mbproxy: add keepalive / connection monitoring

The DL205/DL260 ECOM emits no TCP keepalives, so an idle backend socket
can be silently dropped by a middlebox (switch, firewall, NAT) after
2-5 minutes. Enable OS SO_KEEPALIVE on backend and accepted upstream
sockets, and drive a periodic synthetic FC03 heartbeat on each idle
backend socket so a dead path is detected before a real client request
hits it. Controlled by Connection.Keepalive (ON by default).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/Multiplexing/InFlightRequest.cs

@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ internal sealed record InterestedParty(UpstreamPipe Pipe, ushort OriginalTxId);
 /// read coalescing uses to fan out a single PLC response to multiple upstream clients.
 /// Reviewer note: do <i>not</i> simplify back to a single <c>UpstreamPipe</c> field.</para>
 /// </summary>
+/// <param name="IsHeartbeat">
+/// <c>true</c> for the synthetic FC03 keepalive probe issued by the backend heartbeat
+/// loop. Heartbeat entries carry no <see cref="InterestedParties"/>: the backend reader
+/// drops the response (no fan-out, no rewriter, no cache) and the timeout watchdog tears
+/// the backend down instead of dispatching a 0x0B exception. Defaults to <c>false</c>.
+/// </param>
 internal sealed record InFlightRequest(
     byte UnitId,
     byte Fc,
@@ -35,4 +41,5 @@ internal sealed record InFlightRequest(
     ushort Qty,
     IReadOnlyList<InterestedParty> InterestedParties,
     DateTimeOffset SentAtUtc,
-    int ResolvedCacheTtlMs = 0);
+    int ResolvedCacheTtlMs = 0,
+    bool IsHeartbeat = false);

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/Multiplexing/KeepaliveLogEvents.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+namespace Mbproxy.Proxy.Multiplexing;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Source-generated <see cref="LoggerMessage"/> definitions for the backend keepalive
+/// heartbeat. Event names are stable — do not rename without updating
+/// docs/Reference/LogEvents.md's event-name table.
+/// </summary>
+internal static partial class KeepaliveLogEvents
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Emitted each time the heartbeat loop issues a synthetic FC03 probe on an idle
+    /// backend socket. Debug level — one per <c>BackendHeartbeatIdleMs</c> per idle PLC.
+    /// </summary>
+    [LoggerMessage(
+        EventId   = 150,
+        EventName = "mbproxy.keepalive.heartbeat.sent",
+        Level     = LogLevel.Debug,
+        Message   = "Keepalive heartbeat sent: Plc={Plc} ProxyTxId={ProxyTxId} Address={Address}")]
+    public static partial void HeartbeatSent(
+        ILogger logger,
+        string  plc,
+        ushort  proxyTxId,
+        ushort  address);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Emitted when a keepalive heartbeat probe is not answered within
+    /// <c>BackendRequestTimeoutMs</c>. The backend is connected-but-not-answering; the
+    /// multiplexer tears it down (see <see cref="BackendIdleDisconnect"/>).
+    /// </summary>
+    [LoggerMessage(
+        EventId   = 151,
+        EventName = "mbproxy.keepalive.heartbeat.timeout",
+        Level     = LogLevel.Warning,
+        Message   = "Keepalive heartbeat timed out: Plc={Plc} ProxyTxId={ProxyTxId} ElapsedMs={ElapsedMs}")]
+    public static partial void HeartbeatTimeout(
+        ILogger logger,
+        string  plc,
+        ushort  proxyTxId,
+        long    elapsedMs);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Emitted when a failed keepalive heartbeat triggers a proactive backend teardown.
+    /// Every attached upstream pipe is cascaded; clients reconnect on their next request.
+    /// </summary>
+    [LoggerMessage(
+        EventId   = 152,
+        EventName = "mbproxy.keepalive.backend.idle_disconnect",
+        Level     = LogLevel.Information,
+        Message   = "Backend torn down by keepalive: Plc={Plc} HeartbeatElapsedMs={ElapsedMs}")]
+    public static partial void BackendIdleDisconnect(
+        ILogger logger,
+        string  plc,
+        long    elapsedMs);
+}

