This disclosure describes enhancements to Ethernet for use in higher performance applications like Storage, HPC, and Ethernet based fabric interconnects. This disclosure provides various mechanisms for lossless fabric enhancements with error-detection and retransmissions to improve link reliability, frame pre-emption to allow higher priority traffic over lower priority traffic, virtual channel support for deadlock avoidance by enhancing Class of service functionality defined in IEEE 802.1Q, a new header format for efficient forwarding/routing in the fabric interconnect and header CRC for reliable cut-through forwarding in the fabric interconnect. The enhancements described herein, when added to standard and/or proprietary Ethernet protocols, broadens the applicability of Ethernet to newer usage models and fabric interconnects that are currently served by alternate fabric technologies like Infiniband, Fibre Channel and/or other proprietary technologies, etc.