Skip to content
Portfolio

How to introduce routes into Cisco routers

Ways to introduce routes into the routing table

Section titled “Ways to introduce routes into the routing table”

Below are common methods to get a route into a router’s routing table:

  • Connected routes — automatically present when an interface in that subnet is up.
    • Example: enabling interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with an IP places the connected network into the RIB.
  • Static routes — manually configured, very common for specific next-hops.
    • Example: ip route 10.0.1.0 255.255.255.0 192.0.2.1.
    • Floating static: a static with a higher administrative distance used as a backup (e.g. ip route ... 250).
  • Default routes — a special static 0.0.0.0/0 used when no more specific route exists.
    • Example: ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.0.2.254.
  • Dynamic routing protocols — routers learn networks from peers and decide best routes based on AD + metrics.
    • Examples: router ospf 1, router bgp 65000, router eigrp 100.