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/Multiplexing/PlcMultiplexer.cs

@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
     // `() => optionsMonitor.CurrentValue.Resilience.ReadCoalescing`. Tests default to a
     // fresh `ReadCoalescingOptions()` (Enabled = true, MaxParties = 32).
     private readonly Func<ReadCoalescingOptions> _coalescingOptions;
+    // Live keepalive config accessor. Read at backend-connect time (TCP SO_KEEPALIVE) and
+    // on each heartbeat-loop tick (idle threshold + probe address) so a hot-reload of
+    // `Connection.Keepalive` propagates without a listener restart. Production wires this
+    // to `() => optionsMonitor.CurrentValue.Connection.Keepalive`; the fallback reads the
+    // construction-time `ConnectionOptions` snapshot.
+    private readonly Func<KeepaliveOptions> _keepaliveOptions;
 
     private readonly TxIdAllocator _allocator = new();
     private readonly CorrelationMap _correlation = new();
@@ -86,6 +92,19 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
     private CancellationTokenSource? _backendCts;
     private Task? _backendWriterTask;
     private Task? _backendReaderTask;
+    private Task? _backendHeartbeatTask;
+
+    // UTC ticks of the last backend socket activity (a send OR a received frame). Updated
+    // by the writer and reader tasks; read by the heartbeat loop to decide whether the
+    // socket has been idle long enough to warrant a probe. Interlocked for cross-task
+    // coherence.
+    private long _lastBackendActivityTicks;
+
+    // Unit ID of the most recent upstream request. The synthetic heartbeat reuses it so
+    // the probe targets the same Modbus unit the real clients successfully talk to.
+    // Defaults to 0 until the first upstream frame is seen; by the time a heartbeat can
+    // fire the backend socket exists, which means at least one upstream frame arrived.
+    private int _lastSeenUnitId;
 
     private readonly CancellationTokenSource _disposeCts = new();
     // Volatile so the disposing thread's write is observed by every hot-path reader
@@ -102,7 +121,8 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
         PerPlcContext perPlcContext,
         ILogger<PlcMultiplexer> logger,
         ResiliencePipeline? backendConnectPipeline = null,
-        Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? coalescingOptions = null)
+        Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? coalescingOptions = null,
+        Func<KeepaliveOptions>? keepaliveOptions = null)
     {
         _plc                    = plc;
         _connectionOptions      = connectionOptions;
@@ -111,6 +131,7 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
         _logger                 = logger;
         _backendConnectPipeline = backendConnectPipeline;
         _coalescingOptions      = coalescingOptions ?? (static () => new ReadCoalescingOptions());
+        _keepaliveOptions       = keepaliveOptions ?? (() => _connectionOptions.Keepalive);
 
         // Register the per-PLC cache as the live stats source for the snapshot path.
         // Cache may be null when the per-PLC context has not been wired with one
@@ -282,6 +303,7 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
             // Build a fresh backend socket and Polly-connect.
             var backend = new Socket(AddressFamily.InterNetwork, SocketType.Stream, ProtocolType.Tcp)
             { NoDelay = true };
+            SocketKeepalive.Apply(backend, _keepaliveOptions());
 
             try
             {
@@ -318,8 +340,11 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
             {
                 _backendSocket    = backend;
                 _backendCts       = cts2;
+                // Seed the idle timer so the heartbeat loop measures idleness from connect.
+                Interlocked.Exchange(ref _lastBackendActivityTicks, DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks);
                 _backendWriterTask = Task.Run(() => RunBackendWriterAsync(backend, cts2.Token), CancellationToken.None);
                 _backendReaderTask = Task.Run(() => RunBackendReaderAsync(backend, cts2.Token), CancellationToken.None);
+                _backendHeartbeatTask = Task.Run(() => RunBackendHeartbeatAsync(cts2.Token), CancellationToken.None);
             }
 
