errno 89 (EDESTADDRREQ): meaning and diagnosis

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: a datagram send has no destination because the socket has neither a peer nor an address argument.

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
ERROR_NO_PROC_SLOTS	Win32 error	Windows
ECANCELED	errno	Mac
ENOSYS	errno	Solaris
PINBALL_FILE_SYSTEM	BugCheck Code	Windows

Previous	Next
ENOTSOCK	EMSGSIZE

EDESTADDRREQ

EDESTADDRREQ is normally a datagram-socket configuration error. The program is sending through a socket that is not connection-mode, but it has not supplied a destination address and the socket has no default peer. There is no endpoint to which the kernel can deliver the message.

There are two valid patterns. Use sendto() or sendmsg() and provide the destination for every datagram, which is appropriate when one socket talks to many peers. Or call connect() on a UDP or other datagram socket to set its default peer, then use send(). For datagram protocols, that operation records the peer locally; it does not create a TCP-style transport session.

What to check

Confirm the socket type; a stream socket normally needs an established connection instead and reports ENOTCONN when it lacks one.
For sendmsg(), verify msg_name and msg_namelen are populated for an unconnected datagram socket.
Do not retain an address structure whose backing memory has expired or whose family does not match the socket.

POSIX sendmsg() · Linux send(2) · GNU C Library socket error notes

Looking for a different code? Search another status or error code.