The present invention discloses a system for adjusting the speed of operation of a channel for communicating with disk drives in a multi ported system, comprising a bridge controller having a first channel and a second channel and a plurality of enclosure services modules, each having a first channel connected in sequence from a bridge controller to a first enclosure services module and successively connected to successive enclosure services modules to a last enclosure services module and each having a second channel connected in reverse sequence from the bridge controller to the last enclosure services module and successively connected to the successive enclosure services modules to the first enclosure services module. In the disclosed method for changing the speed of operation of a channel, a change speed is performed on either the first or second channel and the other of the first and second channel is used to send change speed frames from the bridge controller to each of the plurality of enclosure services modules.