diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index a5bf570c..e746d569 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@
       <dependency>
           <groupId>io.netty</groupId>
           <artifactId>netty-handler</artifactId>
-          <version>4.0.24.Final</version>
+          <version>4.1.4.Final</version>
       </dependency>
       <dependency>
           <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
diff --git a/xrootd4j-standalone/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/standalone/DataServer.java b/xrootd4j-standalone/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/standalone/DataServer.java
index 1683f5d2..39f675f6 100644
--- a/xrootd4j-standalone/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/standalone/DataServer.java
+++ b/xrootd4j-standalone/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/standalone/DataServer.java
@@ -73,7 +73,6 @@ public void run() {
                 .group(bossGroup, workerGroup)
                 .channel(channelClass)
                 .localAddress(_configuration.port)
-                .option(ChannelOption.MAX_MESSAGES_PER_READ, 1)
                 .childOption(ChannelOption.TCP_NODELAY, true)
                 .childOption(ChannelOption.SO_KEEPALIVE, true)
                 .childHandler(new DataServerChannelInitializer(_configuration));
diff --git a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/AsyncResponse.java b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/AsyncResponse.java
index 9549d8f3..0f174ef8 100644
--- a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/AsyncResponse.java
+++ b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/AsyncResponse.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise;
 import io.netty.util.AbstractReferenceCounted;
 import io.netty.util.ReferenceCountUtil;
+import io.netty.util.ReferenceCounted;
 
 import static org.dcache.xrootd.protocol.XrootdProtocol.kXR_asynresp;
 import static org.dcache.xrootd.protocol.XrootdProtocol.kXR_attn;
@@ -115,6 +116,13 @@ public void operationComplete(ChannelFuture future) throws Exception
         }
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public ReferenceCounted touch(Object hint)
+    {
+        ReferenceCountUtil.touch(response, hint);
+        return this;
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected void deallocate()
     {
diff --git a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadResponse.java b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadResponse.java
index e7ae17f8..fd93a84e 100644
--- a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadResponse.java
+++ b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadResponse.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 package org.dcache.xrootd.protocol.messages;
 
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
-import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise;
 import io.netty.util.ReferenceCounted;
@@ -75,7 +74,7 @@ public void writeTo(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, ChannelPromise promise)
 
     public ByteBuf getData()
     {
-        return Unpooled.unmodifiableBuffer(data);
+        return data.asReadOnly();
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -115,4 +114,18 @@ public boolean release(int decrement)
     {
         return data.release(decrement);
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public ReferenceCounted touch()
+    {
+        data.touch();
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public ReferenceCounted touch(Object hint)
+    {
+        data.touch(hint);
+        return this;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadVResponse.java b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadVResponse.java
index 2043baed..23949a65 100644
--- a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadVResponse.java
+++ b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/ReadVResponse.java
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@
 
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
 import io.netty.buffer.CompositeByteBuf;
-import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise;
 import io.netty.util.AbstractReferenceCounted;
+import io.netty.util.ReferenceCounted;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public List<ByteBuf> getSegments()
     {
         List<ByteBuf> chunks = new ArrayList<>(length);
         for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
-            chunks.add(Unpooled.unmodifiableBuffer(data[index + i]));
+            chunks.add(data[index + i].asReadOnly());
         }
         return chunks;
     }
@@ -166,6 +166,15 @@ public String toString()
         return String.format("readv-response[elements=%d,bytes=%d]", length, payload);
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public ReferenceCounted touch(Object hint)
+    {
+        for (int i = 0; i < length; i++) {
+            data[i + index].touch(hint);
+        }
+        return this;
+    }
+
     @Override
     protected void deallocate()
     {
diff --git a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/WriteRequest.java b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/WriteRequest.java
index 8cfab611..10410bfa 100644
--- a/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/WriteRequest.java
+++ b/xrootd4j/src/main/java/org/dcache/xrootd/protocol/messages/WriteRequest.java
@@ -119,4 +119,18 @@ public WriteRequest retain()
         data.retain();
         return this;
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public ReferenceCounted touch()
+    {
+        data.touch();
+        return this;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public ReferenceCounted touch(Object hint)
+    {
+        data.touch(hint);
+        return this;
+    }
 }