IPv6 Static Routing

Static routes provide tools for restricting and troubleshooting routed traffic flows and in small networks can provide the simplest and most reliable configuration for IPv6 routing.

Static routes are manually configured in the routing table. A static route entry comprises the following:
  • IPv6 network prefix for the route's destination network

  • next-hop gateway, which can be one of the following:
    • either the link-local address and VLAN ID or the VLAN link to the next-hop router

    • a Global unicast address on the next-hop router

    • a "null" interface (the routing switch drops traffic forwarded to the null interface)

  • Optionally, a nondefault administrative distance

NOTE:

To enable routing in both directions on a static route, you must configure reciprocal static routes on the routers at both ends of the route.

On a given routing switch, you can create one static route or null route to a given destination. Multiple static or null routes to the same destination are not supported.

The routing switches can concurrently support a maximum of 256 IPv6 static routes and 256 IPv4 static routes.

For example, in the following figure, static routes enabling routed traffic between routers "A," "B," and "C" could be configured as follows:

Example of static route configuration in a network

Router "A"

Router "B"

Router "C"

ipv6 route 2540:a::/64 2540:e::55:1

ipv6 route2540:a::/64 2540:b::22:1

ipv6 route2540:c::/64 2540:b::22:2

ipv6 route 2540:b::/64 2540:e::55:1

ipv6 route 2540:c::/64 2540:e::55:2

ipv6 route 2540:e::/64 2540:b::22:2

Note: next-hop addresses can be either global unicast or link-local.

Example of a routing domain