diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index c41839e3b3..95ccde96ad 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+0.6.10
+  * buffer network stack to avoid inefficient small TCP messages while avoiding
+    the nagle/delayed ack problem (CASSANDRA-1896)
+
 0.6.9
  * add clustertool, config-converter, sstablekeys, and schematool 
    Windows .bat files (CASSANDRA-1723)
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/IncomingTcpConnection.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/IncomingTcpConnection.java
index 045580dd58..8a58c48ce9 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/IncomingTcpConnection.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/IncomingTcpConnection.java
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public class IncomingTcpConnection extends Thread
         this.socket = socket;
         try
         {
-            input = new DataInputStream(socket.getInputStream());
+            input = new DataInputStream(new BufferedInputStream(socket.getInputStream(), 4096));
         }
         catch (IOException e)
         {
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/OutboundTcpConnection.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/OutboundTcpConnection.java
index 11782c49f0..5abb3b7e28 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/OutboundTcpConnection.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/net/OutboundTcpConnection.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.apache.cassandra.net;
  */
 
 
+import java.io.BufferedOutputStream;
 import java.io.DataOutputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ public class OutboundTcpConnection extends Thread
                 socket = new Socket(endpoint, DatabaseDescriptor.getStoragePort(), FBUtilities.getLocalAddress(), 0);
                 socket.setKeepAlive(true);
                 socket.setTcpNoDelay(true);
-                output = new DataOutputStream(socket.getOutputStream());
+                output = new DataOutputStream(new BufferedOutputStream(socket.getOutputStream(), 4096));
                 return true;
             }
             catch (IOException e)