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Simplified IT economics with a new cloud-optimized network acquisition model.
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The Brocade Difference
- Brocade technical education solutions provide the gold standard of education, providing the knowledge and skills IT staff need to optimize their company's technology investments.
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Curriculum Paths
Certification & Accreditation
- Brocade's Certification Program helps IT professionals distinguish themselves by demonstrating expertise in implementing industry-leading technology used in real-world networking environments.
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OEM Partners
- Brocade solutions are available worldwide through Brocade OEM Partners which include leading server and storage systems providers.
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Investor Relations
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Customer References
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Going Green with Brocade
Brocade is supporting the development of green data centers with products and programs designed to improve energy efficiency.
Executive Blogs
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Compatibility
Brocade offers the highest level of fabric switching and device compatibility, helping organizations maximize the value of their data center infrastructure investments.
True compatibility, or interoperability, is possible only through extensive testing, a broad range of partnerships, and the right technology. Because Brocade supports native fabric interoperability throughout its comprehensive family of SAN backbones, directors, and switches, organizations can expand their existing fabrics and build new SANs in the most seamless, efficient, and supportable manner possible. This level of compatibility means that host and/or storage nodes communicate using interconnected Fibre Channel switches from multiple vendors.
Interoperability within a SAN today is commonplace, since no single vendor provides switches, storage nodes, and host nodes (HBAs). In fact, virtually every SAN has more than one HBA vendor and multiple storage vendors (a disk vendor and a tape vendor or two different disk vendors, for example). Moreover, SAN device interoperability is well understood: SAN vendors provide compatibility matrix documents and have extensive experience designing, implementing, managing, and troubleshooting heterogeneous fabrics.
Brocade performs rigorous compatibility testing of its products with those from leading OEMs, strategic partners, and system integrators. In addition to testing, Brocade maintains the largest portfolio of Fibre Channel-based solutions and publishes certified interoperability solutions for enterprise SANs. Brocade provides a detailed list of devices and applications tested by Brocade, OEM Partners, and developer partners for compatibility with Brocade SAN solutions.
Technology and Architecture Resources
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Announcement
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Customer Advisory Notice
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Matrices
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Brocade Compatibility Matrix (994.8 KB)
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Brocade Fabric OS Features Summary (1004 KB)
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Brocade M-Series Products Fabric Guidelines (255.6 KB)
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Brocade Scalability Guidelines (110.1 KB)
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Data Center Ready Compatibility Matrix that includes 2 Gbit/sec platforms (922.6 KB)
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OPENready Product Compatibility Matrice (654.1 KB)
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SAN Health Support Matrix (31.5 KB)
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Transceiver Platform Support Matrix (375.9 KB)
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Technical Briefs
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Brocade Data Center Fabric Manager: End-to-End Fabric Management in the Evolving Data Center (2.9 MB)
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Brocade DCX Integration for M-Series Customers (1031.1 KB)
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Brocade Emulation and Tape Pipelining for FICON (354.7 KB)
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Brocade FICON/FCP Intermix (868.6 KB)
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Cloud Optimized Performance: I/O-Intensive Workloads Using Flash-Based Storage (1.1 MB)
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Connecting Servers in a DMZ to a Fibre Channel SAN (362.7 KB)
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Extending Fabric Services to the Server with Brocade HBAs (216 KB)
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Leveraging 8Gb Fibre Channel End to End in the Data Center (253 KB)
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Leveraging Brocade DCX for Server Virtualization (187.4 KB)
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Managed Evolution for the IBM zEnterprise System (682.7 KB)
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Migrating from Brocade EFCM to Brocade DCFM (606.6 KB)
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Operational Simplicity: Automating and Simplifying SAN Provisioning (806.1 KB)
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Optimizing Data Center Consolidation with Server Virtualization (269.6 KB)
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Quick Configuration Guide: Access Gateway NPIV with EFCM Management (680.9 KB)
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The Benefits and Application of 16 Gbps Fibre Channel (354.7 KB)
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The Brocade Data Center Fabric Reference Architecture of VMware vSphere 4 (208.4 KB)
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The Brocade DCF Architecture and the Brocade DCX Backbone (38.8 KB)
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Using the Brocade DCX Backbone to Transform a Brocade SAN into a Data Center Fabric (541.4 KB)
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Virtualizing SAN Connectivity with VMware Infrastructure 3 and Brocade Data Center Fabric Services (254 KB)
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Why Fibre Channel over Ethernet? (240.9 KB)
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White Papers
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Achieving Enterprise SAN Performance with the Brocade DCX Backbone (3.8 MB)
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A Real-World Look at Data Center Relocation (269.8 KB)
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Benchmarking Microsoft SQL Server Using VMware ESX Server 3.5 (993.9 KB)
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Best Practices Guide: Cabling the Data Center (11.6 MB)
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Brocade DCFM: Unified Fabric Management in the Evolving Data Center (2.3 MB)
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Brocade FCoE Solutions for Server I/O Convergence (206.8 KB)
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Building a Reliable Foundation for Expanded Data Center Virtualization (820.7 KB)
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DCX for Mainframe (622.7 KB)
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FICON Over Extended Distances (231.6 KB)
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Native Fabric Connectivity for Today's SANs (337.3 KB)
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Optimizing Storage Data Transfers Over FC ISLs and Long-Distance FCIP WAN Links with FastWrite (153.8 KB)
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The Growing Need for Security in Storage Area Networks (409.5 KB)
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Utilizing Brocade Storage Application Services with EMC RecoverPoint (1047.8 KB)
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Virtual Fabrics Provide Administrative Flexibility in a Shared Environment (854.5 KB)
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Virtualizing Embedded Switches: The Next Generation of SAN Connectivity (291.9 KB)
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Why Switched FICON? (Switched FICON vs. Direct-Attached FICON) (1.7 MB)
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Browse a complete listing of all Brocade resources. View All Resources
Abstract:
Provides information on supported software releases of all Brocade IP/Ethernet/ADP products.
