An architecture that enables distributed storage capacity to be shared as though accesses were being made to a Fiber Channel Switch is described. The distributed capacity may include Fiber Channel devices and thus a method for addressing Fiber Channel devices coupled in a resilient ring has been provided. Expected Fiber Channel behavior and reliability are attained in the architecture of this invention through the application of bandwidth provisioning and extended reach mechanisms at each node in the ring. The bandwidth provisioning mechanisms ensure that access is provided to the communication links of the ring for each node according to a defined bandwidth distribution. The extended reach mechanisms of the invention ensure that the standard Fiber Channel packet delivery assumptions are satisfied. The solution exploits native ring characteristics to deliver customer separation and management of the resulting storage network. Forwarding Error Correction techniques can be used to ensure that a Bit Error Rate of the Fiber Channel communications on the ring is comparable to a Bit Error Rate of a typical Fiber Channel network.