[openssl-users] Shutdown details

[Viktor Dukhovni]

> On Aug 1, 2018, at 2:27 AM, Alex H <alexhultman at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Is it possible to receive data after calling SSL_shutdown? Reading the specs and docs leaves this rather blurry.

TLS *does not* support half-closed connections (RFC5246):

   close_notify
      This message notifies the recipient that the sender will not send
      any more messages on this connection.  Note that as of TLS 1.1,
      failure to properly close a connection no longer requires that a
      session not be resumed.  This is a change from TLS 1.0 to conform
      with widespread implementation practice.

   Either party may initiate a close by sending a close_notify alert.
   Any data received after a closure alert is ignored.

   Unless some other fatal alert has been transmitted, each party is
   required to send a close_notify alert before closing the write side
   of the connection.  The other party MUST respond with a close_notify
   alert of its own and close down the connection immediately,
   discarding any pending writes.  It is not required for the initiator
   of the close to wait for the responding close_notify alert before
   closing the read side of the connection.

   If the application protocol using TLS provides that any data may be
   carried over the underlying transport after the TLS connection is
   closed, the TLS implementation must receive the responding
   close_notify alert before indicating to the application layer that
   the TLS connection has ended.  If the application protocol will not
   transfer any additional data, but will only close the underlying
   transport connection, then the implementation MAY choose to close the
   transport without waiting for the responding close_notify.  No part
   of this standard should be taken to dictate the manner in which a
   usage profile for TLS manages its data transport, including when
   connections are opened or closed.

   Note: It is assumed that closing a connection reliably delivers
   pending data before destroying the transport.

If your question is whether you can still read any data that may have
been in flight when you send your close_notify, I believe the answer
is no.  Further data received from the peer is discarded after a
close_notify is sent.

-- 
	Viktor.