An Ethernet switch includes an Ethernet processing system. Layer two (L2) forwarding tables are provided with the Ethernet processing system, and a memory system is coupled to the Ethernet processing system and includes Ethernet processing system software. A control subsystem establishes communication with the Ethernet processing system and modifies the L2 forwarding tables by removing default Ethernet entries, adding Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) formatted FC well know addresses (WKAs), and setting the one or more L2 forwarding tables to remain persistent. The control subsystem also instructs the Ethernet processing system to forward FC control frames to the control subsystem, and replaces first link state instructions in the Ethernet processing system software with second link state instructions to change Ethernet behavior to FC behavior. The control subsystem may then process FC information in received FCoE format Ethernet frames.