NETSTAT Displays a LISTENING Port with IP Address 0.0.0.0 (175952)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q175952 SYMPTOMS
When you carry out the command netstat -an, you may receive a display
that shows an IP address of 0.0.0.0 in LISTENING status similar to the
following:
TCP 0.0.0.0:110 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING
NOTE: The normal, or expected, behavior is to have your local computer's IP
address listed instead of 0.0.0.0.
CAUSE
The Winsock application that is listening on the designated port was
written so that it binds to any local IP address by using INADDR_ANY. This
means that the application will listen to all local interfaces and you can
connect to the port of any of them. This is why netstat -an shows IP
address 0.0.0.0 listening on the port.
MORE INFORMATION
This is by design. However, if you do not want the Winsock application to
listen to all local interfaces, it must be designed to bind to a specific
IP address. Netstat.exe will then show a local IP address in LISTENING
status.
NOTE: Netstat.exe began displaying TCP ports that are in LISTENING state
with Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 8/9/2001 |
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| Keywords: | kbnetwork KB175952 |
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