IP Source Routing

Table 1. IP Source Routing product support

Feature

Product

Release introduced

For configuration details, see VOSS User Guide.

IP Source Routing enable or disable

5520 Series

VOSS 8.2.5

VSP 4450 Series

VOSS 5.1

VSP 4900 Series

VOSS 8.1

VSP 7200 Series

VOSS 5.1

VSP 7400 Series

VOSS 8.0

VSP 8200 Series

VOSS 5.1

VSP 8400 Series

VOSS 5.1

VSP 8600 Series

VSP 8600 4.5

XA1400 Series

Not Supported

IP Source Routing allows the sender of a packet to specify the route that the packet must travel through the network. When the Source Route option is not enabled, the router chooses the primary routing path to send the packets. If IP Source Routing flag is on, the source host dictates the datapath for the packet to reach the destination using the information contained in the IP header.

The routing behavior in VSP 8600 Series is controlled by the datapath specified, and not by status of the IP Source Route. VSP 8600 Series inspects the packets only if the router itself is specified in the Source Routing. Otherwise, the switch forwards the packets to another router in the network using IP Routing, whether or not IP Source Route is enabled. You can use an ACL filter to block the datapath from forwarding any IP Source Routing packets.

IP Source Routing is considered as a security risk because it allows the users to specify their own path through the network outside of the primary forwarding path. This can cause packets to bypass the security devices. Therefore, the Source Routing is disabled by default.