ICMP

ICMP

The IP provides unreliable and connectionless datagram delivery. It was designed this way to make efficient use of network resources. The IP protocol is a best-effort delivery service that delivers a datagram from its original source to its final destination. However, it has two deficiencies: lack of error control and lack of assistance mechanisms.

The IP protocol also lacks a mechanism for host and management queries. A host sometimes needs to determine if a router or another host is alive. And sometimes a network administrator needs information from another host or router. The Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) has been designed to compensate for the above two deficiencies. It is a companion to the IP protocol.

1. Types of Messages

ICMP messages are divided into two broad categories: error-reporting messages and query messages. The error-reporting messages report problems that a router or a host (destination) may encounter when it processes an IP packet.

The query messages, which occur in pairs, help a host or a network manager get specific information from a router or another host. For example, nodes can discover their neighbors. Also, hosts can discover and learn about routers on their network, and routers can help a node redirect its messages.

2. Message Format

An ICMP message has an 8-byte header and a variable-size data section. Although the general format of the header is different for each message type, the first 4 bytes are common to all. As the first field, ICMP type, defines the type of the message. The code field specifies the reason for the particular message type. The last common field is the checksum field (to be discussed later in the chapter). The rest of the header is specific for each message type. The data section in error messages carries information for finding the original packet that had the error. In query messages, the data section carries extra information based on the type of the query.