What does Windows error code 9573 (DNS_ERROR_ADDRESS_REQUIRED) mean?

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DNS_ERROR_ADDRESS_REQUIRED

Not allowed to remove all addresses.

Windows assigns decimal 9573 and hexadecimal 0x00002565 to DNS_ERROR_ADDRESS_REQUIRED. The constant belongs to Windows DNS client or DNS Server management; its name is not enough to identify the affected directory object, DNS zone, policy, installer, package, or resource context.

Operational meaning

The key question is whether the server, zone, forwarder, or WINS integration retains an address required for operation. The value describes a DNS configuration that must retain at least one address; it does not prove that the whole domain, DNS service, network, servicing stack, application package, or operating system has failed.

Likely impact: The previous address set remains necessary until a valid replacement is committed. Record the scope that was actually tested instead of escalating from one rejected object or phase to a system-wide outage.

Where the result appears

• This result can appear while processing a DNS configuration that must retain at least one address.
• This result can appear while a DNS Server API request that validates a zone, record, property, or server setting.
• This result can appear while a dynamic update, zone transfer, WINS integration, or reverse-record workflow.
• It can appear while a management script or DNS console operation translated to a Win32 DNS status.

Typical causes

• an update tries to remove the final address.
• replacement addresses were not added first.
• filtering removed every candidate.
• a transaction orders delete before add.

Diagnostic sequence

1. capture it immediately after the failing or status-returning call and record whether the API uses Win32, DNS_STATUS, HRESULT conversion, or callback semantics.
2. identify the exact target involved in a DNS configuration that must retain at least one address, including stable GUIDs, DNs, zone names, package identities, file hashes, policy names, or process identifiers as applicable.
3. prove the state boundary: the server, zone, forwarder, or WINS integration retains an address required for operation.
4. collect target object and address list before change and requested additions and removals before restarting services, deleting objects, rebuilding packages, or changing policy.
5. correlate address family and validation results with the DNS Server event log, DNS analytical logging when enabled, packet capture, zone metadata, server configuration, and the exact DNS API request.
6. determine whether the result is a failure, warning, informational completion, continuation request, or marker constant before choosing retry behavior.
7. after changing one responsible condition, repeat the same smallest operation and verify both success and absence of unintended partial effects.

Evidence to preserve

• collect target object and address list before change.
• collect requested additions and removals.
• collect address family and validation results.
• collect transaction ordering.
• collect server event explaining the requirement.

Correlate this evidence with the DNS Server event log, DNS analytical logging when enabled, packet capture, zone metadata, server configuration, and the exact DNS API request. Preserve raw identifiers and the first detailed diagnostic: translating everything to 9573 can hide whether the cause was validation, topology, authorization, replication, policy, file I/O, packaging, or an intentional continuation state.

Recovery and retry

The recovery objective for it is to add and validate the replacement address before removing the final existing address.

Retry only after the recorded boundary changes and prior completion is known. Read-only discovery for it can usually be repeated with bounded backoff; directory mutations, DNS updates, policy installation, servicing actions, and PRI writes require a state check first. Backoff for it cannot repair malformed input, unsupported structure, identity collision, missing authority, or incompatible package metadata.

Telemetry and support fields

• record error_address_required_operation — producing API, command, callback, or servicing phase.
• record error_address_required_target — stable object, zone, policy, package, file, or account identity.
• record error_address_required_state_before and error_address_required_requested_state.
• record error_address_required_first_status — earliest component-specific code before translation.
• record error_address_required_server, error_address_required_process, UTC timestamp, and correlation ID.

A support bundle for it should include decimal 9573, hexadecimal 0x00002565, the smallest reproducible request, target identity, effective configuration, and evidence from the owning Windows component. When documenting it, remove secrets from exported logs but keep SIDs, GUIDs, package-family names, record types, and hashes when they are needed to distinguish objects.

Difference from nearby results

DNS_ERROR_NEED_WINS_SERVERS specifically requires WINS addresses; this code is the general all-addresses removal guard This distinction determines whether the correct next step is input correction, topology repair, continuation, policy review, package rebuild, or no error handling at all.

Practical validation scenario

An automation job replaces forwarders by deleting all old entries first. Changing the transaction to add and validate new addresses before deletion avoids the empty state. A negative test should reproduce it with the responsible condition preserved; the recovery test should alter only that condition and confirm the intended final state.

Developer and administrator guidance

Developers should model it explicitly in the result domain instead of collapsing every nonzero value into “failed.” Administrators should capture evidence before destructive remediation and use the component that owns a DNS configuration that must retain at least one address. Monitoring for it should suppress range markers and classify warning, informational, cancellation, and continuation values separately from terminal failures.

References

• Microsoft: exact Win32 system error range — official context relevant to it.
• Microsoft: DNS server troubleshooting — official context relevant to it.
• Microsoft: DNS logging and diagnostics — official context relevant to it.

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