Configure Static Routes

  • Article

Updated: April 30, 2010

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2

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. For more information, see Static Routing (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=140617).

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 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 stand-alone router or a member of a native-mode Active Directory domain, you can typically skip creating a demand-dial interface on the answering router. However, in this case only, you must create one or more static routes on the user account of the calling router that identifies 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 the following table. For information about how to add static routes, see Add a Static Route.

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/Prefix length. Type the subnet mask or prefix of the local site.

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

  • Metric. Select a number representing the appropriate metric.

(The Use this route to initiate demand-dial connections check box 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 remote site.

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

  • Network mask/Prefix length. Type the subnet mask or prefix 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 Routing Information Protocol (RIP), 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 local ISP.

  • Destination. Type the IP address (static host route) of the answering router.

  • Network mask/Prefix length. Type 255.255.255.255 for IPv4.

  • Gateway. This field is unavailable.

  • Metric. Select a number representing the appropriate metric. To prevent this static route from causing problems with RIP, 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. When performing the steps in this topic, you are prompted to provide a value for Destination. Type the 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.

For more information about how to manually configure auto-static updates, see Perform Manual Auto-static Updates.

For more information about how to schedule auto-static updates, see Perform Scheduled Auto-static Updates.