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NS_E_DATAPATH_NO_SINK
Server-side meaning of NS_E_DATAPATH_NO_SINK
What the server is validating
This result (0xC00D1518) marks the constructed data path has no data writer capable of consuming its packets. Although the visible symptom may be interrupted playback, this HRESULT is raised at an administrative or distribution checkpoint.
A server distribution path connects a data source, parser, media header and one or more data sinks., push publication adds an encoder-to-server control path, while client delivery uses a separate protocol and connection state. In a this result trace, trace input and output independently: source selection, parsing/header creation and sink selection are separate checkpoints. The decisive question is whether the live object and values match that boundary; the base AllStat description alone does not reveal the object generation, selected plug-in or lower-level failure.
A controlled correction
- Capture
0xC00D1518, this result, the exact API/administrative action and the first failure timestamp. - Preserve data source, parser, data path object, broadcast/unicast sink collections and enabled states.
- confirm that the object still belongs to the current WMServer, publishing-point or presentation generation.
- Perform one isolated experiment: enable or attach the correct data writer and rebuild the data path before starting delivery.
- Repeat the original the operation through the same protocol and service account; do not substitute a different client-side test.
- After this result, verify the expected next state and retain any later HRESULT as a separate pipeline result.
For automated tests, assert both the HRESULT and the resulting publishing-point, playlist, plug-in or archive state.
Code-specific failure anatomy
In a representative incident, the server reaches the constructed data path has no data writer capable of consuming its packets and rejects the operation before the caller can safely assume the next stage occurred. The incident record should therefore join data source, parser, data path object, broadcast/unicast sink collections and enabled states with the object generation and the exact administrative or protocol request.
A useful negative control is enable or attach the correct data writer and rebuild the data path before starting delivery. If that change advances the same it call, the result supports this boundary. If it remains, return to the first lower-level event instead of broadening the repair.
The tempting but misleading response is changing source credentials; packets still have nowhere to go. That action does not test the distinction that matters here: source plug-in not found is an input-side selection failure. This distinction is also why monitoring should retain the symbolic name instead of storing only a generic COM failure.
Evidence that separates this code
| Evidence | Why it matters for it |
|---|---|
| Decisive state | data source, parser, data path object, broadcast/unicast sink collections and enabled states. |
| Owning object | Record the server, publishing point, playlist, namespace node, plug-in or cache item that returned it, including its creation or restart time. |
| First lower-level result | Preserve the earliest Win32, socket, COM, parser or plug-in event before the HRESULT; later wrappers can map several causes to it. |
| Controlled comparison | Use a known-good object of the same type and vary only the precondition described as “the constructed data path has no data writer capable of consuming its packets”. |
| Security-sensitive data | Log identifiers, lengths, hashes and redacted URLs where possible; do not publish passwords, authorization files or unrestricted client data. |
Verification outcomes
| Retest observation | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| The same call still returns it | The rejected precondition has not changed, or the caller is still using an old object/configuration generation. |
| The operation advances and a later code appears | The boundary was cleared. After it, diagnose the new code at its own source, parser, sink, network or client stage. |
| A new object succeeds while the retained object fails | Object lifetime or stale context is part of the incident; update lifecycle handling rather than applying a machine-wide repair. |
| Only one publishing point, playlist, cache key or plug-in fails | The evidence favors object-specific configuration or content over a server-wide outage. |
Changes that do not establish the cause
- changing source credentials; packets still have nowhere to go.
- avoid changing the publishing point, protocol, content and plug-in set in one test., such a test cannot show which precondition cleared the code.
- Do not suppress it or replace it with a generic “media server error”; retain the symbolic code and owning operation in telemetry.
Comparison with adjacent states
Primary distinction: source plug-in not found is an input-side selection failure.
| Nearby result | Different checkpoint |
|---|---|
NS_E_INVALID_PUSH_TEMPLATE | Compare its own symbolic boundary and the first failing call; it must not be grouped automatically with it. |
NS_E_PUSH_DUPLICATE_PUBLISHING_POINT_NAME | Relative to it, this neighboring result belongs to another state or validation branch even when the user-visible symptom is similar. |
NS_E_INVALID_PUSH_PUBLISHING_POINT | Use the object type and operation sequence to determine which result is authoritative. |
Technical references
- Windows Media Services 9 Series SDK
- Sending ASF Data to a Publishing Point
- Media Streaming Server Protocol Summary
- Microsoft HRESULT registry
Close the incident only after it clears on a current object.
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