Route (command)

Last updated
route
Developer(s) Fred N. van Kempen, Microsoft, IBM, ReactOS Contributors
Operating system Unix-like, OS/2, Microsoft Windows, ReactOS
Platform Cross-platform
Type Command
License OS/2, Windows: Proprietary commercial software
ReactOS: GPLv2

In computing, route is a command used to view and manipulate the IP routing table in Unix-like and Microsoft Windows [1] operating systems and also in IBM OS/2 and ReactOS. [2] Manual manipulation of the routing table is characteristic of static routing.

Contents

Implementations

Unix and Unix-like

In Linux distributions based on 2.2.x Linux kernels, the ifconfig and route commands are operated together to connect a computer to a network, and to define routes between computer networks. Distributions based on later kernels have deprecated ifconfig and route, replacing them with iproute2 . Route for Linux was originally written by Fred N. van Kempen. [3]

Syntax

The command-syntax is:

route[-nNvee][-FC][<AF>]# List kernel routing tables route[-v][-FC]{add|del|flush}...# Modify routing table for AF. route{-h|--help}[<AF>]# Detailed usage syntax for specified AF. route{-V|--version}# Display version/author and exit.

Example

user@linux:~$ route-n Kernel IP routing tableDestination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface192.168.101.0   192.168.102.102 255.255.255.0   UG    0      0        0 eth0192.168.102.0   0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     0      0        0 eth0192.168.103.0   192.168.102.102 255.255.255.0   UG    0      0        0 eth0192.168.12.0    0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     0      0        0 eth00.0.0.0         192.168.12.1    0.0.0.0         UG    0      0        0 eth0

Microsoft Windows

The command is only available if the TCP/IP protocol is installed as a component in the properties of a network adapter.

Syntax

The command-syntax is:

route [-f] [-p] [-4|-6] [Command [Destination] [mask Netmask] [Gateway] [[metric Metric]] [[if Interface]]

Parameters

  • -f: Clears the routing table
  • -p: The route is added to the Windows Registry and is used to initialize the IP routing table whenever the TCP/IP protocol is started (only when used with the add command)
  • Command: The command to run (add, change, delete, print)
  • -4: Force using IPv4
  • -6: Force using IPv6
  • Destination: Network destination of the route
  • mask Netmask: The netmask (subnet mask) associated with the network destination
  • Gateway: The forwarding or next hop IP address over which the set of addresses defined by the network destination and subnet mask are reachable
  • metric Metric: Integer cost metric (ranging from 1 to 9999) for the route
  • if Interface: The index of the interface over which the destination is reachable
  • /?: Command help

The -p parameter is only supported on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, and Windows XP. It is not supported on Windows 95 or Windows 98.

IBM OS/2

Syntax

The command-syntax is:

route [-nqv] [COMMAND] [[MODIFIERS] args]

Parameters

  • -n: Bypasses translating IP addresses to symbolic host names
  • -q: Suppresses all output
  • -v: Verbose
  • COMMAND: The command to run (add, delete, change, get, monitor, flush)
  • -net: <dest> is a network address
  • -host: <dest> is host name or address (default)
  • -netmask: the mask of the route
  • <dest>: IP address or host name of the destination
  • <gateway>: IP address or host name of the next-hop router

ReactOS

Syntax

Print the route table:

route print

Add a route:

route add <target> [mask <mask>] <gw> [metric <m>]

Delete a route:

route delete <target> <gw>

See also

Further reading

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
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