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! Basic static route — one destination, one next-hopR1(config)# ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 10.10.20.2! Route summarization — one entry for many subnetsR1(config)# ip route 192.168.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.10.20.2! Floating static — backup with higher ADR1(config)# ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 10.10.30.2 250! Static route with tag (for route-map matching)R1(config)# ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 10.10.20.2 tag 100! Permenant — stays in table even if interface goes downR1(config)# ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 10.10.20.2 permanent! VerifyR1# show ip route static
The static route syntax has more options than most engineers realize. `tag`, `permanent`, and `name` are all legitimate flags. `permanent` is particularly useful on dial-up or backup interfaces — without it, the route is removed when the interface goes down, which prevents the interface from being brought up by traffic.
| Syntax | Purpose |
|---|---|
| `ip route <net> <mask> <next-hop>` | Standard static route |
| `ip route <net> <mask> <intf>` | Exit-interface static (P2P only) |
| `ip route <net> <mask> <intf> <next-hop>` | Both — most explicit |
| `... <AD>` | Floating static |
| `... <AD> <metric>` | AD and metric (rare) |
| `... permanent` | Keep even if interface is down |
| `... tag <num>` | Tag for route-maps |
| `... name <word>` | Descriptive name for the route |
Instead of a static route per subnet, use a summary. If the branch router needs to reach 192.168.10.0/24, /11, /12, /13 — advertise the whole 192.168.0.0/21 as a single route. One entry replaces four, and the routing table shrinks. This is the payoff of hierarchical addressing from Section 3.
Before summarizing, verify the range is contiguous and aligned. `192.168.0.0/21` covers 192.168.0.0 – 192.168.7.255. If your subnets are 192.168.0.0/24, 192.168.1.0/24, 192.168.2.0/24, 192.168.4.0/24 — the summary is fine, but 192.168.3.0/24 is also covered and shouldn't be routed elsewhere. Summary carefully.
! Scenario: branch router connecting to HQ over a /30 point-to-point link! Branch LAN: 10.10.30.0/24! HQ has: 172.16.0.0/16 (summarized), 192.168.0.0/16 (summarized)! Internet default via ISP router at 203.0.113.1R-Branch(config)# ip route 172.16.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.0.0.1R-Branch(config)# ip route 192.168.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.0.0.1R-Branch(config)# ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 203.0.113.1! VerifyR-Branch# show ip route staticS* 0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 203.0.113.1S 172.16.0.0/16 [1/0] via 10.0.0.1S 192.168.0.0/16 [1/0] via 10.0.0.1
Three routes configure the branch router to reach the entire corporate network and the internet. The /16 summaries replace dozens of individual /24 statics. This is why address planning matters — it makes summarization possible and keeps routing tables manageable.
`show ip route <prefix>` tells you exactly how the router will forward traffic to a specific destination. It shows the source, AD, metric, and the next-hop. This is the most useful troubleshooting command after plain `show ip route`.
Configure static routes on a branch router to reach HQ networks (172.16.0.0/16, 192.168.0.0/16) via next-hop 10.0.0.1, plus a default route to 203.0.113.1. Verify with `show ip route static`.
Static routes are the foundation of small-network routing. Next lesson covers IPv6 statics and default routes — same concepts, new notation.
Finish the lesson once you have worked through the material. This awards ★ 20 XP.