IP Routing Features 
Configuring IP Parameters for Routing Switches 
Disabling ICMP Destination Unreachable Messages 
By default, when an HP device receives an IP packet that the device cannot 
deliver, the device sends an ICMP Unreachable message back to the host that 
sent the packet. The following types of ICMP Unreachable messages are 
generated: 
■  Administration – The packet was dropped by the HP device due to a filter 
or ACL configured on the device. 
■  Fragmentation-needed – The packet has the “Don’t Fragment” bit set in 
the IP Flag field, but the HP device cannot forward the packet without 
fragmenting it. 
■  Host – The destination network or subnet of the packet is directly 
connected to the HP device, but the host specified in the destination IP 
address of the packet is not on the network. 
■  Network – The HP device cannot reach the network specified in the 
destination IP address of the packet. 
■  Port – The destination host does not have the destination TCP or UDP 
port specified in the packet. In this case, the host sends the ICMP Port 
Unreachable message to the HP device, which in turn sends the message 
to the host that sent the packet. 
■  Protocol – The TCP or UDP protocol on the destination host is not 
running. This message is different from the Port Unreachable message, 
which indicates that the protocol is running on the host but the requested 
protocol port is unavailable. 
■  Source-route-failure – The device received a source-routed packet but 
cannot locate the next-hop IP address indicated in the packet’s Source-
Route option. 
Note  Disabling an ICMP Unreachable message type does not change the HP device’s 
ability to forward packets. Disabling ICMP Unreachable messages prevents 
the device from generating or forwarding the Unreachable messages. 
To disable all ICMP Unreachable messages, enter the following command: 
HPswitch(config)# no ip icmp unreachable 
Syntax:  [no] ip icmp unreachable 
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