Abstract:
This matrics includes Brocade M-Class directors, switches, and routers as well as legacy McDATA SAN products.
Abstract:
This document details the metrics required to establish whether or not Brocade supports a particular fabric and/or metaSAN configuration. It provides scalability guidelines that can be used to design and deploy extremely stable Fibre Channel SANs.
Abstract:
Archive: This document represents the last version of the Brocade Compatibility Matrix that included 2 Gbps devices and is provided here for your convenience.
Abstract:
This matric includes Brocade M-Class directors, switches, and routers as well as legacy McDATA SAN products.
Abstract:
This guide discusses topics related to mixing FICON and FCP devices in the same Storage Area Network (SAN), focusing on issues that end users need to address. These include specifics for the IBM zEnterprise System, as well as the fabric elements to consider when evaluating a FICON/FCP intermix solution.
Abstract:
Providing server connectivity products is the next step in fulfilling Brocade’s mission to deliver enterprise-class, end-to-end storage networking solutions. With Brocade server connectivity solutions, Brocade is now extending fabric-based services to data center server platforms for dependable and high-performance storage access.
Abstract:
To realize the full value of an investment in the zEnterprise requires a transformation in the infrastructure supporting your new mainframe. This paper explores a thoughtfully planned and managed transition from a mixed ESCON and FICON infrastructure to a pure FICON infrastructure, enabling a smarter, centralized, cloud-optimized data center for the future.
Abstract:
Describes how to migrate from Brocade EFCM to Brocade DCFM including planning, installation and deployment, and post-deployment configuration.
Abstract:
Discusses 16 Gbps Fiber Channel and how it improves throughput in Storage Area Networks to reduce Inter-Switch Link counts, improve application performance, ease management, and reduce power consumption per bit.
Abstract:
The guiding principles driving a new architecture for the data center include consolidation, virtualization, service-level resource allocation, and policy-based data management. These principles simplify how business exploits its data for competitive advantage in a cost-effective manner.
Abstract:
Describes and illustrates scenarios that demonstrate how the Brocade DCX Backbone platform can be added non-disruptively into the core of existing SANs and new data center fabrics.
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Describes the internal architecture of the Brocade DCX Backbone and explains how best to leverage its industry-leading performance and blade flexibility to meet business requirements.
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This paper delves into the experiences of 30 IT managers who relocated their data centers, analyzing the primary drivers, issues, strategies, and lessons learned.
Abstract:
The results of a benchmarking study performed in Brocade test labs demonstrate that SQL Server can be deployed on VMware ESX Server 3.5 for Online Transaction Processing (OLTP) applications in very favorable server consolidation ratios to meet corporate IT business requirements.
Abstract:
This guide describes best practices for incorporating cabling in a typical data center, plus tips for selecting cabling components and information on data transmission media.
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This paper explores how key capabilities within Brocade Data Center Fabric Manager (DCFM) help simplify infrastructure management.
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This paper describes the basics of Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and how Brocade FCoE solutions provide greater choice in modern data centers.
Abstract:
The Brocade DCX Backbone provides industry-leading performance, scalability, and investment protection, unleashing the full capabilities of IBM System z, especially IBM zEnterprise 196 (z196) solutions
Abstract:
This paper examines how FICON channel architecture greatly expands the distance, throughput, and scale of implementation for IBM mainframe environments.
Abstract:
This paper explores the various approaches Brocade is taking toward heterogeneous fabric connectivity following its acquisition of McDATA.
Abstract:
This paper describes how FastWrite, a Brocade capability available in Brocade SAN Routers, addresses the performance issues of SCSI write operations over long-distance, high-latency links.
Abstract:
New features in Brocade Fabric OS 7.0 help increase SAN security in enterprise environments to better protect sensitive data.
Abstract:
This paper examines how Brocade Storage Application Services enable EMC RecoverPoint to support heterogeneous fabric-based data replication for all open-system server solutions across any distance.
Abstract:
Describes a FOS 6.2 capability: Virtual Fabrics (VFs). Using VFs, customers can partition a physical switch into multiple Logical Switches, each of which belongs to a Logical Fabric, which has independent data paths, fabric configuration (zoning, Quality of Service, fabric mode) ,and management.
Abstract:
This paper examines the fundamentals and benefits of the Brocade Access Gateway, the latest evolution in Fibre Channel SAN connectivity built on blade server technology.
Abstract:
This paper explores both the technical and business reasons for implementing a switched FICON architecture instead of a direct-attached storage FICON architecture.