What does NTSTATUS 0xC000A012 (STATUS_HOPLIMIT_EXCEEDED) mean?

 
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STATUS_ND_QUEUE_OVERFLOW STATUS_PROTOCOL_NOT_SUPPORTED

STATUS_HOPLIMIT_EXCEEDED

An ICMP response reports that the packet hop limit reached zero

IPv6 routers decrement the Hop Limit field at each forwarding step. When it reaches zero before the destination, a router can return an ICMPv6 Time Exceeded message, which Windows exposes through this status. The IPv4 counterpart uses TTL with equivalent loop-prevention semantics.

The condition usually indicates a routing loop or a path longer than the configured limit, not a closed destination port. Capture the responding router and path changes. Raising the hop limit can hide a loop temporarily but does not repair incorrect routing.

What to inspect

  • Record source, destination, compartment, interface, and responding router.
  • Compare traceroute output from both directions where possible.
  • Inspect recent route, VPN, tunnel, and policy-routing changes for loops.

References


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