Static Routing Configuration and Verification on Cisco Routers

A router selects the optimal path for data packets, and the routing table stores the information needed to reach destination networks.

Routing tables are built automatically for directly connected subnets, while non‑directly connected networks require manual route entries.

Static routing is suitable for small, fixed topologies; a default route is a special static route that simplifies the table for edge networks.

Static route configuration syntax:

Router(config)# ip route {address | interface}

where network is the destination network address, mask is the subnet mask, address is the next‑hop router’s IP, and interface is the outgoing interface name.

Default route configuration syntax:

Router(config)# ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0

Example topology with two routers (R1 and R2) and two PCs. The configuration steps are:

R1:

Router> en Router# conf t Router(config)# int fa0/0 Router(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0 Router(config-if)# no shutdown Router(config)# int fa0/1 Router(config-if)# ip address 20.0.0.1 255.255.255.0 Router(config-if)# no shutdown

R2:

Router> en Router# conf t Router(config)# int fa0/0 Router(config-if)# ip address 10.0.0.2 255.255.255.0 Router(config-if)# no shutdown Router(config)# int fa0/1 Router(config-if)# ip address 30.0.0.1 255.255.255.0 Router(config-if)# no shutdown

Static routes added:

On R1:

Router(config)# ip route 30.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.2

On R2:

Router(config)# ip route 20.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.1

After configuration, connectivity between PC1 and PC2 is tested, and the routing tables are displayed to verify the static and default routes.

Images illustrate the network diagram, PC configurations, and routing table outputs.