ICMP Error & Control Messages © 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

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 ICMP Error & Control Messages
CCNA 2 v3.0: Module 8; 8.1-8.2

ICMP Error & Control Messages © 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
 Internet Control Message Protocol

• ICMP is tightly integrated in the TCP/IP

protocol suite.
 It reports on IP deliver problems.
 It is automatically installed with IP at the
network layer.
• ICMP messages are encapsulated in a IP
packet so it can use the information
contained in an IP header.

ICMP Error & Control Messages © 2003, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. 3
 IP Packet Header

Right click on graphic to play.

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 Select ICMP Request For Comments

• ICMP was originally defined in RFC 792

 See RFCs 950, 1122, 1256, 1393, 1812, and
2521 for additional information.
 For a quick link to all RFCs, go to http://
www.ietf.org/rfc and type in the RFC number.

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 What ICMP can and cannot do
• ICMP does not know the path a packet took on
its way to the destination.
 It cannot report error or control messages to other
routers along the path to the destination.
 ICMP can only report to the source or the destination.
 Failed ICMP message delivery is not reported.

Right click on graphic to play.

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 Conditions Necessary for Delivery Success
• Before a host can successfully deliver packets to a destination,
the following conditions must be meet.
 The source and destination are configured with the TCP/IP
stack, an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway (DG).
 Routers along the path are configured with the TCP/IP stack
and a routing process.
 The path must also be converged.

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 The ICMP Packet
• ICMP messages are contained within the IP
packet that original caused .
 Common fields to all ICMP messages are “Type” and
“Code”.
 Most messages also include a “Checksum”.
 If the ICMP Packet is an error message, it should
include up to 576 bytes of the original packet’s data

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 ICMP Message Types

• Below is a table of the more popular ICMP

messages types.

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 Most Common ICMP Messages

• ICMP Query Messages: • ICMP Error Messages:

 Echo (Ping)  Destination Unreachable
 Information  Redirect
 Timestamp  Source Quench
 Address Mask  Time Exceeded
 Router Discovery  Parameter Problem

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 Ping Uses Two ICMP Messages
• You are already familiar with two ICMP message types.
 The ping command both on PCs and routers uses two ICMP
messages: Echo Requests (Type 8) and Replies (Type 0)

Right click on graphic to play.

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 Echo Request and Reply
• Below is the ICMP header for echo messages.
These fields are in most other ICMP types.
 Type 8 (request); Type 0 (reply)
 Code is set to 0.
 The checksum field checks the integrity of the header.
 Identifier and Sequence number used to match replies
with requests.

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 Information Request and Reply

• Originally intended to support a disk-less

workstation’s need to obtain an IP
address.
 Obsoleted by better methods such as BOOTP,
RARP and DHCP.

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 Timestamp Request and Reply
• Provides time information for
synchronizing a connection between the
source and destination.
 Although still used, it has been largely
replaced by the Application Layer protocol,
Network Time Protocol (RFC 1305).

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 Address Mask Request and Reply
• Used by hosts to discover their subnet mask.
 If the default gateway is known, then the host sends the
request to that IP address.
 If unknown, host sends the request as a broadcast
(255.255.255.255).
• The router will respond with the appropriate subnet mask for
the network segment on which the host resides.

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 Router Advertisement

• Used by routers to inform a host of its default

gateway(s).
• Router Advertisements and Router Solicitations
together are know as the ICMP Router Discovery
Protocol (IRDP).
 When first booting, hosts need a default gateway.
 If some other protocol (e.g. DHCP) has not taken care
of this need, the host may also listen for router
advertisements from local routers.
 ICMP Header format on next slide.

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 Router Advertisement

• Below is the ICMP header format for the Router

Advertisement control message.
 Routers must advertise at least one router address
and preference level.
 Additional router addresses/preferences can be added.
 Higher values in preference field indicate more
preferable.

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 Router Solicitation
• Avoids having to configure a host statically with a list of
default gateways on multicast links.
 Host sends solicitations to multicast address 224.0.0.2.
 If no advertisement response is received, the host can
broadcast the solicitation for up to a predefined number of
times. Then it must stop to avoid network congestion.
• Routers are configured to reply to router solicitation
messages by sending router advertisements.

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 Destination Unreachable Error
• This message is generated by a router to inform
the source host that the destination address is
unreachable.
 Like most ICMP error messages, this one includes
IP header information and the first 8 bytes of the
original packet. Below is the ICMP header format.
 All 16 bits of the Code field have been specified and are
describe in the next slide.

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 Destination Unreachable Codes

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 Redirect

• This message type is

best explained with a
graphic.
 Host A’s default
gateway is R1.
 Best route to Host B
is via R2.
 R1 sends a redirect
to Host A.

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 Redirect Message Format
• Below is the message format and codes
for Redirect messages.

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 Source Quench
• When a router or destination host detects
excessive congestion on a link, it may send back
an optional Source Quench message.
 The source then slows down the speed of data
transfer.
 For example, sending data out on to a slower WAN
link, as shown in the graphic.

Right click on graphic to play.

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 Source Quench Message Format

• Below is the ICMP header format for a Source

Quench message.
 Looks the same as the Destination Unreachable
message except for the Type field.

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 Time Exceeded
• Remember: The IP header has a TTL field that is
decremented at each hop.
 If the value reaches zero, the detecting router drops
the packet and sends a Time Exceeded ICMP message
to the source (Example: RIP’s Hop Count Limit)

Right click on graphic to play.

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 Time Exceeded Message Format
• Below is the ICMP header format for the Time
Exceed message.
 Two Codes:
 0; TTL reached zero
 1; Fragment reassembly timeout

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 Parameter Problem
• A Parameter Problem is caused by data in the
header that cannot be processed further,
causing the packet to be dropped.
 An invalid IP header (Code 0) or a required missing
option (Code 1) would cause a parameter problem.
 Neither the network nor the destination host is the
cause of the problem.
 Checksum errors in the header are NOT reported. The
packet is simply dropped.

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 Traceroute

• Although traceroute is covered in Module

9, students should know that traceroute
replies are actually an ICMP type.
 The last four slides of this presentation
explain the operation of traceroute.

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 Traceroute is an ICMP Message Type

• Traceroute uses the TTL field in the IP header to

trace each hop to the destination.
 The first hop is traced by sending 3 UDP packets with
the TTL value set to 1.
 The first hop router will decrement the value to zero,
drop the packets, and send back three ICMP traceroute
messages to the source.
 Now the source knows the IP address to the first hop
and the time each packet took to complete the round-
trip.
 The source then proceeds to send 3 more UDP
packets with the TTL value set to 2.
 Each subsequent round of three packets will increase
the TTL value until the destination is reached.
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 Traceroute Request in IP Header Option
• The UDP packets sent are identified as traceroute packets
from the option field in the IP header.
 RFC 1393 defines the following information to be included
in the IP header in the Options field.

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 Traceroute Reply Message Format

• Each hop that drops the UDP packet

knows the packet was a traceroute
because of the Option field.
 It then must send back RFC 1393’s defined
ICMP traceroute reply.

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 Traceroute Output to the Source

• Below is an example of trace output on a

router’s terminal window.

Right click on graphic to play.

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