Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2015	Feb. 27, 2015
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001009626
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jan. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		421,726,760