Destination host unreachable ошибка icmp 11003

During my network engineer career, one of the common ICMP errors I received while troubleshooting connectivity issues was Destination Host Unreachable.

This error was the cause of my Internet connectivity problems most times.

The same can be true for you too.

When you troubleshoot your connectivity problems, the chances of getting this ping error reply are very high.

Once you learn to resolve this error, you can fix most of your Internet connectivity problems. In this tutorial, I will explain everything about this error.

This tutorial has three parts.

1. The first part of this tutorial explains the meaning of the ICMP reply Destination Host Unreachable.

2. The second part explains the reasons for the ping reply Destination Host Unreachable.

3. The third part explains the steps to fix this error message.

So, let us check the meaning of the ping reply Destination Host Unreachable.

What Does Destination Host Unreachable Ping Reply Mean?

Before proceeding to the core of this tutorial, let me explain the meaning of this ping reply.

The Destination Host Unreachable error tells that the ping packets from your computer couldn’t find a route to the destination IP address(destination host).

Now you understand the meaning of this ping reply. However, you should ask yourself two questions to learn more.

1. Who replied to your device with this Destination Host Unreachable message?

2. Why the ping packets from your computer failed to reach the destination address?

Let me answer the questions one by one. But before I explain the first question, you must learn how the ping operation works.

Let us check how Ping works.

I am pinging my blog by typing ping www.corenetworkz.com on the Command Prompt.

The complete process is below.

My computer sends ICMP Echo Requests to the remote host www.CoreNetworkZ.com.

• ICMP Echo Requests travel out of my computer through the network adapter.

• Ping packets reach the default gateway. The default gateway is the router in most cases.

• The default gateway needs to find a route to the destination address. So, the next step is checking the ARP table and Routing table.

• Default Gateway finds a route to the Remote Gateway of the destination IP address.

• Remote Gateway receives the packets.

• Remote Gateway forwards the ping packets to the remote host (the final destination — server of CoreNetworkZ.com).

• The Remote Host (web server of CoreNetworkZ.com) acknowledges by sending ICMP Echo Replies.

Can you tell me the potential sources for a Destination Host Unreachable reply from this ping workflow algorithm?

You can get this reply from two possible sources.

1. Your Default Gateway

2. Remote Gateway

How do we know whether the reply comes from the Default Gateway or Remote Gateway?

Well, it is simple.

All you have to do is to analyze the ping reply carefully.

Check the format of the message. It comes in two different forms.

1. Reply from x.x.x.x Destination Host Unreachable

   If you see the following format, check the IP address.

   Most of the time, x.x.x.x must be a Remote Gateway address.

   Which shows the error message you received is from the Remote Gateway.

2. Destination Host Unreachable

   If you don’t see an IP address in the error replies, they came from the Default Gateway.

   In a home network, your home router is the Default Gateway.

Both error formats have different reasons. I will explain the reasons in the next part.

Reasons to Get the ICMP Error Destination Host Unreachable

Let us check why your computer displays the message Reply From x.x.x.x Destination Host Unreachable.

Have a look at the list below.

One of the reasons listed below can get you to the ICMP Echo message Destination Host Unreachable.

1. Your Default Gateway doesn’t know the route to the destination IP address.

2. Packet Routing issues on Remote Gateway.

3. The destination host might be down.

4. Loose Connection.

5. Strict Firewall Settings.

One of the frequent questions I receive from our readers is whether this error is related to Operating Systems ( like Windows and Linux ).

The answer is no.

Analyzing the ICMP Echo Destination Host Unreachable

Let me explain why I received this ICMP Echo Reply by analyzing a live example.

I send ping packets to the global DNS address 4.2.2.2 to troubleshoot the connectivity problem. The screenshot below shows the reply I received.

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

C:\corenetworkz;ping 4.2.2.2

Pinging 4.2.2.2 with 32 bytes of data:

Destination host unreachable.
Destination host unreachable.
Destination host unreachable.
Destination host unreachable.

Ping statistics for 4.2.2.2:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 0, Lost = 4 (100% loss),

C:\corenetworkz>

Which format is this?

It is the second format of the Destination Host Unreachable error.

The final part of this tutorial explains the procedure to fix the ICMP Error Reply Destination Host Unreachable.

How to Fix Ping Error Destination Host Unreachable?

If you do not want to go into the complexity of this ICMP Echo Reply, you can follow the instructions below to resolve the Destination Host Unreachable Ping error message.

1. Turn Off The Firewall

   Aggressive firewall settings can interrupt the ICMP Echo Requests and cause the Destination Host Unreachable error.

   Turn Off the Firewall to check whether the firewall is the reason for this issue on your computer.

   Try to access the Internet after the firewall is Off.

