Back to: Brocade FC (Fibre Channel) Switches
Brocade (now part of Broadcom) has evolved its Fibre Channel (FC) switches and directors through multiple generations, continually improving speed, capacity, and functionality. Let’s break down the key generations:
🌟 Brocade Fibre Channel Generations
- 1st Generation (1 Gbps) — 1997
- Early SAN solutions with 1 Gbps Fibre Channel switches.
- Basic connectivity for small SAN environments.
- 2nd Generation (2 Gbps) — Early 2000s
- Double the speed to 2 Gbps.
- Introduced core-to-edge SAN designs.
- Notable switches: Brocade 12000.
- 3rd Generation (4 Gbps) — Mid-2000s
- Improved throughput to 4 Gbps.
- Larger fabrics with better port density.
- Example: Brocade 48000 Director.
- 4th Generation (8 Gbps) — Late 2000s
- Enhanced performance with 8 Gbps ports.
- Added features like Virtual Fabrics and NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization).
- Example: Brocade DCX Backbone.
- 5th Generation (16 Gbps) — 2011
- Focused on cloud and virtualization with 16 Gbps speeds.
- Improved monitoring via Fabric Vision technology.
- Models: Brocade 6505, 6510, and DCX 8510.
- 6th Generation (32 Gbps) — 2016
- Boosted performance with 32 Gbps FC.
- Introduced IO Insight for latency monitoring and troubleshooting.
- Models: Brocade G620, G630, and DCX 8510.
- 7th Generation (64 Gbps) — 2019
- Doubled speed to 64 Gbps FC.
- Enhanced automation, telemetry, and cybersecurity features.
- Models: Brocade G720 and X7 Directors.
- Future (128 Gbps)
- Brocade is likely to push towards 128 Gbps FC, aligning with increasing AI/ML workloads and high-performance storage requirements.
