Using Netstat from a character-based interface: Routes

If you are trying to ping an interface address and do not receive a reply, you should verify that your routes are configured and available.

Your system needs routes to send packets to other systems or hosts. The route determines the path that a packet takes to its destination. To communicate between a local and remote network, whether you are using IPv4 or IPv6 connectivity, you should have at least these two types of routes configured on the system:

• A direct route (*DIRECT) allows packets to travel between interfaces on the local network. It is automatically configured and activated by the system for each interface.

• A default route (*DFTROUTE) allows packets to travel to hosts that are not directly connected to your network. It provides a path for the packets to take. A default route identifies a specific node as a next hop to which the packets travel and then continue their trip to their final destination on a different network. The packets take the default route whenever there is no other (more specific) route matching the destination IP address.

Keep in mind that routes are unidirectional. Just because a packet from a client can get to your system does not mean that your system can send a packet to the client.

Verify that the appropriate IPv4 or IPv6 routes are configured on your system.

IPv4 routes

To display information about the IPv4 routes on your system, follow these steps:

1. Type NETSTAT or WRKTCPSTS on the command line to display the Work with Network Status menu, and then select option 2 on this menu.

2. Select option 5 (Display details) for details about a specific route.

3. If you do not have a default route configured, you should configure it now. To configure a default route, follow these steps:

   1. At the command line, type CFGTCP to access the Configure TCP/IP menu.

   2. Select option 2 (Work with TCP/IP Routes).

   3. Select option 1 (Add) to go to the Add TCP/IP Route (ADDTCPRTE) display.

   4. For the Route destination prompt, specify *DFTROUTE.

   5. For the Subnet mask prompt, specify *NONE.

   6. For the Next hop prompt, specify the appropriate IP address.

As an alternative, you can configure a default route using the New IPv4 Route wizard in iSeries™ Navigator. See the routes information for iSeries Navigator for more information.

IPv6 routes

To display information about the IPv6 routes on your system, follow these steps:

1. Type NETSTAT or WRKTCPSTS on the command line to display the Work with Network Status menu, and then select option 5 on the menu.

2. Select option 5 (Display details) for details about a specific route.

For IPv6, the Internet Protocol automatically configures default routes for each interface on the system. However, if you prefer, you can use the New IPv6 Route wizard in iSeries Navigator to create new routes yourself. See the routes information for iSeries Navigator for more information.

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Related concepts
Using Netstat from iSeries Navigator: Routes