   Also, Ping a Web URL and check whether the issue persists. If so, go to the second solution.

2. Power Cycle The Network

   A loose connection in your home network can invite the Destination Host Unreachable ICMP Echo Reply.

   Outdated Routing and ARP tables also result in Ping errors.

   A proper home network Power Cycle can fix this. Let us check the steps.

   • Switch off every device in the network.

   • Disconnect power cables from Modem, PC, and Router.

   • Disconnect the Ethernet cables from Modem, Computer, and Router.

   • Reconnect the power and ethernet cables.

   • Power On the Modem and wait for one minute.

   • Power On the Router and wait for one minute.

   • Power On the PC and ping Google to check whether the Destination Host Unreachable error persists.

   A proper Power Cycle will fix issues like corrupted ARP and Routing tables and loose connections.

   If the issue persists, go to the final solution.

3. Disable IPv6 and Test the Connectivity

   Sometimes devices fall into IP version conflicts. Different operating systems have separate IP version priorities.

   Windows 10 prefers IPv6 to IPv4. Linux variants like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian prefer IPv6 to IPv4.

   However, sometimes devices fail to work with IPv6.

   Rarely it results in ICMP error messages. We can check it by turning off the IPv6 on your device.

   Let us check how to turn off the IP Version 6 on a Windows 11 computer and test whether it fixes the Destination Host Unreachable issue.

   • Right-click on the Network Adapter at the system tray.
   • Click on Open Network & Internet settings.

   • Click on Change Adapter options.

   • Right Click on the current connection and click properties.
   • Uncheck the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).

   • Click OK
   • Reboot your Computer.

   Once you reboot your computer, check for the connection.

You have learned to troubleshoot the Destination Host Unreachable Ping error message on Windows and Linux Systems and fix it.

We suggest you read similar tutorials to learn more about Computer Network Troubleshooting.

The “Destination Host Unreachable” error can pop up when trying to ping an IP, router, or website. It indicates that your device is unable to establish a connection with the destination host.

The error message can have two forms:

• Reply from <ip address>: Destination host unreachable
• Destination host unreachable.

In the former scenario, the reply could come from the remote gateway (if you’re pinging any website or device outside the local network) or from your current device (if you’re pinging an IP within the local network that has IP-related issues). But if you see the latter message, it usually indicates issues with the default gateway.

However, this error can also occur due to connectivity issues, firewall settings, or an unavailable destination host. Without further delay, let’s walk you through the detailed troubleshooting guide on how to solve it.

Before You Begin

When executing the ping command, you’re sending ICMP Echo Request packets (by default, four) to the destination device. Based on that, the destination device sends an ICMP Echo Reply packet, and after measuring the round-trip time (RTT), the final results are displayed.

However, if the destination device is down, the ICMP Echo Request packets can’t reach the target. This is what triggers the Destination Network/Host unreachable error.

Analyzing the error message, you’ll likely notice that there is no packet loss (Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0). This is because the packets never reached the destination and hence never got lost. In such cases, it’s your own IP address that replies to the packets.

On the other side, there’s 100% packet lost when you get the “Request Timed Out” or “Unknown Host.” The former appears when the packets reach the destination host but doesn’t respond with the ICMP Echo Reply packet.

In this article, we are only going to troubleshoot the “Destination Host Unreachable” error. But before moving forward, I highly recommend trying out the basic troubleshooting tips mentioned below:

• Loopback Test: First of all, execute the ping 127.0.0.1 or ping localhost command to perform a loopback test on your troublesome device. If you receive the same error message, know that your network adapter or other components are faulty.
  
• Simple Ping Test: Now, try pinging any other IP or website to make sure there’s internet connectivity. For example, you may execute ping technewstoday.com. If you do not get an error, know that there’s no internet or hardware-related issue, and you may move on with the major fixes below.
  
• Examine Network Cables and LEDs: Examine that the router/modem’s power adapter and the ethernet/PON cables are properly attached to the respective ports.
  It’s also a good idea to examine the LEDs on your networking devices to identify possible causes. Check the light on each field (LAN, WAN, power) to know the root problem.
• Perform Power Cycle: Sometimes, a simple router restart or power cycle can do the trick by fixing the temporary issues with the networking components.
  This involves shutting down your computer, removing all peripherals and ethernet connections, and pressing the power button to discharge residual charge.
  For routers and modems, you need to unplug their respective power adapters and other internet cables.

Examine Issues With Destination Host 

The “Destination Host Unreachable” error can appear due to issues with the destination device. This could mean either of two things—the local system has no route to the destination, or the remote router (when pinging a website) has no route to the destination.

