Knowledge Base

1. Open a console to the ESXi or ESX host. For more information, see  Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.x (1017910) or Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (1003677).
2. In ESXi 4.x and 5.0, run the command:
   
   esxcfg-route -a target_network_IP netmask default_gateway
   
   For example, to add a route to the 192.168.100.0 network with a /24 bit subnet mask (255.255.255.0) through a router with an IP address of 192.168.0.1, run one of these commands:
   
   
   • esxcfg-route -a 192.168.100.0/24 192.168.0.1
     
     Or
     
     
   • esxcfg-route -a 192.168.100.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
   
   Note: In ESXi 5.0, static routes are not persistent across reboots. To ensure that any added static routes are persistent, add the command to the /etc/rc.local file. For more information, see Modifying the rc.local or sh.local file in ESX/ESXi to execute commands while booting (2043564).
   
   In ESXi 5.1, run the command:
   
   esxcli network ip route ipv4/ipv6 add --gateway IPv4_address_of_router --network IPv4_address
   
   For example, to add a route to 192.168.100.0 network with a /24 bit subnet mask (255.255.255.0) through a router with an IP address of 192.168.0.1, run this command:
   
   esxcli network ip route ipv4 add --gateway 192.168.0.1 --network 192.168.100.0/24
   
   
3. When finished, check the host's current routing table with the esxcfg-route -l command. Any static routes display in the output.

Note: The Host Profile feature in vCenter Server will not save or apply static routes with ESXi 5.0 and 4.x hosts. In ESXi 5.1, any manually configured static routes will be saved or applied using Host Profiles. In order for this functionality to work correctly, the static routes must be added by the process outlined in steps 1-3, then a host profile created from the host. This profile can then be applied to other hosts, which will include the static routes.