Dell Storage Manager 2020 R1 Administrator's Guide

Managing Static Routes

To minimize hops between routers, static routes are recommended in routed networks when the FluidFS cluster has multiple direct paths to various routers. Static routes allow you to configure the exact paths through which the system communicates with various clients on a routed network.

Consider the network shown in the following figure. The system can have only one default gateway. Assume that router X is designated as the default gateway. Packets that are sent to clients in subnet Y are routed to router X, and are then sent back (through the switch) to router Y. These packets travel through router X needlessly, reducing the throughput to all subnets in the network.

The solution is to define, in addition to a default gateway, a specific gateway for certain subnets by configuring static routes. To configure these routes, you must describe each subnet in your network and identify the most suitable gateway to access that subnet.

Static routes do not have to be designated for the entire network—a default gateway is most suitable when performance is not an issue. You can select when and where to use static routes to best meet performance needs.