If you’re trying to ping a device on a local network, the packets might not have reached the router itself. For that reason, you’ll see the error “Destination host unreachable” or “Reply from <your device’s IP>: Destination host unreachable.”

This can happen due to different reasons:

• The router is unable to assign an IP to this device.
• The destination device is simply not operating in the network.
• You’ve entered the wrong IP or hostname (probably a typo).
• Your router’s routing table lacks the necessary information to forward packets to the destination host.

If possible, you can troubleshoot the underlying network issues on your local device to fix the problem (renew IP or assign a non-conflicting static IP, etc.). Also, you can check the routing table to troubleshoot further. If you’re unsure about this, I advise taking help from a networking professional.

However, if you’ve got the “Reply from <remote gateway>: Destination host unreachable” error after pinging a certain website, it indicates that there are issues with the remote gateway routing table.

You can even execute the Tracert command to check the route and identify where the problem lies.

Change Default Gateway

The Default Gateway is your router’s IP responsible for establishing a connection with other networks. In case the gateway is having issues or you have misconfigured the related settings, your device might be unable to communicate with the destination host.

In fact, you might even lose your internet connection as the DHCP server becomes unreachable. Now, when trying to ping your router, you’ll likely get a reply from the APIPA with the IP address 169.254.X.X.

If you’ve set up static IP and default gateway, it’s possible that your router couldn’t forward the requested packets due to an invalid route. A simple workaround to this is to manage settings to obtain IP automatically from the network adapter settings.

Also, you may choose to change the default gateway for your current static configuration as well. Follow the steps below to fix the networking error that occurred due to misconfigured gateway:

1. Use Windows + R to launch Run, where you need to execute the following command to open Network Connections:
   ncpa.cpl
   
2. Right-click on your network adapter and pick Properties.
   
3. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and hit the Properties button.
   
4. In the properties window, find the Default Gateway tab and set the correct IP. To check for your router’s default gateway, you can refer online or simply check the device’s sticker.
   
5. Press Ok in both windows to save the applied changes.
6. Then, ping the IP address to see if it works this time.
7. In case the error persists, open up the IPv4 Properties window again. This time, select Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically.
   
8. Press Ok on both dialogue boxes to save the dynamic IP setting.

Try Disabling IPv6

In most cases, the problem seems to lie with the misconfigured IPv6 settings. This happens when your device is incompatible with the IPv6 address. Since most devices can work with just the IPv4 address enabled, you can check whether the issue gets resolved after disabling this protocol:

1. Open the Network Connections window using the ncpa.cpl command in the Run interface.
2. Next, open the Properties window of your network adapter.
3. Now, find and deselect the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6).
   
4. Hit Ok to disable the protocol.
5. Now, ping the destination IP again. This time, you should not get the “Destination host unreachable” error.

Disable Firewall

If you had set up a certain rule that blocked the ICMP traffic, the communication between your device and the destination host might break. Since most users were able to solve their problem by disabling their firewall settings, you can also do so to check whether the firewall setting is blocking the ICMP Echo Request packets.

Note: Disabling the firewall can leave your device vulnerable, permitting all the data packets from entering/exiting the network. Once you are successful in solving the error, I advise turning it back on.

1. Get to the Start Menu and open Windows Security.
   
2. Select Firewall & network protection.
   
3. Then, open your active network. Look for (active) next to the Domain/Private/Public network.
   
4. Now, turn off the Microsoft Defender Firewall option. 
   
5. Once the User Account Control prompt pops up, press Yes to confirm your action.
   

Final Words

The “Destination host unreachable” error mainly appears when the destination device is offline, or you have misconfigured the default gateway. If you were unable to fix using the above solutions, there are probably issues with the hardware components (router or modem).

In case you’re getting the error and are unable to open the websites, there’s probably an issue with the internet. Sometimes, resetting the router or modem can also be an effective solution.

Whether it’s a hardware or an internet problem, contacting your ISP is the best option.

Since the “Destination host unreachable” error can appear in many scenarios, the aforementioned tips might not be enough. If there’s nothing wrong with the internet and there’s no issue with the hardware part as well, I’d appreciate it if you leave your problem in the comment section below so that I can help you troubleshoot further.

I have two ubuntu computers on a local network and neither one of them can ping each other. Every time I try I get the «destination host unreachable» error message. Both computers are able to access the internet with any problems.

I have a ActionTech v1000h router from Telus. I’ve been in touch with one of their customer representatives and they said that there should’t be any reason why two devices cannot ping each other on the network.

I’m totally at a loss, do any of you guys have any ideas?

