The Ice run time establishes connections automatically and transparently as a side effect of using proxies. There are well-defined rules that determine when a new connection is established (see
Section 36.3). If necessary, you can influence connection management activities (see
Section 36.4).
Connection management becomes increasingly important as network environments grow more complex. In particular, if you need to make callbacks from a server to a client through a firewall, you must use a bidirectional connection. In most cases, you can use a Glacier2 router (see
Chapter 42) to automatically take advantage of bidirectional connections. However, the Ice run time also provides direct access to connections, allowing you to explicitly control establishment and closure of both unidirectional and bidirectional connections.
