Source: Absolute FreeBSD: The Complete Guide to FreeBSD, 2nd Edition by Michael W. Lucas (2008)
Example:
Every switch manufacturer must decide how to handle subtle errors. Either the switch can shut down until it is attended to, or it can attempt to alert its manager and continue forwarding packets to the best of its ability. If you're a vendor, the choice is obvious—you stumble along as best you can, so that your customers don't think that your switches are crap.
Not sure what that means...