What does the metric in the routing table indicate?

The metric in a routing table is a crucial value used by routing protocols to determine the best path for data to travel through a network. It essentially serves as a measure of the quality and efficiency of a route. A lower metric value usually indicates a more favorable path, as metrics can reflect various parameters such as bandwidth, delay, reliability, and load. Different routing protocols may use different methods to calculate the metric, but the underlying principle remains focused on determining the most optimal route for packet delivery.

While speed of the interface, status of ISDN connections, and type of installed hardware are important factors in networking, they do not directly pertain to the metric itself. The metric specifically evaluates the quality of paths to reach a destination, making it a key component of route selection in dynamic routing protocols.