Final answer:
The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is a method used to verify data integrity in digital networks and storage devices. It is performed by both the sender and the receiver to ensure data has not been altered during transmission, with mismatches leading to dropped frames.
Step-by-step explanation:
The cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is a data verification method used to detect accidental changes to raw data in digital networks and storage devices. CRC is prevalent in a range of fields related to computer science and engineering, particularly in network communications and data storage integrity. When a data frame is sent over a network, the CRC is calculated on the sending side using a polynomial division of the frame's content. Upon receipt, the same calculation is performed again. If the resulting CRC value matches the CRC value in the trailer of the received frame, the data integrity is considered intact, confirming that the frame has not been altered during transmission. However, if the values do not match, this suggests that an error has occurred during transit, leading the system to drop the frame to prevent corrupted data from propagating through the network.