System and method for transferring data packets through a communication system

A communication system, network, interface, and port architecture are provided for transporting data across a network. The network can be arranged by connecting the ports in a daisy chain fashion to achieve a ring architecture or topology. The network forwards data according to a specific network protocol. A first port forwards frames having a preemptive acknowledge field before the payload. A second port receives these frames, stores them in a frame buffer and modifies the preemptive acknowledge field according to its available frame buffer capacity. Said first port controls its data flow according to the modified preemptive acknowledge field.