Static Route

A static route is one that a network administrator creates manually.

The opposite of a static route is a dynamic route. Dynamic routes are created by routing protocols.

Static routes have advantages and disadvantages when compared to dynamic routes.

Advantages of Static Routes:

• Easy to configure
• No routing protocol overhead

Disadvantages of Static Routes:

• Network changes require manual reconfiguration
• Network outages cannot be automatically routed around

Creating a Static Route under Unix

Under Unix, static routes can be created using the `route` command.

The example shows the creation of a static route for a single host:

# route add 193.252.19.5 192.252.19.1
add net 193.252.19.5: gateway 192.252.19.1

The user can see the static route that was created with the `netstat -nr` command:

# netstat -nr
Routing tables
Internet:
Destination Gateway Flags Refs Use Netif Expire
...
193.252.19.5 193.252.19.1 UGS 0 0 fxp0
..

Creating a Static Route under Cisco IOS

To add a static route on a Cisco router, use the `ip route` command.

The syntax to utilize is: ip route &ltdestination> <netmask> <next hop>.

The example shows the creation of a static route for a single host:

FAQ-Cisco# conf t
FAQ-Cisco (config)# ip route 193.252.19.5 255.255.255.255 193.252.19.1