Glossary · Data, timing and communication
Store-and-forward
In systems engineering, store-and-forward is a communication method that stores information until it can be transmitted to the next system, so that data survives a temporary loss of connection.
- Data and interfaces
- Integrated systems
In one sentence
Store-and-forward keeps data until the next system can take it, so outages do not lose records, but it delivers them late and possibly out of order.
Example
An edge gateway on a remote conveyor stores energy and fault records locally during a network outage and forwards them to the plant historian once the link is back.
How it applies
- Integrated systems: Specify storage capacity, what happens when it is full, delivery order and duplicate handling. Receivers must accept late data and sort it by its original timestamp, not by arrival time.
- Functional safety: Store-and-forward suits records and monitoring, not real-time control. Forwarded data arrives late and must not be used for decisions it is too old for (stale data).
- Evidence: For logs and audit trails, store-and-forward prevents gaps during outages. Protect the stored data against tampering and loss.
Store-and-forward vs. buffering
Buffering smooths short differences in rate. Store-and-forward deliberately holds data until the next system can receive it, often across longer outages and usually in persistent storage.