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IPv6Privileged EXEC

show ipv6 route

Displays the IPv6 routing table on a Cisco router, showing all known IPv6 routes and their next-hop information for troubleshooting and verification of IPv6 routing.

Syntax·Privileged EXEC
show ipv6 route

When to Use This Command

  • Verify that a specific IPv6 route is present in the routing table after configuring static or dynamic routing.
  • Troubleshoot IPv6 connectivity issues by checking if a route to a destination network exists.
  • Monitor the routing table to see which routes are learned via OSPFv3 or EIGRP for IPv6.
  • Check for default IPv6 routes or specific routes to ensure proper traffic forwarding.

Command Examples

Basic show ipv6 route output

show ipv6 route
IPv6 Routing Table - default - 5 entries
Codes: C - Connected, L - Local, S - Static, U - Per-user Static route
       B - BGP, R - RIP, I1 - ISIS L1, I2 - ISIS L2
       IA - ISIS interarea, IS - ISIS summary, D - EIGRP
       EX - EIGRP external, ND - ND Default, NDp - ND Prefix
       O - OSPF Intra, OI - OSPF Inter, OE1 - OSPF ext 1, OE2 - OSPF ext 2
       ON1 - OSPF NSSA ext 1, ON2 - OSPF NSSA ext 2

C   2001:DB8:1:1::/64 [0/0]
     via GigabitEthernet0/0, directly connected
L   2001:DB8:1:1::1/128 [0/0]
     via GigabitEthernet0/0, receive
S   2001:DB8:2:2::/64 [1/0]
     via 2001:DB8:1:1::2
O   2001:DB8:3:3::/64 [110/2]
     via 2001:DB8:1:1::2, 00:10:23, GigabitEthernet0/0
NDp FE80::/10 [0/0]
     via Null0, directly connected

The output shows the IPv6 routing table. The first line indicates the table name and number of entries. The codes legend explains route sources. Each route entry includes: code (C=Connected, L=Local, S=Static, O=OSPF), prefix/length, administrative distance/metric in brackets, and next-hop information. For directly connected routes, it shows the interface. For static or dynamic routes, it shows next-hop IPv6 address, optional age (for OSPF), and outgoing interface.

Show IPv6 route for a specific prefix

show ipv6 route 2001:DB8:2:2::/64
Routing entry for 2001:DB8:2:2::/64
  Known via "static", distance 1, metric 0
  Route count: 1/0, advertising count: 0
  Last updated 00:05:23 ago
  Routing Descriptor Blocks:
  * 2001:DB8:1:1::2, via GigabitEthernet0/0
      Route metric is 0, traffic share count is 1

This shows detailed information for a specific route. It includes the route source (static), administrative distance (1), metric (0), last update time, and the next-hop address with outgoing interface. The asterisk indicates the active next-hop.

Understanding the Output

The 'show ipv6 route' command displays the IPv6 routing table. The first line shows the table name and total number of routes. The codes legend defines abbreviations for route sources (C=Connected, L=Local, S=Static, O=OSPF, etc.). Each route entry begins with a code letter, followed by the IPv6 prefix and prefix length. In brackets, the first number is the administrative distance (trustworthiness) and the second is the metric (cost). For directly connected routes, the next-hop shows 'directly connected' with the interface. For remote routes, it shows the next-hop IPv6 address, optionally an age (for OSPF), and the outgoing interface. The 'via' keyword indicates the next-hop. A good routing table has routes for all expected networks with appropriate AD and metric. Missing routes or high metrics may indicate problems. Watch for 'NDp' (Neighbor Discovery prefix) entries which are automatically added for link-local addresses.

CCNA Exam Tips

1.

CCNA exam tip: Remember that 'show ipv6 route' is the IPv6 equivalent of 'show ip route' and uses similar codes but with IPv6-specific additions like ND and NDp.

2.

CCNA exam tip: The administrative distance for static IPv6 routes defaults to 1, same as IPv4. OSPFv3 uses AD 110.

3.

CCNA exam tip: In the exam, you may be asked to identify the route source from the code letter (e.g., 'O' for OSPF, 'S' for static).

4.

CCNA exam tip: Be able to interpret the output to determine the next-hop address and outgoing interface for a given route.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Confusing 'show ipv6 route' with 'show ip route' — the IPv6 command is specific to IPv6 and will not show IPv4 routes.

Mistake 2: Misinterpreting the 'NDp' code as a problem — NDp entries are normal for link-local prefixes.

Mistake 3: Forgetting that directly connected routes have an AD of 0 and metric of 0, and that local routes (L) are /128 for the interface address.

Related Commands

show ip route

Displays the current IP routing table on a Cisco router, used to verify routes, check next-hop addresses, and troubleshoot connectivity issues.

show ipv6 ospf

Displays general information about OSPFv3 (IPv6 OSPF) routing processes, including router ID, areas, and interfaces, used to verify OSPFv3 configuration and operation.

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