Lab 5: Static Routing
THEORY:
Static routing refers to the process of manually setting routing paths within a network by
the administrator. Unlike dynamic routing protocols that automatically learn routes, static
routes must be explicitly configured. Each static route defines a target network and the
next-hop IP address or the interface to be used for reaching that destination.
This method is ideal for simpler networks where changes are rare. It offers enhanced
control, reliability, and security, but lacks the flexibility and scalability of dynamic
routing. Since static routes don’t adapt to topology changes, any failure must be manually
handled by reconfiguring the routes.
A router checks its routing table upon receiving a packet. If a match exists for the
destination via a static route, it forwards the packet accordingly. If not, it either discards
the packet or sends it through a default route, if one exists.
The syntax to define a static route is:
ip route <destination-network> <subnet-mask> <next-hop-ip/interface>
Example:
ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.2
This instructs the router to send traffic for the 192.168.2.0/24 network to 192.168.1.2.
OBSERVATIONS:
The lab exercise involved configuring static routing using Cisco Packet Tracer. The
topology comprised 3 routers, 3 switches, and 6 computers (2 per switch). Our objective
was to allow communication between all devices across different networks via static
routing.
(ADD YOUR OWN IMAGE HERE )
Network Topology Configuration:
Each router was linked to its respective switch using FastEthernet connections, and each
switch connected to two PCs. Routers were interconnected using serial connections. As
serial ports are not present by default on routers, WIC-2T modules were added.
Serial cables were preferred over crossover cables to allow clock rate configuration,
simulating high-speed, reliable communication.
IP Addressing and Subnetting:
We used the 172.16.0.0/24 address block. For LANs requiring 30 usable IPs each, /27
subnets were used:
- 172.16.0.0 – 172.16.0.31
- 172.16.0.32 – 172.16.0.63
- 172.16.0.64 – 172.16.0.95
For router-to-router links needing 2 usable IPs each, /30 subnets were assigned:
- 172.16.0.96 – 172.16.0.99
- 172.16.0.100 – 172.16.0.103
- 172.16.0.104 – 172.16.0.107
Appropriate IPs and subnet masks were manually assigned to all routers and PCs.
Initial Testing:
Using the ping tool, we verified that PCs within the same network could communicate.
As expected, pings across different networks failed since routing wasn’t yet established.
Static Routing Setup:
We manually configured static routes on each router:
Router 0:
ip route 172.16.0.64 255.255.255.224 172.16.0.98
ip route 172.16.0.33 255.255.255.224 172.16.0.102
ip route 172.16.0.104 255.255.255.252 172.16.0.98
Router 1:
ip route 172.16.0.0 255.255.255.224 172.16.0.101
ip route 172.16.0.64 255.255.255.224 172.16.0.106
ip route 172.16.0.96 255.255.255.252 172.16.0.101
Router 2:
ip route 172.16.0.0 255.255.255.224 172.16.0.97
ip route 172.16.0.32 255.255.255.224 172.16.0.105
ip route 172.16.0.100 255.255.255.252 172.16.0.97
Verification on Router 1:
Commands used to verify configuration:
- show ip interface brief: Confirmed interface status and IPs
- show ip route: Displayed routing table showing static routes
- show cdp neighbors: Listed connected Cisco devices, confirming connectivity
Connectivity Test:
A ping from PC1 to 172.16.0.34 was successful, confirming routing was working. Using
the tracert command also showed the packet path:
PC1 → Router 0 → Router 1 → Router 2 → PC4
DISCUSSION:
This lab offered valuable practice in static routing configuration. We learned subnetting
strategies, IP allocation, and the use of serial interfaces. We also gained familiarity with
verification tools and confirmed that communication was successfully established across
all segments using manually defined routes.
CONCLUSION:
The lab effectively demonstrated how to set up and test static routing in a multi-router
network environment.
