What information is required by a router to successfully route packets?

To route a packet, usually an IP packet, a router compares the destination address to its (the router's) routing table. The router can get entries (rows) in its routing table in three different ways: (1) directly connected networks; (2) static routes (the route was configured manually by an administrator); (3) dynamic routes (the router learned available routes from a neighboring router, using a routing protocol such as RIP or OSPF).