Document And Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	May 02, 2015	May 29, 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	May 02, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		415,331,996