Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing fault detection to a corresponding bus when one or more of the users connected to the bus does not have a fault detection capability provided therein. Further, the present invention may provide a method and apparatus for performing fault detection on a corresponding bus when the width of the bus is insufficient to accommodate a number of parity bits. In an exemplary embodiment, a selected one of the number of users may validate all bus transmissions via a number of transceivers, regardless of which user has a fault detection capability provided therein. In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a transmitting user may provide a data word and a number of corresponding parity bits. The transmitting user may provide the data word to the bus while storing the corresponding number of parity bits therein.