SMC Networks SMC7204BRA manual Overview of IP Routes, Using IP routes to define default gateways

Overview of IP Routes

Using IP routes to define default gateways

IP routes are defined on computers, routers, and other IP-enabled devices to instruct them which hop to take, or which gateway to use, to help forward data along to its specified destination.

If no IP route is defined for a destination, then IP data is passed to a predetermined default gateway. The default gateway serves like a higher-level telephone switchboard; it may not be able to connect directly to the destination, but it will know a set of other devices that can help pass the data intelligently. If it cannot determine which of these devices provides a good next hop (because no such route has been defined), then that device will forward the data to its default gateway. Eventually, a high- level device, using a predefined IP route, will be able to forward the data along a path to its destination.

Do I need to define IP routes?

Most users do not need to define IP routes. On a typical small home or office LAN, the existing routes that set up the default gateways for your LAN computers and for the ADSL Barricade provide the most appropriate path for all your Internet traffic.

•On your LAN computers, a default gateway directs all Internet traffic to the LAN port on the ADSL Barricade. Your LAN computers know their default gateway either because you assigned it to them when you modified their TCP/IP properties, or because you configured them to receive the information dynamically from a server whenever they access the Internet. (Each of these processes is described in Quick Start, Configuring Your Computers.)

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