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Store-and-forward is how industrial Ethernet switches process network traffic. The switch receives the entire incoming frame, checks it for errors using the CRC checksum, and only then forwards it to the correct output port. Corrupted frames are dropped here rather than being forwarded and causing problems downstream.
The alternative – cut-through switching – starts forwarding before the frame is fully received, which gives lower latency but propagates error frames. Industrial switches default to store-and-forward because network integrity matters more than microseconds of latency in control environments.
- CRC check on every frame catches errors caused by cable faults, EMI, and collisions
- Latency penalty is below 10 microseconds – negligible for SCADA and industrial control applications
- Corrupt frames are discarded silently rather than forwarded and retransmitted multiple times
- Cut-through switching is an option on some industrial switches for extremely latency-sensitive applications