1. A method of prioritizing data transfer in a network, comprising: receiving and storing different types of data transmitted from an ethernet PHY layer in the network; distinguishing the priority of the different types of data transmitted from an ethernet PHY layer using priority data signatures to differentiate between higher priority data and lower priority data; intentionally corrupting higher priority data in transit to an ethernet MAC layer in the network to prevent the higher priority data from being processed via the ethernet MAC layer; forwarding the higher priority data to a destination address in the network without corrupting the higher priority data, such that the uncorrupted higher priority data is processed via a processing unit external to the ethernet MAC layer; and forwarding data of a lower priority to the ethernet MAC layer.