Although IP helper addressing is useful in networks that do not require redundancy, when configured in networks that feature redundancy, IP helper addressing results in packet duplication that severely reduces router and network performance.
By configuring UDP flooding, one router forwards UDP traffic without burdening the second router with duplicate packets. By dedicating one router to the task of forwarding UDP traffic, the second router becomes available for forwarding unicast traffic. At the same time, because each router is configured as the backup for the other router, redundancy is maintained; if either router fails, the other router can assume the work of the failed router without intervention from an operator. When compared with IP helper addressing, UDP flooding makes the most efficient use of router resources.