             _ctx.Counters.IncrementConnectSuccess();
@@ -381,18 +406,20 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
         {
             Socket? oldSocket;
             CancellationTokenSource? oldCts;
-            Task? writer, reader;
+            Task? writer, reader, heartbeat;
             lock (_backendLock)
             {
                 oldSocket = _backendSocket;
                 oldCts    = _backendCts;
                 writer    = _backendWriterTask;
                 reader    = _backendReaderTask;
+                heartbeat = _backendHeartbeatTask;
 
                 _backendSocket    = null;
                 _backendCts       = null;
                 _backendWriterTask = null;
                 _backendReaderTask = null;
+                _backendHeartbeatTask = null;
             }
 
             if (oldSocket is null && oldCts is null) return;
@@ -454,6 +481,7 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
             // Best-effort join.
             try { if (writer is not null) await writer.WaitAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(2)).ConfigureAwait(false); } catch { /* swallow */ }
             try { if (reader is not null) await reader.WaitAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(2)).ConfigureAwait(false); } catch { /* swallow */ }
+            try { if (heartbeat is not null) await heartbeat.WaitAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(2)).ConfigureAwait(false); } catch { /* swallow */ }
 
             oldCts?.Dispose();
 
@@ -489,6 +517,9 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
                     if (n == 0) throw new SocketException((int)SocketError.ConnectionReset);
                     sent += n;
                 }
+
+                // A send counts as backend activity — it suppresses the idle heartbeat.
+                Interlocked.Exchange(ref _lastBackendActivityTicks, DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks);
             }
         }
         catch (OperationCanceledException)
@@ -542,6 +573,10 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
                 if (!await FillAsync(backend, frame, MbapFrame.HeaderSize, pduBodyLen, ct).ConfigureAwait(false))
                     break;
 
+                // A received frame counts as backend activity — it suppresses (and, for a
+                // heartbeat response, satisfies) the idle heartbeat.
+                Interlocked.Exchange(ref _lastBackendActivityTicks, DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks);
+
                 if (!_correlation.TryRemove(proxyTxId, out var inFlight))
                 {
                     // No correlation entry — either a stale response after cascade, or
@@ -552,6 +587,14 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
                 // Free the allocator slot immediately so it can be reused.
                 _allocator.Release(proxyTxId);
 
+                // Keepalive heartbeat response — the probe came back, the backend is alive.
+                // The activity timestamp was already refreshed above. There is no upstream
+                // party, no cache eligibility, and no rewriting to do: drop the payload and
+                // skip the EWMA update so the synthetic probe never pollutes the
+                // client-facing round-trip metric.
+                if (inFlight.IsHeartbeat)
+                    continue;
+
                 // For FC03/FC04 reads, also clear the coalescing-by-key entry so a
                 // brand-new identical request issued AFTER this response is treated as a
                 // miss (opens a fresh round-trip). The TryRemove is best-effort: a
@@ -727,6 +770,10 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
             out ushort originalTxId, out _, out _, out byte unitId))
             return;
 
+        // Remember the unit ID so the backend keepalive heartbeat probes the same Modbus
+        // unit the real clients are known to reach successfully.
+        Volatile.Write(ref _lastSeenUnitId, unitId);
+
         // Count inbound bytes from the upstream client. Surfaces in bytes.upstreamIn on
         // the status page. Counted ONCE per parsed frame regardless of subsequent
         // routing (cache hit, coalesce, backend round-trip, exception).
@@ -1062,6 +1109,23 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
 
                     _allocator.Release(proxyTxId);
 
