How to add Persistent Static Route from Command Prompt on Windows XP/Vista/2000

We can add static Route from Command Prompt on Windows and it applicable to Windows Xp, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1 and Windows Server 2003 with SP2. You have to open command Prompt and use below command syntax.

To open Command Prompt, Right click on Command Prompt and select run as Administrator, After that you can add a Static Route.

Static Route Command Syntax:

ROUTE [-f] [-p] [command [destination] [MASK netmask] [gateway] [METRIC metric] [IF interface]

With help command , you can find the below details.

C:\Users>route ?

Manipulates network routing tables.

ROUTE [-f] [-p] [-4|-6] command [destination][MASK netmask]  [gateway] [METRIC metric]  [IF interface]

-f           Clears the routing tables of all gateway entries.  If this is used in conjunction with one of the commands, the tables are

cleared prior to running the command.

-p           When used with the ADD command, makes a route persistent across boots of the system. By default, routes are not preserved

when the system is restarted. Ignored for all other commands, which always affect the appropriate persistent routes. This

option is not supported in Windows 95.

-4           Force using IPv4.

-6           Force using IPv6.

command      One of these:

PRINT     Prints  a route

ADD       Adds    a route

DELETE    Deletes a route

CHANGE    Modifies an existing route

destination  Specifies the host.

MASK         Specifies that the next parameter is the ‘netmask’ value.

netmask      Specifies a subnet mask value for this route entry.

If not specified, it defaults to 255.255.255.255.

gateway      Specifies gateway.

interface    the interface number for the specified route.

METRIC       specifies the metric, ie. cost for the destination.

All symbolic names used for destination are looked up in the network database

file NETWORKS. The symbolic names for gateway are looked up in the host name

database file HOSTS.

 

If the command is PRINT or DELETE. Destination or gateway can be a wildcard,

(wildcard is specified as a star ‘*’), or the gateway argument may be omitted.

 

If Dest contains a * or ?, it is treated as a shell pattern, and only

matching destination routes are printed. The ‘*’ matches any string,

and ‘?’ matches any one char. Examples: 157.*.1, 157.*, 127.*, *224*.

 

Pattern match is only allowed in PRINT command.

Diagnostic Notes:

Invalid MASK generates an error, that is when (DEST & MASK) != DEST.

 

Example for Adding  a static Route from Command Prompt

Example> route ADD 157.0.0.0 MASK 155.0.0.0 157.55.80.1 IF 1

The route addition failed: The specified mask parameter is invalid. (Destination & Mask) != Destination.

Examples:

> route PRINT

> route PRINT -4

> route PRINT -6

> route PRINT 157*          …. Only prints those matching 157*

> route ADD 157.0.0.0 MASK 255.0.0.0  157.55.80.1 METRIC 3 IF 2

destination^      ^mask      ^gateway     metric^    Interface^

If IF is not given, it tries to find the best interface for a given gateway.

> route ADD 3ffe::/32 3ffe::1

> route CHANGE 157.0.0.0 MASK 255.0.0.0 157.55.80.5 METRIC 2 IF 2

CHANGE is used to modify gateway and/or metric only.

> route DELETE 157.0.0.0

> route DELETE 3ffe::/32

DELETE is used to Delete entire added static route

For example, to add a static route to the 10.0.0.0 network that uses a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0, a gateway of 192.168.0.1, and a cost metric of 2, you type the following at a command prompt:
C:\Users>route add 10.0.0.0 mask 255.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 metric 2

OK!

C:\Users>

Verify Added Static Routes

Use below command to find our added static routes:

C:\Users>route print

=======================================================

Interface List

11…6c f0 49 c4 86 c6 ……Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller

1………………………Software Loopback Interface 1

14…00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter

12…00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft 6to4 Adapter

13…00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft 6to4 Adapter #2

===================================================

IPv4 Route Table

===================================================

Active Routes:

Network Destination        Netmask          Gateway       Interface  Metric

0.0.0.0          0.0.0.0        10.90.8.1      10.90.9.159     20

10.0.0.0        255.0.0.0      192.168.0.1      10.90.9.159     22

10.90.8.0    255.255.252.0         On-link       10.90.9.159    276

10.90.9.159  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.90.9.159    276

10.90.11.255  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.90.9.159    276

127.0.0.0        255.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306

127.0.0.1  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306

127.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306

224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link         127.0.0.1    306

224.0.0.0        240.0.0.0         On-link       10.90.9.159    276

255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link         127.0.0.1    306

255.255.255.255  255.255.255.255         On-link       10.90.9.159    276

======================================================

Persistent Routes:

None

 

IPv6 Route Table

=====================================================

Active Routes:

If Metric Network Destination      Gateway

1    306 ::1/128                  On-link

1    306 ff00::/8                 On-link

======================================================

Persistent Routes:

None