A static route on a Cisco router can be written two ways: with a next-hop IP address, or with an exit interface. The two forms LOOK almost identical in the running-config but they cause different forwarding behavior, different ARP behavior, and different routing-table entries. This lab configures both forms for the same destination (R3's loopback) and shows you exactly what changes.
You will work on R1, which sits one hop from R2 and two hops from R3 across the base topology.
What you will learn
- How to configure a static route with the next-hop form (
ip route <dest> <mask> <next-hop-ip>) - How to configure a static route with the exit-interface form (
ip route <dest> <mask> <interface>) - The different routing-table entries each form produces (one says "via next-hop", the other says "directly connected, via interface")
- The proxy-ARP side effect that makes exit-interface form sometimes surprising
- When to use each form and the operational consequences of each
What this lab does NOT cover
- Floating static routes with administrative distance manipulation - that is ipc-02.
- Dynamic routing protocols. OSPF, EIGRP, BGP all live in IP Connectivity.
- Route redistribution.
