Using Kerio Administration Console you can view or edit the system routing table of the WinRoute host. 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 is divided into two tabs:
Routing Table — current routing table of the operating system (including so called persistent routes under Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems).
You can also add or remove dynamic routes. New dynamic routes are valid only until the operating system restart or unless removed using the route system command.
Static Routes — persistent routes refreshed by WinRoute even after restart of the operating system.
WinRoute contains a special mechanism that is used to generate and maintain static routes in the routing table. All routes defined in the Static Routes folder are stored in the configuration file and inserted into the system routing table after each startup of WinRoute Firewall Engine. These routes are monitored while WinRoute is running — if any of the routes are removed with the route command, it will be automatically reinserted by WinRoute.
Note: Persistent routes are not used for implementation of static routes as this function is not available on all operating systems.
Note: If you use a dial-up connection, then packets routed via this route dial a line (for more information refer to chapter 10.3).
Warning: Changes in the routing table might interrupt the connection between the WinRoute Firewall Engine and the Kerio Administration Console. Therefore, only experienced users with knowledge of IP routing should use this feature.
Click on the Add (or Edit when a particular route is selected) button to display a dialog for route definition.
- Description
Comment about the route. This item is available in the Static Routes folder only.
- 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.
The following rules are used for route removal:
Routes in the Static Routes folder are managed by WinRoute. Removal of any of the routes within this folder would remove the route from the system routing table immediately and permanently (after clicking on the Apply button).
Manually defined dynamic routes will be removed regardless of how they were added, whether in Kerio Administration Console or using the route command.
Persistent routes will be removed from the routing table only after restart of the operating system. It will be automatically refreshed upon reboot. 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 command can be used, etc.).