The Routing Table

• The routing table of a router stores information about:

• Directly connected routes – Obtained from the active

router interfaces.

• Remote routes – These are remote networks connected to other

routers that are learned from dynamic routing protocols or are statically
configured.

• A routing table is a data file in RAM that is used to store information

about directly connected and remote networks.

• The routing table contains next hop associations for remote networks.
The association tells the router what the next hop is for a destination
network.

Static Routes
• After directly connected interfaces are configured and added to the
routing table, then static or dynamic routing can be configured.

• Static routes are manually configured and define an explicit path

between two networking devices.

• If the network topology changes, static routes must manually be

reconfigured.

• Benefits of static routes include:

• Improved security

• Resource efficiency – less bandwidth usage and no CPU

cycles are used to calculate and communicate route

Types of Static Routing
There are four main types of static routing, each serving specific
purposes:

1. Standard Static Route

This type involves defining a route to a specific destination network using
its IP address and subnet mask. It is the most basic form of static
routing and is commonly used to direct traffic to known networks.

2. Default Static Route

A default static route is configured to handle packets destined for
unknown networks. It uses the destination IP address 0.0.0.0/0, effectively
serving as a catch-all route that directs traffic when no specific route is
found in the routing table.

3. Summary Static Route

Summary static routes aggregate multiple contiguous networks into a
single route entry. This simplification reduces the number of entries in
the routing table, making it easier to manage and improving efficiency
by minimizing administrative overhead.

4. Floating Static Route

Floating static routes are backup routes that become active only when the
primary route fails. They are configured with a higher administrative
distance, ensuring they are used only when necessary, providing
redundancy and enhancing network reliability.

Static Routing Example

Here, we will look at a static routing example, in which we will configure

static routes on Cisco and understand its working.

Static Routing Configuration

In the network topology provided, we have two networks:

● Network 1 (10.1.1.0/24) connected to Router R1.

● Network 2 (10.2.2.0/24) connected to Router R2.

To enable communication between the two networks, static routes must

be manually configured on both routers to define the path that packets
should take to reach the destination network.

Router R1 Configuration
For Router R1, a static route must be added to reach Network 2
(10.2.2.0/24) through the next-hop IP address (Router R2’s interface).

R1(config)# ip route 10.2.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.2

Destination Network: 10.2.2.0/24

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Next Hop: 10.1.1.2 (Router R2’s interface connected to Network 1)

This command directs Router R1 to forward packets destined for Network

2 through Router R2 at the next-hop address 10.1.1.2.

Router R2 Configuration
Similarly, for Router R2, a static route must be added to reach Network 1
(10.1.1.0/24) through the next-hop IP address (Router R1’s interface).

R2(config)# ip route 10.1.1.0 255.255.255.0 10.2.2.2

Destination Network: 10.1.1.0/24

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Next Hop: 10.2.2.2 (Router R1’s interface connected to Network 2)

This command directs Router R2 to forward packets destined for Network

1 through Router R1 at the next-hop address 10.2.2.2.

Static Routing Working

1. Routing from R1 to R2:
When a device on Network 1 (10.1.1.0/24) sends traffic to Network 2
(10.2.2.0/24), Router R1 will check its routing table. Based on the static
route, it will forward the packet to Router R2 at 10.1.1.2, where the packet
will be sent to the appropriate destination in Network 2.

2. Routing from R2 to R1:

Similarly, when a device on Network 2 (10.2.2.0/24) sends traffic to
Network 1 (10.1.1.0/24), Router R2 will refer to its routing table and
forward the packet to Router R1 at 10.2.2.2, ensuring it reaches the
appropriate destination in Network 1.

By manually configuring these static routes, the routers know how to

forward traffic between the two networks without relying on dynamic
routing protocols

Advantages of Static Routing

1. Static routing is easy to configure and manage.

2. It enhances security by not advertising routes over the network.

3. Static routing consumes fewer resources, as it does not require

continuous updates or bandwidth for route exchanges.

4. It ensures consistent performance and reliable data transmission.

Disadvantages of Static Routing

1. Manually configuring routes requires significant time and effort,

especially in complex networks.

2. The manual nature of static routing increases the likelihood of

mistakes, leading to connectivity issues or routing loops.
3. Any changes in the network, such as new devices or failed links,
necessitate administrator intervention to update routes.

4. Managing static routes becomes challenging and time-intensive as

networks grow.

5. Effective static routing demands an in-depth understanding of the

entire network topology.

Dynamic routing:
• Dynamic routing protocols are used by routers

to share information about the reachability and

status of remote networks.

• Rather than manually configuring static routes,

discovery to share information about the

networks that it knows about with other routers

that are using the same routing protocol.

• Routers have converged after they have finished

exchanging and updating their routing tables.

Routers then maintain the networks in their

routing tables.
Working of Dynamic Routing

Working of Dynamic
Routing
First, A routing protocol (a protocol that states how the information is
going to share between routers and how are they going to communicate
with each other to share/distribute information between nodes on a
network) must be installed in each router in the network to share
information among each other.
Second, it is started manually to go to the first routing table of the router
with router information, and then after that it goes on automatically with
the help of a dynamic routing algorithm and dynamically forms the routing
table for the rest of the routers in the network.
Third, then the routing information is exchanged among the routers so in
case if the network goes down or the router fails to work and share
information with its connected routers then the routing table of each
router is modified correctly to that present condition so that it never fails
to deliver information to the destination.
Fourth, hosts are present to check or match the default gateway address
to the IP addresses of the local router.

Advantages
1. Beneficial in Performance as well as scalable networking with a high
frequency of data on nodes.

2. Makes fewer mistakes as it reroutes itself compared to other routing

protocols.

3. No need to be manually configured by the admin.

4. Shares information about the network with each other makes them
more reliable to work efficiently.

Disadvantages
1. Requires more heavy and reliable powerful hardware.

2. Higher maintenance compared to static protocol.