Start

Definitions:

Parent Route

Best match
for Level 1

A level 1 route is a route with a subnet

mask equal to or less than the classful mask of
the network address.

Ultimate

A level 1 route can function as a:

Use ultimate route to

forward packet

Examine Child routes

Default route - A default route is a static route

with the address 0.0.0.0/0.
Supernet route - A supernet route is a
network address with a mask less than the
classful mask (i.e. 192.168.4.0/22).

No

Yes

Best match
for Level 2

Network route - A network route is a route

that has a subnet mask equal to that of the
classful mask (i.e. 192.168.100.0/24). A
network route can also be a parent route.

Yes

A level 2 or child route is a route that is a

subnet of a classful network address. Like a
level 1 route, the source of a level 2 route can
be a directly connected network, a static
route, or a dynamic routing protocol.

Use child route to

forward packet

No
Classful routing

An ultimate route has next-hop IP and/or an

exit interface.

Drop packet
No

Yes
Ultimate Route

Drop packet

Use ultimate route to

forward packet

End
Created by Yohandy Carrazana, Jan 2013

The Route Lookup Process

Follow these steps in the figure to see the route lookup process. Don't worry about fully understanding the steps right now. You will better
understand this process when we examine a few examples in the following sections.
Click Step 1.
The router examines level 1 routes, including network routes and supernet routes, for the best match with the destination address of the IP
packet.
Click Step 1a.
If the best match is a level 1 ultimate route - a classful network, supernet, or default route - this route is used to forward the packet.
Click Step 1b.
If the best match is a level 1 parent route, proceed to Step 2.
Click Step 2.
The router examines child routes (the subnet routes) of the parent route for a best match.
Click Step 2a.
If there is a match with a level 2 child route, that subnet will be used to forward the packet.
Click Step 2b.
If there is not a match with any of the level 2 child routes, proceed to Step 3.Click Step 3.Is the router implementing classful or classless
routing behavior?
Click Step 3a.
Classful routing behavior: If classful routing behavior is in effect, terminate the lookup process and drop the packet.
Click Step 3b.
Classless routing behavior: If classless routing behavior is in effect, continue searching level 1 supernet routes in the routing table for a match,
including the default route, if there is one.
Click Step 4.
If there is now a lesser match with a level 1 supernet or default routes, the router uses that route to forward the packet.
Click Step 5.
If there is not a match with any route in the routing table, the router drops the packet.
Classful and classless routing behavior will be discussed in more detail in a later section.
Note: A route referencing only a next-hop IP address and not an exit interface must be resolved to a route with an exit interface. A recursive
lookup is performed on the next-hop IP address until the route is resolved to an exit interface.