What is represented by a Connected route in the routing table?

A Connected route in the routing table specifically indicates that a network is directly reachable through a local interface on the router. This means that the routing device has a direct link to the network and can communicate with devices on that network without needing to go through any intermediary routers. When an interface is configured with an IP address and is in an up state, the router will automatically recognize any network associated with that interface as a Connected route.

This routing classification is crucial for ensuring that packets destined for directly connected networks can be routed efficiently, as it indicates to the router that it can send packets directly out the corresponding interface without requiring any additional routing information. This is foundational knowledge for network routing and serves as a key building block for understanding more complex routing scenarios.