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Cisco CCNA Certification: Static Routing Tutorial |
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In studying for your CCNA exam and preparing to earn this
valuable certification, you may be tempted to spend little
time studying static routing and head right for the more exciting
dynamic routing protocols like RIP, EIGRP, and OSPF. This
is an understandable mistake, but still a mistake. Static
routing is not complicated, but it's an important topic on
the CCNA exam and a valuable skill for real-world networking.
To create static routes on a Cisco router, you use the ip
route command followed by the destination network, network
mask, and either the next-hop IP address or the local exit
interface. It's vital to keep that last part in mind - you're
either configuring the IP address of the downstream router,
or the interface on the local router that will serve as the
exit interface.
Let's say your local router has a serial0 interface with
an IP address of 200.1.1.1/30, and the downstream router that
will be the next hop will receive packets on its serial1 interface
with an IP address of 200.1.1.2/30. The static route will
be for packets destined for the 172.10.1.0 network. Either
of the following ip route statements would be correct.
R1(config)#ip route 172.10.1.0 255.255.255.0 200.1.1.2 (next-hop
IP address)
OR
R1(config)#ip route 172.10.1.0 255.255.255.0 serial0 ( local
exit interface)
You can also write a static route that matches only one destination.
This is a host route, and has 255.255.255.255 for a mask.
If the above static routes should only be used to send packets
to 172.10.1.1., the following commands would do the job.
R1(config)#ip route 172.10.1.1 255.255.255.255 200.1.1.2
(next-hop IP address)
OR
R1(config)#ip route 172.10.1.1 255.255.255.255 serial0 (
local exit interface)
Finally, a default static route serves as a gateway of last
resort. If there are no matches for a destination in the routing
table, the default route will be used. Default routes use
all zeroes for both the destination and mask, and again a
next-hop IP address or local exit interface can be used.
R1(config)#ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 200.1.1.2 (next-hop IP
address)
OR
R1(config)#ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 serial0 ( local exit
interface)
IP route statements seem simple enough, but the details regarding
the next-hop IP address, the local exit interface, default
static routes, and the syntax of the command are vital for
success on CCNA exam day and in the real world.
About the Author:
Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage,
home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study
Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy
of his latest e-books, “How To Pass The CCNA” and
“How To Pass The CCNP”, just visit the website!
You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day!
Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!
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