How to Configure Static Routes on Cisco Router
Step 1: Enter configuration mode
Router 1
Router> enable
CR1# configure terminal
CR1(config)interface f0/0
CR1(config-if)ip address 10.x.x.1 255.255.255.252
CR1(config-if)description R1 pointing to R2 interface
CR1(config-if)exit
Router 2
CR2> enable
CR2# configure terminal
CR2(config)interface f0/0
CR2(config-if)ip address 10.x.x.2 255.255.255.252
CR2(config-if)description R2 pointing to R1 interface
CR2(config-if)exit
CR2(config)interface f0/1
CR2(config-if)ip address 10.x.x.5 255.255.255.252
CR2(config-if)description R2 pointing to R3 interface
CR2(config-if)exit
Router 3
CR3> enable
CR3# configure terminal
CR3(config)interface f0/1
CR3(config-if)ip address 10.x.x.6 255.255.255.252
CR3(config-if)description R3 pointing to R2 interface
CR3(config-if)exit
CR3(config)interface f0/0
CR3(config-if)ip address 10.x.x.9 255.255.255.252
CR3(config-if)description R3 pointing to R4 interface
CR3(config-if)exit
Router 4
Router> enable
Router# configure terminal
CR4(config)interface f0/0
CR4(config-if)ip address 10.x.x.10 255.255.255.252
CR4(config-if)description R4 pointing to R3 interface
CR4(config-if)exit
Step 2: configure the static route on R1 to R2 10.x.x.2
Router 1
R1(config)# ip route 172.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.2
R1(config)# ip route 173.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.2
Step 3: On Router 2 Configure the static route on R2. So R1 10.x.x.1 and R2 10.x.x.6.
Router 2
R2(config)# ip route 172.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.1
R2(config)# ip route 173.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.6
Step 4: Configure the static route on R3. So, R2 needs to learn 6 Networks as well from
it’s neighbor interface which are R2 10.x.x.5 and R4 10.x.x.10.
Router 3
R3(config)# ip route 172.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.5
R3(config)# ip route 173.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.10
Step 5: Configure the static route on R4. So, R2 needs to learn 6 Networks as well from
it’s neighbor interface which is R3 10.x.x.9
Router 4
R4(config)# ip route 172.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.9
R4(config)# ip route 173.x.y.0 255.255.255.0 10.x.x.9
Step 6: Exit configuration mode.
Router(config)# end
Try to ping your neighbor computer .
Verifying Static Routes
To verify that the static route has been configured correctly, you can use the following
commands on R1. Well, R1 Should have 6 extra Networks shown as S.
R1# show ip route
S 172.16.30.0/24 [1/0] via 10.1.1.2
S 172.16.40.0/24 [1/0] via 10.1.1.2
S 172.16.50.0/24 [1/0] via 10.1.1.2
S 172.16.60.0/24 [1/0] via 10.1.1.2
S 172.16.70.0/24 [1/0] via 10.1.1.2
S 172.16.80.0/24 [1/0] via 10.1.1.2
This command will display the routing table, including all static routes. This might be a
different output from your current Configurations. However, you should get something
like the above configurations.
Step 7: Test Network Connectivity from R1 LAN to R4 LAN.
R1# ping <destination-IP-address>
This command will send a ping request to the destination IP address. If the ping request
is successful, the router will be able to reach the destination network using the static
route.
Example:
This output shows that the static route to the 172.16.70.1/24 network is installed in the
routing table.
R1> ping 172.16.70.1
Type escape sequence to abort.
Sending 5, 100-byte ICMP Echos to 172.16.70.1, timeout is 2 seconds:
!!!!!
Reply from 172.16.70.1: bytes=100 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 172.16.70.1: bytes=100 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 172.16.70.1: bytes=100 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 172.16.70.1: bytes=100 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 172.16.70.1: bytes=100 time=1ms TTL=64
Ping statistics for 172.16.70.1:
Packets: Sent = 5, Received = 5, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 1ms, Average = 1ms
This output shows that the router is able to reach the 172.16.70.1IP address using the
static route.
Why Static Routes Are Important
Static routes are important for a number of reasons, including:
• Reliability: Static routes are more reliable than dynamic routing protocols
because they are not dependent on the exchange of routing updates.
• Performance: Static routes can improve performance because they reduce the
amount of processing required to route traffic.
• Security: Static routes can be used to control the flow of traffic and improve
security.
Conclusion
Static routes are a powerful tool that can be used to improve the reliability, performance,
and security of your network. By following the steps outlined above, you can easily
configure static routes on Cisco routers.
