've configured all the relevant classes.

HttpClient standardClient = null;
HttpClient cachedClient = null;
PoolingClientConnectionManager connectionManager = null;

protected synchronized HttpClient getStandardClient() {
if ( standardClient == null )

{ connectionManager = new PoolingClientConnectionManager(); connectionManager.setMaxTotal(2); connectionManager.closeIdleConnections(120, TimeUnit.SECONDS); standardClient = new DecompressingHttpClient( new DefaultHttpClient (connectionManager)); }

return standardClient;
}

protected synchronized HttpClient getCachedClient() {
if ( cachedClient == null )

{ CacheConfig cacheConfig = new CacheConfig(); cacheConfig.setMaxObjectSize( 512*1024 ); cacheConfig.setMaxCacheEntries( 10 ); cachedClient = new CachingHttpClient(getStandardClient(), getCacheStorage(), cacheConfig); }

return cachedClient;
}

As you can see I have two http clients. A caching http client that wraps the standard client.

Now what I've found is that if I remove cachedClient and only use standardClient, I don't have any issues with the pool hanging and orphaned connections.

2. Here is my code for how I issue and consume requests

HttpClient httpClient = cacheOkay ? getCachedClient() : getStandardClient();
HttpResponse response = httpClient.execute(request, localContext);
HttpEntity resEntity = response.getEntity();

int responseStatus = response.getStatusLine().getStatusCode();

byte[] responseBody = EntityUtils.toByteArray(resEntity);
EntityUtils.consume(resEntity);

If you set up a test like this and use the cached client, it will hang fairly quickly.

I've been able to work around this by creating the CachingHttpClient as follows:

protected synchronized HttpClient getCachedClient() {
if ( cachedClient == null ) {
WhosHereApplication application = WhosHereApplication.getInstance();
cachedClient = new CachingHttpClient(getStandardClient(),
new HeapResourceFactory() {

@Override
public Resource generate(
String requestId,
InputStream instream,
InputLimit limit)
throws IOException {
try

{ return super.generate(requestId, instream, limit); }

finally

{ instream.close(); }

}

},
application.getCacheStorage(),
application.getCacheConfig());
Log.i(tag, "Creating CachingHttpClient");
}

return cachedClient;
}

Notice the inline subclass of HeapResourceFactory where I add the stream close call. Once I add this the caching client no longer freezes up.

I'm not familiar enough with the source code to pinpoint the issue, but appears the back end entity is not getting consumed properly, forcing this work around.