Which switching method relies on the CRC value to ensure data integrity?

The store-and-forward switching method relies on the CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) value to ensure data integrity. In this method, a switch receives the entire frame before it forwards it to the destination. When a frame is received, the switch checks the CRC value to determine if the frame has been corrupted during transmission. If the CRC value indicates that the frame is error-free, the switch then forwards the frame to the appropriate port.

This approach enhances reliability and data integrity because it prevents the forwarding of corrupted frames that could disrupt network communication. In contrast, cut-through switching, for example, starts forwarding the frame as soon as it reads the destination address, which means it does not check the CRC before sending the frame on, potentially forwarding corrupt data. Fragment-free switching typically examines the first 64 bytes of a frame to avoid collisions but does not perform a full CRC check. VLAN switching, on the other hand, focuses on the segmentation of networks into virtual LANs and does not inherently relate to the method of integrity checking based on CRC values.