Overview; Ip Addressing - HP ProCurve Secure 7000dl Series Basic Management And Configuration Manual

IP Routing—Configuring Static Routes

Overview

Overview
Unlike a simple switch, a router can route a packet from one network to
another. When the ProCurve Secure Router receives a packet, it matches the
packet's destination address to a route in its routing table. This route specifies
the interface through which the router must forward the packet in order for
the packet to reach its destination.
This chapter describes the ProCurve Secure Router's routing table and
explains how to add static routes to this table. In this chapter you will also
learn how to configure a default route. In a small network with a single WAN
connection, static and default routes provide the simplest and most reliable
configuration for IP routing.
The ProCurve Secure Router also supports several routing protocols that
allow the router to discover routing information from other routers. You
should implement at least one of these protocols when your network has a
large or complicated topology. Chapter 13: IP Routing—Configuring RIP,
OSPF, BGP, and PBR in the Advanced Management and Configuration
Guide describes how to configure these protocols.
Before configuring routing, you should understand the basics of IP addressing
and networks. You should also understand how a router uses its routing table
to forward traffic.

IP Addressing

Devices route packets by looking at their Layer 3 headers, typically their IP
headers. (Currently, the ProCurve Secure Router only routes IP traffic.)
A packet's IP header contains a field for its source address and a field for its
destination address. The router reads the destination IP address to determine
where it should forward the packet.
An IP address is a field that uniquely identifies a host or device in the Internet
or other network. In IP version 4 (IPv4) this field is 32 bits. A 32-bit IP address
divides into four 8-bit octets. Typically, you will see IP addresses written in
digital form. Therefore, IP address 11000000.10101000.000101101.01100011 is
usually written as 192.168.45.99.
11-3