+                    // Keepalive heartbeat that never came back. The backend is no longer
+                    // answering Modbus even though the socket may still look connected —
+                    // tear it down proactively (cascading every attached pipe) so the
+                    // failure is found here, during idle, instead of corrupting the next
+                    // real client request. There is no upstream party to send a 0x0B to.
+                    if (req.IsHeartbeat)
+                    {
+                        long hbElapsedMs = (long)(DateTimeOffset.UtcNow - req.SentAtUtc).TotalMilliseconds;
+                        KeepaliveLogEvents.HeartbeatTimeout(_logger, _plc.Name, proxyTxId, hbElapsedMs);
+                        _ctx.Counters.IncrementBackendHeartbeatFailed();
+                        _ctx.Counters.IncrementBackendIdleDisconnect();
+                        KeepaliveLogEvents.BackendIdleDisconnect(_logger, _plc.Name, hbElapsedMs);
+                        if (!_disposeCts.IsCancellationRequested)
+                            _ = TearDownBackendAsync("keepalive heartbeat timeout", cascadeUpstreams: true);
+                        continue;
+                    }
+
                     // Also clear the coalescing-by-key entry. A late attach that raced
                     // in just before the watchdog claim will still receive the 0x0B
                     // exception via this entry's InterestedParties list (List<T>
@@ -1110,6 +1174,124 @@ internal sealed class PlcMultiplexer : IAsyncDisposable, IMultiplexCountersProvi
         }
     }
 
