Routing Table
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 provides up-to-date version of the routing table of the operating system including so called persistent routes (routes added by the route -p command).
Dynamic and static routes can be added/removed in this section. Dynamic routes are valid only until the operating system is restarted or until removed by the route system command. Static routes are saved in WinRoute and they are restored upon each restart of the operating system.
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.
Route Types
The following route types are used in the WinRoute routing table:
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System routes routes downloaded from the operating system's routing table (including so called persistent routes). These routes cannot be edited some of them can be removed see the Removing routes from the Routing Table section).
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Static routes manually defined routes managed by WinRoute (see below). These routes can be added, modified and/or removed. The checking boxes can be used to disable routes temporarily such routes are provided in the list of inactive routes.
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VPN routes routes to VPN clients and to networks at remote endpoints of VPN tunnels (for details, see chapter Kerio VPN). These routes are created and removed dynamically upon connecting and disconnecting of VPN clients or upon creating and removing of VPN tunnels. VPN routes cannot be created, modified nor removed by hand.
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Inactive routes routes which are currently inactive are showed in a separate section. These can be static routes that are temporarily disabled, static routes via an interfaces which has been disconnected or removed from the system, etc.
Static routes
WinRoute includes a special system for creation and management of static routes in the routing table. All static routes defined in WinRoute are saved into the configuration file and upon each startup of the WinRoute Firewall Engine they are added to the system routing table. In addition to this, these routes are monitored and managed all the time WinRoute is running. This means that whenever any of these routes is removed by the route command, it is automatically added again.
Notes:
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The operating system's persistent routes are not used for implementation of static routes (for management of these routes, WinRoute uses a proprietary method).
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If a static route uses a dial-up interface (dial-up connection), any packet sent via this route activates the dial-up (detailed information is provided in chapter Demand Dial).
Definitions of Dynamic and Static Rules
Click on the Add (or Edit when a particular route is selected) button to display a dialog for route definition.
Network, 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.
Create a static route
Enable this option to make this route static. Such route will be restored automatically by WinRoute(see above). A brief description providing various information (why the route was created, etc.) about the route can be attached.
If this option is not enabled, the route will be valid only until the operating system is restarted or until removed manually in the Administration Console or using the route command.
Removing routes from the Routing Table
The following rules are used for route removal:
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Static routes in the Static Routes folder are managed by WinRoute. Removal of any of the static routes would remove the route from the system routing table immediately and permanently (after clicking on the Apply button).
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Dynamic (system) routes will be removed regardless of how they were added, whether in Kerio Administration Console or using the route command. However, it is not possible to remove any route to a network which is connected to an interface.
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Persistent route of the operating system will be removed from the routing table only after restart of the operating system. Upon reboot of the operating system, it will be restored atutomatically. 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.).
