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ICMP Type 3 Destination Unreachable

ICMP — Internet Control Message Protocol

An ICMP Type 3 Destination Unreachable message explains why an IPv4 packet could not reach a network, host, protocol, or port.

If, in the destination host, the IP module cannot deliver the datagram because the indicated protocol module or process port is not active, the destination host may send a destination unreachable message to the source host.

Source RFC 792.

 0                   1                   2                   3
 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1
┌───────────────┬───────────────┬───────────────────────────────┐
│     Type      │     Code      │          Checksum             │
├───────────────┴───────────────┴───────────────────────────────┤
│                             unused                            │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│      Internet Header + 64 bits of Original Data Datagram      │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Codes

CodeNameSent ByMeaning
0Net UnreachableRouterNo route to destination network
1Host UnreachableRouterRoute exists but host not responding
2Protocol UnreachableDestination hostIP protocol not supported
3Port UnreachableDestination hostUDP port not listening
4Fragmentation NeededRouterPacket too big, DF bit set
9Net Administratively ProhibitedRouterACL/policy blocks network
10Host Administratively ProhibitedRouterACL/policy blocks host
13Communication Administratively ProhibitedRouter or firewallAdministrative filtering blocks traffic

References

RFC 792: Internet Control Message Protocol | RFC Editor

Last Modified • Tuesday, July 7, 2026. 6:20 pm UTC+00:00 • Commit: 699bb08