18.1 Routing table
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## 18.1 Routing table

Using Administration Console you can view or edit the system routing table of the host where WinRoute is running. This can be useful especially to resolve routing problems remotely (it is not necessary to use applications for terminal access, remote desktop, etc.).

To view or modify the routing table go to Configuration → Routing Table. This section provides up-to-date version of the routing table of the operating system including so called persistent routes (routes added by the `route -p` command).

Note:

1. In the Internet connection failover mode (see chapter 6.3 Connection Failover), only the current default route is shown (depending on which Internet interface is currently active).

2. In case of multiple Internet links in the network load balancing mode (see chapter 6.4 Network Load Balancing), only a single default route will be displayed which is routed through the link with the highest proposed speed.

Figure 18.1. Firewall's system routing table

Dynamic and static routes can be added and/or removed in section Routing table. Dynamic routes are valid only until the operating system is restarted or until removed by the `route` system command. Static routes are saved in WinRoute and they are restored upon each restart of the operating system.

Note: Changes in the routing table might interrupt the connection between the WinRoute Firewall Engine and the Administration Console. We recommend to check the routing table thoroughly before clicking the Apply button!

### Route Types

The following route types are used in the WinRoute routing table:

- System routes — routes downloaded from the operating system's routing table (including so called persistent routes). These routes cannot be edited some of them can be removed — see the Removing routes from the Routing Table section).

- Static routes — manually defined routes managed by WinRoute (see below). These routes can be added, modified and/or removed.

  The checking boxes can be used to disable routes temporarily —such routes are provided in the list of inactive routes. Static routes are marked with an S icon.

- VPN routes — routes to VPN clients and to networks at remote endpoints of VPN tunnels (for details, see chapter 23 Kerio VPN). These routes are created and removed dynamically upon connecting and disconnecting of VPN clients or upon creating and removing of VPN tunnels. VPN routes cannot be created, modified nor removed by hand.

- Inactive routes — routes which are currently inactive are showed in a separate section. These can be static routes that are temporarily disabled, static routes via an interfaces which has been disconnected or removed from the system, etc.

### Static routes

WinRoute includes a special system for creation and management of static routes in the routing table. All static routes defined in WinRoute are saved into the configuration file and upon each startup of the WinRoute Firewall Engine they are added to the system routing table. In addition to this, these routes are monitored and managed all the time WinRoute is running. This means that whenever any of these routes is removed by the `route` command, it is automatically added again.

Note:

1. The operating system's persistent routes are not used for implementation of static routes (for management of these routes, WinRoute uses a proprietary method).

2. If a static connection uses a dial-up, any UDP or TCP packet with the SYN flag dials the line. For detailed information, see chapter 6.2 Connection with a single leased link - dial on demand.

### Definitions of Dynamic and Static Rules

Click on the Add (or Edit when a particular route is selected) button to display a dialog for route definition.

Figure 18.2. Adding a route to the routing table

Network, Network Mask

  IP address and mask of the destination network.

Interface

  Selection of an interface through which the specific packet should be forwarded.

Gateway

  IP address of the gateway (router) which can route to the destination network. The IP address of the gateway must be in the same IP subnet as the selected interface.

Metric

  “Distance” of the destination network. The number stands for the number of routers that a packet must pass through to reach the destination network.

  Metric is used to find the best route to the desired network. The lower the metric value, the “shorter” the route is.

  Note: Metric in the routing table may differ from the real network topology. It may be modified according to the priority of each line, etc.

Create a static route

  Enable this option to make this route static. Such route will be restored automatically by WinRoute(see above). A brief description providing various information (why the route was created, etc.) about the route can be attached.

  If this option is not enabled, the route will be valid only until the operating system is restarted or until removed manually in the Administration Console or using the `route` command.

### Removing routes from the Routing Table

Using the Remove button in the WinRoute admin console, records can be removed from the routing table. The following rules are used for route removal:

- Static routes in the Static Routes folder are managed by WinRoute. Removal of any of the static routes would remove the route from the system routing table immediately and permanently (after clicking on the Apply button).

- Dynamic (system) route will be removed as well, regardless whether it was added in the Administration Console or by the `route` command. However, it is not possible to remove any route to a network which is connected to an interface.

- Persistent route of the operating system will be removed from the routing table only after restart of the operating system. Upon reboot of the operating system, it will be restored automatically. There are many methods that can be used to create persistent routes (the methods vary according to operating system — in some systems, the `route -p` or the `route` command called from an execution script can be used, etc.). It is not possible to find out how a particular persistent route was created and how it might be removed for good.

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Chapter 18 Other settings | Contents | 18.2 Universal Plug-and-Play (UPnP)