You might have come across the term floating static route in the world of networking. Yet, if you are new to the networking scene, you may have trouble understanding what it is. As you would understand, a floating static route can make or break your network, given the circumstances.
In this guide, I will explain the basics of floating static route and how it works.
What is a Floating Static Route?
You need to create paths that data can use within a network. Without these routes, everything will be chaos. There are two types of routes: Dynamic Route and Static Route. In the Dynamic Route system, a router will learn the patterns and paths using routing protocols like OSPF, RIP, or BGP.
On the other hand, a static route is a fixed path that you can set up within a network. A network admin has to set this up and gets an AD (Administrative Distance) of 1. Data packets within the network will typically follow this route to reach the destination. However, this route may not be available all the time, right? Well, this is where a floating static route comes into play.
A floating static route is a type of static route that a network can use as a backup route. A network will use the floating static route if the original static route is unavailable. So, you can think of a floating static route as a failover mechanism.
Aspect | Static Route | Floating Static Route |
|---|---|---|
Definition | Manually configured primary route. | Backup static route with higher AD. |
Purpose | Direct traffic as the main route. | Activate only if the primary route fails. |
Administrative Distance (AD) | Default AD = 1 (highly preferred). | Higher AD than the primary route. |
Usage Priority | Always used if configured. | Used only when no lower-AD routes exist. |
Failover Capability | No automatic failover: manual intervention needed. | Provides automatic failover. |
Configuration Complexity | Simple to configure. | Slightly more complex (requires AD adjustment). |
Use Cases | Small networks, stub networks, default routes. | Backup for redundancy in larger networks. |
How Does Floating Static Routing Work?
Before we discuss the working mechanism behind floating static routing, we shall look at its purpose.
The essential duty of floating static routing is acting as a backup for the primary route. If the primary route is not available, the network will prefer the floating static route. This system uses this technology to ensure that a stable connection is always available. Floating static routing is used even when a network is primarily using a routing algorithm.
For a floating static route to work, it must be configured properly.
Manipulated Administrative Distance
The first element is setting up a suitable AD (Administrative Distance) for the route. You can think of AD as a distance marker. A static route generally has an AD of one, so data packets always prefer this route. Following this pattern, the floating static route is given a higher AD of, say, 130.
This way, data packets use the floating static route only when absolutely necessary. Most networks tend to assign an AD of 130+ to floating static routes because dynamic routing protocols like OPS and RIP normally use 110 or 120.
Route Activation
You need to configure the network to shift the traffic to the floating static route whenever necessary. This task is easy because the router will start looking for the next available route when the primary route is not available.
So, once configured, an issue with the primary route in the network will typically lead to the activation of the floating static route. This system ensures that your network never loses connectivity, making floating static routes essential for enterprise networks.
How to Configure Floating Static Route
Let’s now talk about configuring a floating static route.
The exact steps for configuring a floating static route would vary depending on the network environment. I can provide an overview, though.
- You first need to identify the primary route of the network. You can do it using a command like show ip route.
- Once you find the primary route, ensure that the route has the lowest administrative distance (AD). It should be set to 1 so that the network prefers this route over others.
- Now, use the ip route command to set up the floating static route. You need to provide enough info, such as destination address, subnet mask, and next-hop address. In addition, you have to specify the AD for the router. An example command is given below:
ip route 192.168.2.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.3.1 130
- Once you execute this command, the network should have a floating static route ready to function.
At this point, you can go ahead and test whether the floating static route is working as it should. To do this,
- Open the command prompt and enter the following command:
show ip route
- It should give you a list of available routes on the network.
You may also want to do a simulation of primary route failure to see if the floating static route kicks in.
Conclusion
I hope this guide was effective enough to convey some core ideas about floating static routes. Depending on whether there is an existing backup plan for the network, a floating static route could be a necessity for a network. However, make sure you are using a command prompt with admin privileges before you proceed.
