Objectives Module 8 TCP/IP Suite Error and Control Messages

Describe ICMP Describe the ICMP message format Identify ICMP error message types Identify potential causes of specific ICMP error messages Describe ICMP control messages Identify a variety of ICMP control messages used in networks today Determine the causes for ICMP control messages
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Table of Content 1 Overview of TCP/IP Error Message 2 TCP/IP Suite Control Messages

OVERVIEW OF TCP/IP ERROR MESSAGES

Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP)

Transport TCP UDP

Error reporting and error correction

Destination unreachable
Fa0/0

IP Destination unreachable Echo (Ping) Others

Network

ICMP C
Workstation 6

ARP

RARP

IP

ICMP

Workstation 1

ICMP is the component of the TCP/IP protocol stack that addresses this basic limitation of IP. Used to report these errors back to the source of the datagram. An error reporting protocol for IP.
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ICMP reports on the status of the delivered packet only to the source device. It does not propagate information about network changes to routers. Does not correct the encountered network problem

Encapsulation of an ICMP in an IP packet

Frame Header Datagram Header ICMP Header ICMP Data

Destination unreachable
I don not know How to get to Z! Send ICMP

Send Data To Z 0 Type Option Header Option Data Destination unreachable 8 Code 16 Checksum To Z 31 A

C Data network

An ICMP destination unreachable message is send if: Host or port unreachable. Network unreachable.

Destination unreachable message

0 Type(3) 8 Code(0-12) 16 Checksum 31

Code values for destination unreachable message

Code Description 0 Net unreachable. 1 Host unreachable. 2 Protocol unreachable. 3 Port unreachable. 4 Fragmentation needed and DF set. 5 Source route failed. 6 Destination network unknown 7 Destination host unknown 8 Source Host Isolated 9 Communication with destination network administratively prohibited 10 Communication with destination network administratively prohibited 11 Network unreachable for type of device
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Unused (must be zero) Internet Header + First 64 bits of datagram

The value of 3 in the type field indicates it is a destination unreachable message. The code value indicates the reason the packet could not be delivered.
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12 Host unreachable for type of device

Using ping to test destination reachability

Yes, I am here.

ICMP echo messages

0 8 Type (0 or 8) Identifier Code (0) 16 Checksum Sequence number 31

Is B reachable

Option Data

ICMP echo request

ICMP echo reply

The value of 0 in the type field indicates it is the echo request. The value of 8 in the type field indicates it is the echo reply.

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Miscellaneous error reporting

0 Type (12) 8 Code (0-2) Pointer 16 Checksum Unused ( Must be zero) 31

Detecting excessively long routes

Internet Header + First 64 bits of datagram

Parameter problem. When the code value is 0, the pointer field indicates the octet of the datagram that produced the error.
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When the TTL of the datagram value reaches zero, the packet is discarded. ICMP uses a time exceeded message to notify the source device that the TTL of the datagram has been exceeded

ICMP Type of Control messages

Type 0 3 4 5 8 Description Echo reply. Destination unreachable. Source quench. Redirect / Change request Echo Request Routers advertisment Router Selection Time exceeded. Parameter problem. Timestamp. Timestamp reply. Information Request Information Reply Address Mask Request Address Mask Reply

TCP/IP SUITE CONTROL MESSAGES

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Unlike error messages, control messages are used to inform hosts of conditions such as network congestion or the existence of a better gateway to a remote network. Like all ICMP messages, ICMP control messages are encapsulated within an IP datagram. ICMP uses IP datagrams in order to traverse multiple networks.

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ICMP redirect/change requests

C
10.0.0.1/8

Conditions to send ICMP redirect/change request

Default gateways only send ICMP redirect/change request messages if the following conditions are met: The interface on which the packet comes into the router is the same interface on which the packet gets routed out.

Router A
172.16.1.100 E0 E0

Router B
172.16.1.200

The subnet/network of the source IP address is the same subnet/network of the next-hop IP address of the routed packet. The datagram is not source-routed. The route for the redirect is not another ICMP redirect or a default route. The router is configured to send redirects. (By default, Cisco routers send ICMP redirects. The interface subcommand no ip redirects will disable ICMP redirects.)

172.16.1.1/24 Default GW: 172.16.1.100

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The ICMP redirect/change request message

0 Type (5) 8 Code (0-3) 16 Checksum 31

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Router A sends an ICMP redirect/change request to Host B telling it to use Router B as the gateway to forward all future requests to network 10.0.0.0/8.

Clock synchronization and transit time estimation

0 Type (13 or 14) Identifier Originate Timestamp Receive Timestamp Transit Timestamp 8 Code (0) 16 Checksum Sequence number 31

Router Internet address Internet Header + First 64 bits of datagram

The Router Internet Address field in the ICMP redirect is the IP address that should be used as the default gateway for a particular network.
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Allows a host to ask for the current time according to the remote host. More robust protocols such as Network Time Protocol (NTP) at the upper layers of the TCP/IP protocol stack perform clock synchronization in a more reliable manner.

Information requests and reply message formats

0 Type (15 or 16) Identifier 8 Code (0) 16 Checksum Sequence number 31

Address mask requirements

0 Type (17 or 18) Identifier Address Mask 8 Code (0) 16 Checksum Sequence number 31

Originally intended to allow a host to determine its network number, is considered obsolete. Other protocols such as BOOTP and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) are now used to allow hosts to obtain their network numbers.
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Subnet mask is crucial in identifying network, subnet, and host bits in an IP address. If a host does not know the subnet mask, it may send an address mask request to the local router or broadcast. When the router receives the request, it will respond with an address mask reply. This address mask reply will identify the correct subnet mask.

Router discovery message

0 Type (9) Number of addresses Router address 1 Preferences Level 1 Router address 2 Preferences Level 2 8 Code (0) Address entry size 16 Checksum Lifetime 31

Router solicitation message

0 Type (10) 8 Code (0) Reversed 16 Checksum 31

A host generates an ICMP router solicitation message in response to a missing default gateway. This message is sent via multicast and it is the first step in the router discovery process. A local router will respond with a router advertisement identifying the default gateway for the local host.

Hosts use router discovery message to learn of available routers (gateway). Using the multicast address 224.0.0.2 as the destination address. May also be broadcast. If router that does not support the discovery process, the solicitation will go unanswered.
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Congestion and flow control messages

Network congestion is experienced at the WAN link

Summary
IP uses Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) to notify
k lin

o Sl

High speed LAN

ICMP source-quench messages are used to reduce the amount of data lost. The source-quench message asks senders to reduce the rate at which they are transmitting packets. Most Cisco routers do not send source-quench messages by default
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the sender of data that there was an error in the delivery process. ICMP messages are transmitted using the IP protocol so their delivery is unreliable. ICMP echo request and echo reply messages allow the network administrator to test IP connectivity to aid in the troubleshooting process.