The recvfrom function stops responding when you use the sendto function in the IPv6 raw socket to send an ICMP packet and then use the recvfrom function to receive ICMP responses on a Windows Server 2003-based computer

Consider the following scenario:

• You use the sendto function in the IPv6 raw socket to send an ICMP packet on a Windows Server 2003-based computer.
• The Time to Live (TTL) value of the ICMP packet is set to 1.
• You use the recvfrom function to receive ICMP responses.

In this scenario, the recvfrom function does not receive any notifications even though the system has received the error response. Instead, the recvfrom function stops responding. When this problem occurs, the application may stop responding. Or, you may experience other unexpected behavior.

Note This problem does not occur when IPv4 is used.

This problem occurs because the ICMPv6 stack does not pass the ICMP error messages to the raw socket. Therefore, the raw socket does not receive the error notifications. Then, the raw socket stops responding.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) must be installed before you apply this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1, x86-based versions

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2, x86-based versions

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1, Itanium-based versions

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2, Itanium-based versions

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1, x64-based versions

Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 2, x64-based versions

To work around this problem, use ICMPv6 helper functions such as the Icmp6SendEcho2 function.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

When this problem occurs, the network trace indicates that the system has received the "Time exceeded" response. The following is a sample network trace:For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: