NAME

routes − Specifies Internet routing information to the routing tables

SYNOPSIS

/etc/routes

DESCRIPTION

Static routes can be defined in the /etc/routes file.  The /etc/routes file identifies static routes that are automatically added to the network routing tables with the /usr/sbin/route add command.  The /sbin/init.d/route script contains the /usr/sbin/route add command that is executed for each entry in the /etc/routes file when the network is restarted on the system or the system is rebooted. 

The general format of an entry in the /etc/routes file is:

Dest Name1 Name2

The following is a brief description of each element in an /etc/routes file entry:

DestA keyword that indicates whether the route is to a network or to a host. The two possible keywords are -net and -host. 

Name1The name or address of the destination network or host.  Name1 can be either a symbolic name (as used in the /etc/hosts or /etc/networks file) or an Internet address specified in dotted-decimal format. 

Name2The name or address of the gateway host to which messages should be forwarded.  Name2 can be either a symbolic name (as used in the /etc/hosts file) or an Internet address specified in dotted-decimal format. 

The routes file is a Context-Dependent Symbolic Link (CDSL) and must be maintained as such.  See the System Administration manual for more information. 

EXAMPLES

     1.To specify a route to a network through a gateway host with an entry in the /etc/routes file, enter:

-net net2 host4

This example specifies a route to a network, net2, through the gateway host4. 

     2.To specify a route to a host through a gateway host with an entry in the /etc/routes file, enter:

-host host2 host4

This example specifies a route to a host, host2, through the gateway host4. 

     3.To specify a route to a default gateway host with an entry in the /etc/routes file, enter:

default 130.9.0.5

This example specifies a route to a default gateway with an Internet address of 130.9.0.5. 

FILES

/sbin/init.d/route
Contains the /usr/sbin/routed add command. 

RELATED INFORMATION

Commands: route(8)

Daemons: gated(8), routed(8)

Files: gated.conf(4)

Network Administration