The server selects the most specific route available for outgoing IP packets. The host route is the most specific, as it targets a specific computer on the network. The network route is the next most specific, as it targets a specific network. A gateway is the least specific route. Therefore, if a server finds a host route for an outgoing IP packet, it selects that route over a network route or gateway. Similarly, when a host route is not available, the server selects a corresponding network route or, in the absence of host and network routes, the server sends the packet to a default gateway.