Dell PowerConnect 8100 CLI Reference Guide - Page 1057

48 IP Routing Commands The Routing Module provides the base Layer 3 support for Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) environments. The PowerConnect switches allows the network operator to build a complete Layer 3+ configuration with advanced functionality. As the PowerConnect defaults to Layer 2 switching functionality, routing must be explicitly enabled on the PowerConnect to perform Layer 3 forwarding. For PowerConnect switches, routing is only supported on VLAN and Loopback interfaces for inband ports. It is not possible to route packets to or from the out-of-band interface. Static Routes/ECMP Static Routes The operator is able to configure static and default routes with multiple next hops to any given destination. Permitting the additional routes creates several options for the PowerConnect network operator. 1 The operator configures multiple next hops to a given destination, intending for the router to load share across the next hops. 2 The operator configures multiple next hops to a given destination, intending for the router to use the primary next hops and only use the other next hops if the primary next hops are unusable. The operator distinguishes static routes by specifying a route preference value. A static route with a lower preference value is a more preferred static route. Next hops with the same preference are grouped into a single ECMP route. A less preferred static route is used if the more preferred static route is unusable. (The link is down or the next hop IP address cannot be resolved to a MAC address.) In PowerConnect, the operator deletes an individual next hop from a static route or deletes an entire static route at once. The cost of a static route is always 0. The addition of a preference option has a side benefit. The preference option allows the operator to control the preference of individual static routes relative to routes learned from other sources (such as OSPF). When routes IP Routing Commands 1057