Configure Static Routes

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

You can configure several types of static routes for a site-to-site connection. You can add static routes manually or, when requesting routes from the remote router, by using auto-static updates.

Create Static Routes for a Site-to-Site Connection

For a site-to-site connection, you can use Routing and Remote Access to create the following types of static routes.

  • LAN interface. If you do not use routing protocols for the local intranet, you must create one or more static routes for locations on the local intranet.

  • Demand-dial interface for the remote site connection. Although you were prompted to provide a static route for the network ID of the remote site when you ran the Demand-Dial Interface Wizard, you might need to recreate this static route in the future. Alternatively, for a persistent site-to-site connection only, you can enable a routing protocol instead of using static routes.

  • Demand-dial interface for a link to a local ISP. If you created an additional demand-dial interface for a link to the local ISP, you were prompted to provide a static host route for the IP address of the answering router’s Internet-connected interface when you ran the Demand-Dial Interface Wizard. You might need to recreate this static host route in the future.

  • Router user account. For a one-way initiated connection in which the answering router is a standalone router or a member of a native-mode Active Directory domain, you can omit creating a demand-dial interface on the answering router, but, in this case only, you must create one or more static routes on the calling router’s user account that identify the network IDs of the calling router’s site.

Use the following procedures to accomplish these tasks:

  • Create static routes on the LAN or demand-dial interfaces.

  • Create static routes on the router user account.

Create static routes on the LAN or demand-dial interfaces

For each static route you create, fill out the Static Route dialog box as shown in Table 10.18. For information about how to add static routes, see Add a static route in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

Table 10.18   Configuring the Static Route Dialog Box for a Site-to-Site Connection

Interface Action

LAN interface

(Calling and answering routers)

Specify values for the following fields:

  • Interface. Select Local Area Connection.

  • Destination. Type the network ID of the local site.

  • Network mask. Type the subnet mask of the local site.

  • Gateway. Do not specify a default gateway on the LAN interface.

  • Metric. Select a number representing the appropriate metric.

(The check box Use this route to initiate demand-dial connections is unavailable.)

Demand-dial interface for the remote site 1

(Calling router only)

Specify values for the following fields:

  • Interface. Select the demand-dial interface for the connection to the remote site.

  • Destination. Type the network ID of the remote site. (Alternatively, you can use the default route.)

  • Network mask. Type the subnet mask of the remote site.

  • Gateway. This field is unavailable.

  • Metric. Select a number representing the appropriate metric. To prevent this static route from causing problems with RIP or OSPF, give it a higher cost than the cost of the static route configured on the LAN interface.

Select the following check box:

  • Use this route to initiate demand-dial connections.

Demand-dial interface for the local ISP (if any) 1

(Calling router only)

Specify values for the following fields:

  • Interface. Select the demand-dial interface for the link to the local ISP.

  • Destination. Type the IP address (static host route) of the answering router’s Internet-connected interface.

  • Network mask. 255.255.255.255

  • Gateway. This field is unavailable.

  • Metric. Select a number representing the appropriate metric. To prevent this static route from causing problems with RIP or OSPF, give it a higher cost than the cost of the static route configured on the LAN interface.

Select the following check box:

  • Use this route to initiate demand-dial connections.

1. You might have already created one or more static routes for one or both of these demand-dial interfaces when you ran the Demand-Dial Interface Wizard.

Create static routes on the router user account

For a one-way connection, you can create a demand-dial interface on the answering router, but this is not required. If you do not create a demand-dial interface on the answering router, you must create a static route or routes that identify the network IDs of the calling router’s site on the calling router’s user account.

For information about how to configure static routes on either a local user account or on an Active Directory user account, see Configure static routes for a dial-in user in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003. When performing the steps in that Help topic, you are prompted to provide a value for Destination. Type a network ID of the calling router’s site.

Configure Auto-static Updates

You can use auto-static updates to request all of the routes of the router on the other side of a site-to-site connection. Auto-static updates are supported when you use RIP for IP, but not OSPF.

For more information about how to manually configure auto-static updates, see Perform manual auto-static updates in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.

For more information about how to schedule auto-static updates, see Perform scheduled auto-static updates in Help and Support Center for Windows Server 2003.