+    // ── Backend keepalive heartbeat ───────────────────────────────────────────
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Backend keepalive heartbeat loop. Started alongside the writer/reader on each
+    /// successful connect and cancelled with them on teardown. While the backend socket
+    /// has been idle (no send or receive) for longer than
+    /// <see cref="KeepaliveOptions.BackendHeartbeatIdleMs"/>, it issues a synthetic FC03
+    /// qty=1 read so the path stays warm against middlebox idle-drop and a backend that is
+    /// connected-but-not-answering is detected here rather than on the next client request.
+    ///
+    /// <para>The probe response is consumed by <see cref="RunBackendReaderAsync"/> (which
+    /// recognises <see cref="InFlightRequest.IsHeartbeat"/> and drops it); a probe that
+    /// never returns is timed out by <see cref="RunRequestTimeoutWatchdogAsync"/>, which
+    /// tears the backend down. The heartbeat keeps an <i>existing</i> backend warm — it
+    /// never resurrects a dead one (reconnect stays gated on the next upstream frame).</para>
+    /// </summary>
+    private async Task RunBackendHeartbeatAsync(CancellationToken ct)
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            while (!ct.IsCancellationRequested)
+            {
+                var ka = _keepaliveOptions();
+                int idleMs = Math.Max(1000, ka.BackendHeartbeatIdleMs);
+                // Tick at a quarter of the idle window so a freshly-elapsed idle period is
+                // noticed promptly, floored at 500 ms so the loop never busy-wakes.
+                int tickMs = Math.Max(500, idleMs / 4);
+                await Task.Delay(tickMs, ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
+
+                if (!ka.Enabled)
+                    continue;
+
+                long lastTicks = Interlocked.Read(ref _lastBackendActivityTicks);
+                double idleElapsedMs =
+                    (DateTime.UtcNow - new DateTime(lastTicks, DateTimeKind.Utc)).TotalMilliseconds;
+                if (idleElapsedMs < idleMs)
+                    continue;
+
+                SendHeartbeat(ka);
+            }
+        }
+        catch (OperationCanceledException)
+        {
+            // Normal teardown.
+        }
+        catch (Exception ex)
+        {
+            _logger.LogError(ex, "Backend heartbeat loop faulted: Plc={Plc}", _plc.Name);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Builds and enqueues one synthetic FC03 qty=1 heartbeat request onto the backend
+    /// outbound channel. The correlation entry is flagged <see cref="InFlightRequest.IsHeartbeat"/>
+    /// so the reader and watchdog treat it specially; it carries no interested parties and
+    /// bypasses the coalescing and cache paths entirely.
+    /// </summary>
+    private void SendHeartbeat(KeepaliveOptions ka)
+    {
+        // A saturated TxId space means the backend is busy (65,536 requests in flight),
+        // which is the opposite of idle — skip this tick rather than force a probe.
+        if (!_allocator.TryAllocate(out ushort proxyTxId))
+            return;
+
+        byte unitId    = (byte)Volatile.Read(ref _lastSeenUnitId);
+        ushort address = (ushort)ka.BackendHeartbeatProbeAddress;
+
+        var inFlight = new InFlightRequest(
+            UnitId:            unitId,
+            Fc:                0x03,
+            StartAddress:      address,
+            Qty:               1,
+            InterestedParties: Array.Empty<InterestedParty>(),
+            SentAtUtc:         DateTimeOffset.UtcNow,
+            ResolvedCacheTtlMs: 0,
+            IsHeartbeat:       true);
+
+        if (!_correlation.TryAdd(proxyTxId, inFlight))
+        {
+            _allocator.Release(proxyTxId);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        byte[] frame = BuildHeartbeatFrame(proxyTxId, unitId, address);
+
+        // Non-blocking enqueue: if the channel is full the backend is not idle (a race), and
+        // if it is completed the backend is tearing down — either way, undo and skip.
+        if (!_outboundChannel.Writer.TryWrite(frame))
+        {
+            if (_correlation.TryRemove(proxyTxId, out _))
+                _allocator.Release(proxyTxId);
+            return;
+        }
+
+        _ctx.Counters.IncrementBackendHeartbeatSent();
+        KeepaliveLogEvents.HeartbeatSent(_logger, _plc.Name, proxyTxId, address);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Builds a 12-byte MBAP-framed FC03 (Read Holding Registers) request reading one
+    /// register at <paramref name="address"/> — the keepalive heartbeat probe PDU.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static byte[] BuildHeartbeatFrame(ushort proxyTxId, byte unitId, ushort address)
+    {
+        // PDU = [fc=03][addrHi][addrLo][qtyHi][qtyLo]. MBAP length = UnitId(1) + PDU(5) = 6.
+        var frame = new byte[MbapFrame.HeaderSize + 5];
+        frame[0]  = (byte)(proxyTxId >> 8);
+        frame[1]  = (byte)(proxyTxId & 0xFF);
+        frame[2]  = 0; frame[3] = 0;          // ProtocolId
+        frame[4]  = 0; frame[5] = 6;          // Length
+        frame[6]  = unitId;
+        frame[7]  = 0x03;                     // FC03 Read Holding Registers
+        frame[8]  = (byte)(address >> 8);
+        frame[9]  = (byte)(address & 0xFF);
+        frame[10] = 0; frame[11] = 1;         // Qty = 1
+        return frame;
+    }
+
     // ── Helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
     /// <summary>

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/Multiplexing/UpstreamPipe.cs

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 using System.Net;
 using System.Net.Sockets;
 using System.Threading.Channels;
+using Mbproxy.Options;
 
 namespace Mbproxy.Proxy.Multiplexing;
 
@@ -77,10 +78,15 @@ internal sealed partial class UpstreamPipe : IAsyncDisposable
     /// </summary>
     public bool IsAlive => !_disposed && !_cts.IsCancellationRequested;
 
-    public UpstreamPipe(Socket upstream, string plcName, ILogger logger)
+    public UpstreamPipe(Socket upstream, string plcName, ILogger logger, KeepaliveOptions? keepalive = null)
     {
         _upstream = upstream;
         _upstream.NoDelay = true;
+        // Enable OS TCP keepalive on the accepted client socket so a half-open/dead
+        // client (gone without a TCP FIN) faults the read loop and is reaped, instead of
+        // leaking a pipe + correlation slots until the proxy next tries to write to it.
+        if (keepalive is not null)
+            SocketKeepalive.Apply(_upstream, keepalive);
         RemoteEp = upstream.RemoteEndPoint as IPEndPoint;
         _plcName = plcName;
         _logger  = logger;

