Besides setting the read mode, you can also set the amount of time READ() waits before timing out. To do so, use the SO-RCVTIMEO option of the SET-SOCKET-OPTION() method. If you do not set a timeout value, the default is for READ() to wait forever.

READ()'s timeout behavior is affected by the interaction of the read mode and the timeout value, as the following table illustrates.

Table 1. Effect of read mode and timeout value on READ()'stimeout behavior

Read mode	With a timeout value	Without a timeout value
READ-AVAILABLE	Assuming there are no connection failures, READ() blocks until one of the following occurs: The timeout expires There is at least one byte available to read on the socket	Assuming there are no connection failures, READ() blocks until there is at least one byte available to read on the socket
READ-EXACT-NUM	Assuming there are no connection failures: If there is any data on the socket, READ() blocks until there are bytes-to-read bytes available to read on the socket Else, READ() blocks until the timeout expires	Assuming there are no connection failures, READ() blocks until there are bytes-to-read bytes available to read on the socket