Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CCNA Practice Questions and Study Guide

The marker O*E in OSPF denotes an external route that has been redistributed into the OSPF routing domain. In OSPF, routes can be classified into different types based on their origin and how they are distributed within the routing table.

The "O" stands for OSPF and indicates that the route is recognized and processed by OSPF. The asterisk (*) signifies that this route is external, which means it originates from outside the OSPF domain and has been redistributed into OSPF. The "E" specifies that it is of the type external type 1 (E1) or external type 2 (E2), which are the two classifications for external routes in OSPF.

External routes are important because they allow OSPF to interoperate with other routing protocols and include networks not directly connected to the OSPF router. Understanding how external routes are represented and handled by OSPF is crucial for efficient routing and network design.

In summary, the marker O*E indicates an external route, specifically showing that OSPF is aware of and incorporating routing information from an outside source.