Options that need setting before the socket connects, then the connect with its own deadline.

Answer

try (Socket socket = new Socket()) { socket.setSoTimeout(10_000); socket.setTcpNoDelay(true); socket.setKeepAlive(true); socket.connect(new InetSocketAddress(host, port), 5_000); // ... speak the protocol ... }

The no-argument constructor is what makes this ordering possible. Every setter here throws `SocketException` if the platform cannot honour the option, so they belong inside the same try as the connect.

Harold 4e ch8 §Setting Socket Options; §Socket Exceptions