The present invention describes a method and system for adjusting the rate of data transfer between a high-speed multi-channel tape drive and a slower-capability network interface. The present invention allows for selectively enabling/disabling active channels to adjust the data throughput to match the data transfer capabilities of the network interface. Such an adjustment optimizes the rate of data transfer between the system and the tape drive by reducing the amount of stop and start operations normally present in an environment where the network interface cannot support the high-speed data transfer rates of a tape drive. Such an enablement/disablement adjustment system allows for a greater range of varying data rates within the transfer.