Welcome, students! As many of you know from my CCNA classes in Dubai, routing is the backbone of any network. While dynamic protocols like OSPF or EIGRP are powerful, static routes remain a critical skill for any network engineer. Today, we are diving into a specific type of static route: the Floating Static Route.

What is a Floating Route?

A Floating Static Route is essentially a “backup” route. It is configured with a higher Administrative Distance (AD) than the primary route. Because routers prefer the path with the lower AD, the floating route sits silently in the routing table, “floating” in the background, unused until the primary route fails.

Why Use Floating Routes?

• Redundancy: Provides an instant backup path if the main link goes down.
• Cost Efficiency: You can use a cheaper, slower link as a backup that only activates when necessary.
• Control: Gives the network administrator full control over traffic flow during failover scenarios.

Configuration Example

Let’s look at a typical scenario in our Dubai lab. We want a static route to take over only if OSPF fails. We set the AD to 130 (higher than OSPF’s 110).

In the command above, 130 is the magic number. Because 130 > 110 (OSPF), the router will ignore this route unless OSPF disappears from the routing table.

Join CCNA Guru in Dubai

Mastering these concepts is the difference between a junior technician and a skilled network engineer. If you are looking to pass your CCNA certification or advance your career in IT, join my expert-led classes here in Dubai. We provide hands-on lab experience just like this to ensure you are ready for the real world.