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ENOLINK
This page examines UCRT compatibility status: link unavailable. The Microsoft C runtime exposed the POSIX-supplement ENOLINK value for a link-related compatibility condition.
Historical and API context
Microsoft C runtime compatibility: Ucrt compatibility status: link unavailable is exposed by the Microsoft CRT compatibility layer. _doserrno and the immediately preceding CRT call can preserve the Win32 or runtime condition summarized by errno. The wording attached to ENOLINK is a clue to the original interface, not proof that a similarly named modern subsystem returned it.
Reconstruct the returning call
| Evidence | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| CRT API, errno and _doserrno pair, pathname or endpoint, and runtime build. | Ties this error to one live API object instead of a translated message. |
| Thread-local errno captured before another CRT call changes it. | Shows whether this error arose in the caller ABI, wrapper, or provider. |
| Paired Win32 handle/socket state and the actual CRT descriptor conversion. | Preserves the first boundary before errno can be overwritten. |
| Known-good call using the same UCRT build and calling convention. | Provides a same-platform known-good comparison. |
A small reproduction
- Repeat against a known available link/endpoint. Keep the binary, header ABI, and provider fixed.
- Log errno with _get_errno and _doserrno at the immediate failure site. Record whether the control reaches the same syscall or runtime boundary as this error.
- Verify the numeric value against the target UCRT header rather than a Unix table. A changed errno after this test is a new boundary, not another spelling of this error.
Two observations are especially discriminating here: CRT API, errno and _doserrno pair, pathname or endpoint, and runtime build. Use this control for comparison: repeat against a known available link/endpoint.
Portability traps
| Tempting assumption | Safer interpretation |
|---|---|
| The English phrase is assumed to be portable | ENOLINK belongs to Microsoft C runtime compatibility; verify the target headers and returning API before applying another platform's errno table |
| A retry succeeded and erased the original evidence | A retry can replace the original errno with a different state; preserve the first call, numeric value, and object generation beforehand |
Correction and acceptance
Targeted correction. Repair the underlying link indicated by _doserrno or handle the compatibility condition explicitly.
Regression proof. The working link succeeds and the unavailable control maps consistently.
Technical references
- Microsoft: errno constants — defines the status namespace used.
- Microsoft: _get_errno — documents the API or lifecycle boundary behind this error.
- Microsoft: _doserrno and errno — provides ABI, implementation, or protocol context.
- The Open Group: errno.h — supports the portability and verification limits.
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