On MikroTik routers, routes in the routing table can be identified by their type and origin. Each route has an attribute that indicates how it was learned or configured.

In the case of OSPF and static routes, you can easily differentiate them by looking at the prefix that each one carries in the routing table in RouterOS, MikroTik's operating system.

Distinguishing OSPF Routes from Static Routes in MikroTik:

1. Access RouterOS: You can do this through WinBox, WebFig, or SSH to access the command line interface.
2. Go to the routing table:
   • In WinBox, go to IP -> Routes. Here you will see a list of all the routes.
   • On the command line, you can enter the command /ip route print.
3. Identifies the route prefix:
   • Static routes They are generally marked with a S at the beginning of the route in the routing table.
   • OSPF routes are identified by a O at the beginning. This indicates that the route was learned through the OSPF protocol.

Command line example:

When you use the command /ip route print, you will get an output that includes multiple columns like Dst. Address, Gateway, Distance, Scope, Target Scope, and Flags. In the column of Flags, you'll find:

• S for static routes.
• O for OSPF routes.
• Also, you could see others like D for dynamic routes (learned through other routing protocols), C for connected routes, etc.

Additional considerations:

• Administrative Distance: OSPF and static routes can also be differentiated by their “distance” (administrative distance). By default, static routes have a distance of 1 in MikroTik, while OSPF routes have a default configured distance that can vary depending on the OSPF specification, but is commonly 110. This distance can be adjusted depending on the routing policy. of the network.
• Configuration: You can configure or adjust static and OSPF routes based on your network needs, including changing the administrative distance to influence route preference.

Understanding these indicators will help you manage and diagnose routing behaviors in your network, facilitating optimization and troubleshooting in the configuration of your MikroTik network.