Computer 1:

ifconfig -a

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:10084 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:10084 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:797420 (797.4 KB)  TX bytes:797420 (797.4 KB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr c4:85:08:77:d3:f5  
          inet addr:192.168.1.77  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::c685:8ff:fe77:d3f5/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:373068 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:380158 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:103445020 (103.4 MB)  TX bytes:112630337 (112.6 MB)

route -n

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         192.168.1.254   0.0.0.0         UG    0      0        0 wlan0
169.254.0.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.0.0     U     1000   0        0 wlan0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     9      0        0 wlan0

sudo iptables -L

Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination         

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination         

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination  

Computer 2:

ifconfig -a

etho0     Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:24:8c:ae:f6:91
          UP BROADCAST MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
          RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:2
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback  
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:65536  Metric:1
          RX packets:110 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:110 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0 
          RX bytes:8414 (8.4 KB)  TX bytes:8414 (8.4 KB)

wlan0     Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:22:43:9b:7b:64  
          inet addr:192.168.1.2  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::222:43ff:fe9b:7b64/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:252 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:435 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:123143 (123.1 KB)  TX bytes:65828 (65.8 KB)

route -n

Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
0.0.0.0         192.168.1.254   0.0.0.0         UG    0      0        0 wlan0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     9      0        0 wlan0

sudo iptables -L

Chain INPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination         

Chain FORWARD (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination         

Chain OUTPUT (policy ACCEPT)
target     prot opt source               destination  

Edit: Example of the error when computer 1 tries to ping computer 2:

ping 192.168.1.2

PING 192.168.1.2 (192.168.1.2) 56(84) bytes of data.
From 192.168.1.77 icmp_seq=1 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.77 icmp_seq=2 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.77 icmp_seq=3 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.77 icmp_seq=4 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.77 icmp_seq=5 Destination Host Unreachable
From 192.168.1.77 icmp_seq=6 Destination Host Unreachable
^C
--- 192.168.1.2 ping statistics ---
7 packets transmitted, 0 received, +6 errors, 100% packet loss, time 6031ms
pipe 3

Edit 2: arp -a of both computers

Computer 1:

? (192.168.1.254) at 20:76:00:f5:3b:70 [ether] on wlan0

Computer 2:

? (192.168.1.254) at 20:76:00:f5:3b:70 [ether] on wlan0
? (192.168.1.77) at <incomplete> on wlan0

Edit 3: nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24 on computer 2

Starting Nmap 6.40 ( http://nmap.org ) at 2014-05-07 21:14 PDT
Nmap scan report for 192.168.1.2
Host is up (0.00024s latency).
Nmap done: 256 IP addresses (1 host up) scanned in 3.30 seconds

Edit 4: The tcpdump logs of both computers while the first ping 192.168.1.254 and then each other:

Computer 1:

tcpdump: verbose output suppressed, use -v or -vv for full protocol decode
listening on wlan0, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet), capture size 65535 bytes
22:45:01.661300 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:02.659393 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:03.659394 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:04.676872 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:05.675391 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:06.675396 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:07.692825 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.2 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:48.379058 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.77 tell 192.168.1.254, length 28
22:45:48.379108 ARP, Reply 192.168.1.77 is-at c4:85:08:77:d3:f5, length 28
22:45:54.419388 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.254 tell 192.168.1.77, length 28
22:45:54.420875 ARP, Reply 192.168.1.254 is-at 20:76:00:f5:3b:70, length 28

Computer 2:

reading from file pc2.pcap, link-type EN10MB (Ethernet)
22:44:43.538367 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.254 tell 192.168.1.2, length 28
22:44:43.676705 ARP, Reply 192.168.1.254 is-at 20:76:00:f5:3b:70 (oui Unknown), length 28
22:45:02.107935 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.254 tell 192.168.1.2, length 28
22:45:02.107951 ARP, Reply 192.168.1.254 is-at 20:76:00:f5:3b:70 (oui Unknown), length 28
22:45:06.780619 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.77 tell 192.168.1.2, length 28
22:45:07.778419 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.77 tell 192.168.1.2, length 28
22:45:08.778419 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.77 tell 192.168.1.2, length 28
22:45:09.796214 ARP, Request who-has 192.168.1.77 tell 192.168.1.2, length 28

Edit 5: Setup static ips for both computers etho0 and connected them with an internet cable. Both computers can definitely ping each other through the ethernet cable! ifconfig -a eth0 results:

Computer 1:

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 68:68:68:00:62:a4  
          inet addr:192.168.1.10  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::6a68:68ff:fe00:62a4/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:15 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:4060 (4.0 KB)  TX bytes:7629 (7.6 KB)

Computer 2:

eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:24:8c:ae:f6:91  
          inet addr:192.168.1.20  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: fe80::224:8cff:feae:f691/64 Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:250 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:130 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:3
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000 
          RX bytes:26501 (26.5 KB)  TX bytes:20897 (20.8 KB)