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/PlcListener.cs

@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListener : IAsyncDisposable
     private readonly PerPlcContext? _perPlcContext;
     private readonly ResiliencePipeline? _backendConnectPipeline;
     private readonly Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? _coalescingOptions;
+    // Live keepalive accessor (TCP SO_KEEPALIVE on accepted upstream sockets + the backend
+    // heartbeat). Non-null after construction — falls back to the construction-time
+    // ConnectionOptions snapshot when no live accessor is supplied.
+    private readonly Func<KeepaliveOptions> _keepaliveOptions;
 
     private TcpListener? _listener;
     private PlcMultiplexer? _multiplexer;
@@ -62,7 +66,8 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListener : IAsyncDisposable
         ILogger pipeLogger,
         PerPlcContext? perPlcContext = null,
         ResiliencePipeline? backendConnectPipeline = null,
-        Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? coalescingOptions = null)
+        Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? coalescingOptions = null,
+        Func<KeepaliveOptions>? keepaliveOptions = null)
     {
         _plc                    = plc;
         _connectionOptions      = connectionOptions;
@@ -73,6 +78,7 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListener : IAsyncDisposable
         _perPlcContext          = perPlcContext;
         _backendConnectPipeline = backendConnectPipeline;
         _coalescingOptions      = coalescingOptions;
+        _keepaliveOptions       = keepaliveOptions ?? (() => _connectionOptions.Keepalive);
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -103,7 +109,8 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListener : IAsyncDisposable
             ctx,
             _multiplexerLogger,
             _backendConnectPipeline,
-            _coalescingOptions);
+            _coalescingOptions,
+            _keepaliveOptions);
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -125,7 +132,7 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListener : IAsyncDisposable
             {
                 Socket upstream = await _listener.AcceptSocketAsync(ct).ConfigureAwait(false);
 
-                var pipe = new UpstreamPipe(upstream, _plc.Name, _pipeLogger);
+                var pipe = new UpstreamPipe(upstream, _plc.Name, _pipeLogger, _keepaliveOptions());
                 var pipeTask = Task.Run(async () =>
                 {
                     try

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/ProxyCounters.cs

@@ -133,7 +133,24 @@ public sealed record CounterSnapshot(
     /// socket fast enough to keep up with the backend; the wedged client loses its own
     /// responses but its peers on the same PLC continue to receive theirs.
     /// </summary>
-    long ResponseDropForFullUpstream);
+    long ResponseDropForFullUpstream,
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Cumulative count of backend keepalive heartbeat probes issued (synthetic FC03
+    /// qty=1 reads sent on an idle backend socket).
+    /// </summary>
+    long BackendHeartbeatsSent,
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Cumulative count of backend keepalive heartbeat probes that were not answered
+    /// within <c>BackendRequestTimeoutMs</c>. Each failure triggers a proactive backend
+    /// teardown (see <see cref="BackendIdleDisconnects"/>).
+    /// </summary>
+    long BackendHeartbeatsFailed,
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Cumulative count of backend teardowns triggered by a failed keepalive heartbeat.
+    /// Distinct from <see cref="BackendDisconnectCascades"/> (which counts cascaded
+    /// pipes); this counts the disconnect <i>events</i> attributed to keepalive.
+    /// </summary>
+    long BackendIdleDisconnects);
 
 /// <summary>
 /// Thread-safe per-PLC counters backed by <see cref="System.Threading.Interlocked"/> longs.
@@ -184,6 +201,11 @@ internal sealed class ProxyCounters
     // and account.
     private long _responseDropForFullUpstream;
 
