For every endpoint, Open Transport maintains an options buffer. When you create an endpoint provider, Open Transport fills this buffer with a default value for each option supported for the endpoint.
Option values have meaning for and are defined by the protocol to which they apply.
Typically, Open Transport uses endpoint options to control aspects of the endpoint's operation. For example, if a protocol guarantees reliable delivery of data, the protocol might define an option that specifies the number of times a send operation is retried before the send fails and an error message is generated. Protocol implementations provide default values for options to ensure maximum portability for your application across protocol families. In writing a networking application, you can use an endpoint provider's default option values or you can replace these with other values to control the behavior of an endpoint. Option negotiation describes the process that results when you decide to replace default values with option values that you choose.