A static route specifies where to forward packets that have a particular destination IP
address. Static routes control traffic exiting the FortiGate unit—you can specify
through which interface the packet will leave and to which device the packet should be
routed.

You configure routes by defining the destination IP address and netmask of packets
that the FortiGate unit is intended to intercept, and specifying a (gateway) IP address
for those packets. The gateway address specifies the next hop router to which traffic
will be routed.

You can decrease the distance value of a static route to indicate that the route is
preferable compared to another static route that specifies a different gateway to the
same destination network. Routes having lower administrative distances are
preferable and are selected first when two or more routes to the same destination
network are available.

The FortiGate unit routes packets using a best match algorithm (the order of static
routes in the list is ignored). To select a route for a packet, the FortiGate unit checks
the destination address of the packet and searches through the routing table for the
best matching destination address. If a match is found, the packet is forwarded to the
specified gateway. If no match is found, the FortiGate unit routes the packet to the
gateway specified in the default route. The value 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0 (all destinations) is
reserved for the default route. To route packets according to the default route, you
must specify a gateway address and outbound interface for the default route.