A default route - the famous ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 next-hop - tells a router "for any destination I do not have a more specific match for, send it here." A floating static backup is a second default with a higher administrative distance, ready to take over if the primary disappears. This lab configures both on R1 of the base topology.
What you will learn
- Default route syntax with next-hop and exit-interface forms
- How "Gateway of last resort" appears in show output
- How to configure a floating backup route with a higher administrative distance
- What "candidate default path" means in the routing-table descriptor
What this lab does NOT cover
- Floating static to a non-default destination - that is the next lab, ipc-02
- Default routes injected by dynamic routing protocols
Topology
Download the CCNA Base Topology .yaml
The PingLabz CCNA Base Topology - 3 iol-xe routers + 1 alpine + 1 ioll2-xe switch.
