No — that’s not quite correct 👍. Static routes and the gateway of last resort **do not require active physical connections** in order to be configured or appear in the running configuration.
Here’s what’s likely happening in your case:
**1️⃣ Second switch configuration not applying**
When you copy a config from one **Cisco 3850 stack** to another, the interface numbering depends on the *stack member IDs*.
If the production stack used switch numbers like `2/0/x` but your test stack members have different IDs (for example `1` and `3`), those interfaces won’t match and the config lines are ignored.
✅ Fix:
* Check stack numbering with:
```
show switch
```
* Either renumber the switches to match the original stack:
```
switch X renumber Y
reload
```
OR manually adjust interfaces (`Gi2/0/x → Gi1/0/x`, etc.).
So yes — you may need to edit interfaces **unless you match the stack numbering**.
---
**2️⃣ Static routes & Gateway of last resort missing**
Static routes should still be accepted even without links up. However, the **gateway of last resort only appears** when:
* A valid default route exists:
```
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 <next-hop>
```
AND
* The next-hop is reachable (or at least resolvable via an interface).
If the referenced VLAN/interface doesn’t exist, is shutdown, or its SVI has no IP, the route may not install into the routing table.
✅ Check:
```
show run | include ip route
show ip route
show ip interface brief
```
---
**✔ Key Point**
Static routes can be configured anytime, but they only show as active (and create a gateway of last resort) when the switch has a valid Layer-3 path to the next hop — not necessarily an active cable, but a valid interface/network.
If you want, share:
* `show switch`
* `show ip route`
* `show run | section interface Vlan`
