The Brocade Developer Program is divided into multiple focus areas to help organize available resources into the most common areas of interest. Developer partners receive access to the resources in all of the focus areas automatically. The focus areas include the following components:

The Brocade Data Center Ready program, previously called the Fabric Aware program, is a comprehensive testing and configuration initiative that fosters end-to-end SAN interoperability. This focus area provides developers with the resources and tools needed to verify a products compatibility with Brocade-based networks.

To receive Data Center Ready status, a partner's solution must successfully complete a rigorous set of tests in SAN configurations that comprise a heterogeneous mix of servers, storage subsystems, Brocade fabric switches, and SAN management and enterprise applications. Brocade maintains a dedicated lab with large, SAN fabrics to test and validate partner solutions.

For partners creating network applications, such as SAN management tools, the SMI Developer resources help you leverage the standardized Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S). In particular, you receive access to the Brocade SMI Agent, corresponding documentation, and other essential resources.