What does errno 52 (ENETRESET) mean?

ENETRESET

A path change invalidated the connection

ENETRESET means the network stack dropped a connection because of a reset affecting the network path. It is not the same evidence as a peer-generated TCP reset: the error describes a local transport outcome after the surrounding network state changed.

This distinction matters for diagnosis. A peer application can be healthy while a route, interface, tunnel, or other network state transition invalidates the connection. Conversely, a later reconnect may work because it creates a new path state, not because the peer fixed anything.

Useful correlation data

• Record the connection's local and remote addresses, family, protocol, interface, and lifetime before the drop.
• Preserve network-configuration, interface, VPN, sleep/wake, and link events that overlap the failure timestamp.
• Compare with ECONNRESET: that code is commonly associated with reset handling for a connection, whereas ENETRESET points to the network path as the reported cause.

Application recovery

The correct recovery is generally a new connection with protocol-aware replay rules. Do not automatically resend a request unless the application protocol can determine whether the previous operation reached the peer.

References

• XNU: Darwin errno definitions
• POSIX: connect()
• RFC 9293: TCP reset processing

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