+    // Backend keepalive heartbeat counters.
+    private long _backendHeartbeatsSent;
+    private long _backendHeartbeatsFailed;
+    private long _backendIdleDisconnects;
+
     // Live cache state pulled from a per-PLC ResponseCache on each snapshot. The
     // multiplexer registers a single provider via SetCacheStatsProvider so the status
     // page sees current entry-count / bytes without a separate poll.
@@ -315,6 +337,18 @@ internal sealed class ProxyCounters
     public void IncrementResponseDropForFullUpstream()
         => Interlocked.Increment(ref _responseDropForFullUpstream);
 
+    /// <summary>Records one backend keepalive heartbeat probe sent.</summary>
+    public void IncrementBackendHeartbeatSent()
+        => Interlocked.Increment(ref _backendHeartbeatsSent);
+
+    /// <summary>Records one backend keepalive heartbeat probe that timed out.</summary>
+    public void IncrementBackendHeartbeatFailed()
+        => Interlocked.Increment(ref _backendHeartbeatsFailed);
+
+    /// <summary>Records one backend teardown triggered by a failed keepalive heartbeat.</summary>
+    public void IncrementBackendIdleDisconnect()
+        => Interlocked.Increment(ref _backendIdleDisconnects);
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Wires the per-PLC <see cref="Cache.ResponseCache"/> as the live stats source for
     /// the snapshot path. Pass <c>null</c> to detach during disposal.
@@ -445,7 +479,10 @@ internal sealed class ProxyCounters
             CacheInvalidations:        Interlocked.Read(ref _cacheInvalidations),
             CacheEntryCount:           cacheEntries,
             CacheBytes:                cacheBytes,
-            ResponseDropForFullUpstream: Interlocked.Read(ref _responseDropForFullUpstream));
+            ResponseDropForFullUpstream: Interlocked.Read(ref _responseDropForFullUpstream),
+            BackendHeartbeatsSent:     Interlocked.Read(ref _backendHeartbeatsSent),
+            BackendHeartbeatsFailed:   Interlocked.Read(ref _backendHeartbeatsFailed),
+            BackendIdleDisconnects:    Interlocked.Read(ref _backendIdleDisconnects));
     }
 }
 

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/ProxyWorker.cs

@@ -150,6 +150,11 @@ internal sealed partial class ProxyWorker : BackgroundService
             Func<ReadCoalescingOptions> coalescingAccessor =
                 () => _options.CurrentValue.Resilience.ReadCoalescing;
 
+            // Live accessor for KeepaliveOptions so a hot-reload of `Connection.Keepalive`
+            // propagates to the backend heartbeat loop and to upstream-socket keepalive.
+            Func<KeepaliveOptions> keepaliveAccessor =
+                () => _options.CurrentValue.Connection.Keepalive;
+
             var supervisor = new PlcListenerSupervisor(
                 plc,
                 opts.Connection,
@@ -161,7 +166,8 @@ internal sealed partial class ProxyWorker : BackgroundService
                 recoveryPipeline,
                 _loggerFactory.CreateLogger<PlcListenerSupervisor>(),
                 backendPipeline,
-                coalescingAccessor);
+                coalescingAccessor,
+                keepaliveAccessor);
 
             _supervisors[plc.Name] = supervisor;
         }
@@ -175,7 +181,9 @@ internal sealed partial class ProxyWorker : BackgroundService
         // (add/restart paths) honour hot-reloaded ReadCoalescing values.
         Func<ReadCoalescingOptions> reconcilerCoalescingAccessor =
             () => _options.CurrentValue.Resilience.ReadCoalescing;
-        _reconciler.Attach(_supervisors, opts, reconcilerCoalescingAccessor);
+        Func<KeepaliveOptions> reconcilerKeepaliveAccessor =
+            () => _options.CurrentValue.Connection.Keepalive;
+        _reconciler.Attach(_supervisors, opts, reconcilerCoalescingAccessor, reconcilerKeepaliveAccessor);
 
