What does the OSPF neighbor table entry indicate during the Init State?

In the OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) protocol, the neighbor table is crucial for establishing and maintaining relationships between routers in the same area. When a router is in the Init state, it indicates that it has received Hello packets from a neighbor but has not yet received a Hello packet from that neighbor that includes its own router ID.

During this state, the neighbor has been detected, but the establishment of a full adjacency has not occurred yet. The entry for the neighbor will show that a Hello packet has been received, confirming the presence of that neighbor on the network. The neighbor can be considered as "seen" but not fully operational, since the process to form a complete neighbor adjacency involves more stages (such as the 2-Way state and subsequently towards the Full state).

Thus, the indication of an entry being added for received Hello packets distinctly correlates with the Init state, as the router is simply acknowledging the other router’s presence based on the Hello messages exchanged. This process is fundamental to OSPF's operation, ensuring that the routers can identify and interact with one another appropriately.