what are these routes for?

C:\Documents and Settings\at least one name>route print
===========================================================================
Interface List
0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
0x2 ...00 11 09 5c f9 81 ...... Realtek RTL8169/8110 Family Gigabit Ethernet NIC
- Packet Scheduler Miniport
0x3 ...00 11 09 5c f9 82 ...... NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller #4 - Packet
Scheduler Miniport
===========================================================================
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 10.0.0.2 10.0.0.7 2
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 10.0.0.3 10.0.0.15 1
10.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.7 10.0.0.7 2
10.0.0.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.15 10.0.0.15 1
10.0.0.7 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 2
10.0.0.15 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
10.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 10.0.0.7 10.0.0.7 2
10.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 10.0.0.15 10.0.0.15 1
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 10.0.0.7 10.0.0.7 2
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 10.0.0.15 10.0.0.15 1
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 10.0.0.7 10.0.0.7 1
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 10.0.0.15 10.0.0.15 1
Default Gateway: 10.0.0.3
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
None

C:\Documents and Settings\at least one name>
what are the ones in bold for? i know that the first 2 are for connecting to the world from both my 10.0.0.7 and 10.0.0.15 interfaces , via gateways 10.0.0.2 and 10.0.0.3 respectively, and 3 and 4 are the interfaces acting as gateways to my local lan, the next two are about broadcasting because of the 10.255.255.255 address... and the next one is the special loopback or something because its 127.0.0.x , but what are the ones with the strange (240) netmasks about?

Those are multicast addresses

www.freesoft.org/CIE/RFC/1700/5.htm

Hello carmatic,
224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 are class D Ip address which are used for multicasteing i.e sending multiple copies of same Information to multiple recievers.

Your Frd,
Balli

........and if anyone's interested in reading up on the multicast ip list .....simply click and read on the following url: www.firewall.cx/multicast-ip-list.php :)


Cheers!