         if (_supervisors.Count == 0)
         {

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/SocketKeepalive.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+using System.Net.Sockets;
+using Mbproxy.Options;
+
+namespace Mbproxy.Proxy;
+
+/// <summary>
+/// Applies OS-level TCP keepalive (<c>SO_KEEPALIVE</c> plus the idle-time / probe-interval /
+/// probe-count tunables) to a socket. Used on both the backend socket (proxy → PLC) and
+/// accepted upstream sockets (client → proxy) so the OS detects a dead peer on an
+/// otherwise-idle connection — the DL205/DL260 ECOM never emits keepalives of its own.
+/// </summary>
+internal static class SocketKeepalive
+{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Enables TCP keepalive on <paramref name="socket"/> from <paramref name="options"/>.
+    /// A no-op when <see cref="KeepaliveOptions.Enabled"/> is <c>false</c>.
+    ///
+    /// <para>Failures are swallowed: keepalive is a best-effort belt-and-suspenders measure
+    /// (the backend application heartbeat is the load-bearing mechanism) and must never
+    /// abort a connection. The three TCP tunables are also not honoured on every platform;
+    /// a refusal there is benign.</para>
+    /// </summary>
+    public static void Apply(Socket socket, KeepaliveOptions options)
+    {
+        if (!options.Enabled) return;
+
+        try
+        {
+            socket.SetSocketOption(SocketOptionLevel.Socket, SocketOptionName.KeepAlive, true);
+
+            // SocketOptionName.TcpKeepAliveTime / TcpKeepAliveInterval are specified in
+            // SECONDS; round the configured milliseconds up to at least one second.
+            int idleSec     = Math.Max(1, (options.TcpIdleTimeMs      + 999) / 1000);
+            int intervalSec = Math.Max(1, (options.TcpProbeIntervalMs + 999) / 1000);
+
+            socket.SetSocketOption(SocketOptionLevel.Tcp, SocketOptionName.TcpKeepAliveTime,       idleSec);
+            socket.SetSocketOption(SocketOptionLevel.Tcp, SocketOptionName.TcpKeepAliveInterval,   intervalSec);
+            socket.SetSocketOption(SocketOptionLevel.Tcp, SocketOptionName.TcpKeepAliveRetryCount, options.TcpProbeCount);
+        }
+        catch (SocketException)
+        {
+            // Platform refused a tunable — keepalive stays best-effort.
+        }
+        catch (ObjectDisposedException)
+        {
+            // Socket closed concurrently — nothing to do.
+        }
+    }
+}

mbproxy/src/Mbproxy/Proxy/Supervision/PlcListenerSupervisor.cs

@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListenerSupervisor : IAsyncDisposable
     private readonly ILogger<PlcListenerSupervisor> _logger;
     private readonly ResiliencePipeline? _backendConnectPipeline;
     private readonly Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? _coalescingOptions;
+    private readonly Func<KeepaliveOptions>? _keepaliveOptions;
 
     // ── Mutable state ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -94,7 +95,8 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListenerSupervisor : IAsyncDisposable
         ResiliencePipeline recoveryPipeline,
         ILogger<PlcListenerSupervisor> logger,
         ResiliencePipeline? backendConnectPipeline = null,
-        Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? coalescingOptions = null)
+        Func<ReadCoalescingOptions>? coalescingOptions = null,
+        Func<KeepaliveOptions>? keepaliveOptions = null)
     {
         _plc                    = plc;
         _connectionOptions      = connectionOptions;
@@ -108,6 +110,7 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListenerSupervisor : IAsyncDisposable
         _logger                 = logger;
         _backendConnectPipeline = backendConnectPipeline;
         _coalescingOptions      = coalescingOptions;
+        _keepaliveOptions       = keepaliveOptions;
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -325,7 +328,8 @@ internal sealed partial class PlcListenerSupervisor : IAsyncDisposable
                     _pipeLogger,
                     _currentContext,
                     _backendConnectPipeline,
-                    _coalescingOptions);
+                    _coalescingOptions,
+                    _keepaliveOptions);
 
                 // Expose the current listener for status-page pair enumeration.
                 _currentListener = listener;