Document And Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2015	Dec. 15, 2015	May. 01, 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-K
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		409,605,948
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 3,724,624,296