A processor is configured to receive, from a client, a first message indicating a request to establish a connection between the client and a server, to ascertain that the first message does not include any cookie satisfying one or more criteria, to send, to the client, a second message that includes a first cookie, without allocating an endpoint on the server for the connection, in response to ascertaining that the first message does not include any cookie satisfying the criteria, to receive subsequently, from the client, a third message, to ascertain that the third message includes a second cookie, and that the second cookie satisfies the criteria, to allocate the endpoint for the connection in response to ascertaining that the second cookie satisfies the criteria, and to send, to the client, a fourth message indicating that the server is ready to receive data communication at the allocated endpoint.