Brocade designs its Fibre Channel ASICs to perform switching functions in its SAN switches. Each ASIC generation is closely tied to the evolution of Brocade’s Fabric OS (FOS), which runs on top of a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) — either VXWORKS or Linux, depending on the generation.
- Switches: SilkWorm 1000 series (1997)
- RTOS: VXWORKS
- FOS: 1.x – 2.x
- Introduced basic SAN switching and fundamental zoning capabilities.
- Switches: SilkWorm 6400 series, 2400, 2800 (1999)
- RTOS: VXWORKS
- FOS: 2.x – 3.x
- Enhanced zoning and introduced support for larger fabrics.
- Switches: SilkWorm 12000/24000 (Directors), 3200, 3800, 3850 (2001)
- RTOS: VXWORKS
- FOS: 3.x – 4.x
- Improved ISL (Inter-Switch Links) performance and reliability.
- Switches: SilkWorm 48000 (Directors), 200E, 4100, 4900, 7500 (2004)
- RTOS: VXWORKS
- FOS: 5.x – 6.x
- Introduced port trunking, larger SAN scalability, and advanced diagnostics.
- Switches: DCX Backbone, FS8-18 Encryption Blade, FX8-24 Extension Blade, 300, 5100, 5300, 7800 (2008)
- RTOS: VXWORKS (pre-Bloom II)
- FOS: 6.x – 7.x
- Supported 8 Gbps speeds and 40–32 ports per ASIC.
- Switches: DCX 8510 Backbone, 6505, 6510, 6520 (2011–2013)
- RTOS: VXWORKS (pre-Bloom II)
- FOS: 7.x
- Supported 16 Gbps with 48 ports per ASIC. Introduced Fabric Vision technology.
- Switches: X6 Directors, G610, G620, G630 (2016)
- RTOS: Linux (from Bloom II onward)
- FOS: 8.x
- Supported 32 Gbps with advanced NVMe over Fibre Channel (FC-NVMe) support.
- Switches: X7 Directors, G720, 7850 Extension Switch, G730, G710 (2020s)
- RTOS: Linux
- FOS: 9.x
- Supported 64 Gbps with ultra-low latency, enhanced SANnav integration, and security.
- FOS runs on top of the RTOS (VXWORKS or Linux) depending on the ASIC generation.
- VXWORKS RTOS was used until Bloom II ASICs, when Linux RTOS took over due to larger FP-ROM capacities.
- ASIC advancements brought higher port speeds, improved diagnostics, and support for modern technologies like NVMe over FC.