Security update 893066 introduces the MaxIcmpHostRoutes registry entry

Security update 893066 (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms05-019.mspx) introduces the MaxIcmpHostRoutes registry entry.

Security update 893066 adds the optional, new MaxIcmpHostRoutes registry parameter to all the operating systems that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

The Microsoft TCP/IP stack supports Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This maintenance protocol is specified in RFC 792. ICMP is ordinarily considered part of the Internet layer. ICMP messages are encapsulated within IP datagrams. Therefore, they can be routed throughout a network. ICMP lets host routes be added by sending an ICMP message to the host. The MaxIcmpHostRoutes entry controls the maximum number of such host routes that can coexist at the same time.

By default, the maximum number of coexisting host routes is 10000. After the MaxIcmpHostRoutes entry is added, the maximum number of coexisting routes is value of this entry plus one. The maximum value of the MaxIcmpHostRoutes entry is 2,147,483,646.

Registry entry specifics

For more information about ICMP, visit the following Microsoft Web site:To view RFC 792, visit the following Internet Society Web site: