Document And Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 29, 2016	Dec. 09, 2016	Apr. 29, 2016
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0001009626
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-29
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Oct. 29, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		406,252,789
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 2,871,046,050