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Common routing problems

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Common routing problems

What problem are you having?

The server running Routing and Remote Access is not properly forwarding traffic.

Cause:  The Routing and Remote Access service is not running.

Solution:  Verify that the Routing and Remote Access service is running.

See also:  Determine the status of the Routing and Remote Access service

Cause:  Routing is not enabled.

Solution:  Verify that routing is enabled.

See also:  Enable LAN and WAN routing

Cause:  IP routing is not enabled.

Solution:  Verify that IP routing is enabled on the IP tab for the properties of the server.

See also:  View properties of the remote access server

Cause:  The router is not receiving routes from routing protocols.

Solution:  Verify whether the router is receiving routes from routing protocols.

For example, in the IP routing table, the Protocol column shows how the route was learned. If the Protocol column lists RIP or OSPF (or anything other than Local), then the router is receiving routes.

See also:  Determine whether the router is receiving routes; Understanding the IP routing table

Cause:  The proper routing protocols are not enabled on the proper interfaces.

Solution:  Verify that the proper routing protocols are enabled on the proper interfaces.

In Routing and Remote Access, you can click IP Routing to see what routing protocols are installed. You can then click a routing protocol to see what interfaces are using that routing protocol.

For an interface running OSPF, you must verify that OSPF is enabled on that interface. This feature is not available on the Itanium-based versions of the Windows operating systems. This content is not available in this preliminary release.

See also:  Verify that OSPF is enabled

Cause:  Your TCP/IP configuration is incorrect.

Solution:  Verify your TCP/IP configuration by using the ipconfig command.

Unlike hosts, routers are typically configured with a static TCP/IP configuration rather than by using DHCP. Verify that you are using the correct subnet mask for your environment. To verify that you are using the correct subnet mask, you can use the ping command to try to ping hosts on your network segment and your neighboring routers.

See also:  Using the ping command

Cause:  Your default route configuration is incorrect.

Solution:  Verify your default route configuration.

Unlike hosts, routers are not normally configured with a default gateway. Instead, a default route is used to forward all traffic with an unknown destination. If default routing is to be used on the router, a default route is either learned through routing protocols or configured on the router. If a default route is not being learned through routing protocols (for example, when you connect a network to the Internet), you should configure a static default route on the router.

For a statically configured default route, you need to check the configuration to make sure the route is using the correct interface. If the interface being used is a LAN interface, such as Ethernet or token ring, the Gateway IP address for the route must be a directly reachable IP address on the same network as the selected interface.

See also:  Add a default static IP route

To reset Routing and Remote Access back to default values, see Reset the Routing and Remote Access service.