+49 6430 9227117
Portal loginPortal
BROCADE FC DIRECTOR · TPM AFTER BROADCOM

Brocade FC Director Maintenance — vendor-independent service for X6, X7 and DCX

We service Brocade director-class FC switches after factory warranty and Broadcom support — vendor-independent, with OEM line cards, control processors, power supplies, blower modules and FC optics from our own warehouse, SLA up to 24×7×4. Three generations: X7 (X7-4, X7-8 — current 64Gb generation), X6 (X6-4, X6-8 — 32Gb), DCX/DCX-4S/DCX-8510 (older generation, EOSL — many install bases in DACH banks). 30 to 60 percent below Broadcom support, up to 70 percent on EOSL DCX.

Quote in 48 h Calculate savings

Which Brocade director models we service

Brocade director-class FC switches are the most demanding Brocade platforms from a maintenance perspective — modular chassis architectures with 4-8 slots for FC line cards (32 or 48 ports per card), redundant control processors (CP modules), switch fabric modules (CR modules) and 2-4 power supplies. A fully populated X7-8 with 8 line cards offers up to 384 FC ports. Three generations coexist in DACH enterprise fabrics: X7 as current 64Gb generation, X6 as 32Gb predecessor, DCX/DCX-4S/DCX-8510 as older 8/16Gb platforms with high install bases in DACH banks and insurers.

X7 · current 64Gb director generation
X7-4 (4-slot, up to 192 ports) · X7-8 (8-slot, up to 384 ports) — 64Gb-capable
X6 · 32Gb director generation
X6-4 (4-slot, up to 192 ports) · X6-8 (8-slot, up to 384 ports) — 32Gb
DCX generation (older, EOSL)
DCX (8-slot 8Gb) · DCX-4S (4-slot 8Gb) · DCX-8510-4 · DCX-8510-8 (16Gb)
Line cards & modules
FC32-48/FC64-48 line cards · extension blades · CP modules · CR modules · power supplies · blower

Why TPM maintenance for Brocade director

Director-class maintenance is the highest lever in the Brocade maintenance portfolio. Broadcom support for a fully populated X6-8 or X7-8 with 8 line cards, redundant CP modules and 4 power supplies moves into five to six-figure amounts per year — and director-class switches are the standard for storage backbones in DACH banks, insurers and large enterprises. For DCX/DCX-8510 fleets (EOSL generation), conditions are particularly critical because Broadcom often offers no support anymore or at significantly increased prices. TPM reduces this to 35-50 percent, on EOSL DCX up to 70 percent.

We service Brocade director-class with OEM line cards (FC32-48 for X6, FC64-48 for X7, FC8/FC16 cards for DCX), control processors, switch fabric modules, power supplies and blower modules from our own warehouse. For DCX/DCX-8510 fleets we also maintain certified refurbishing pools — this generation has particularly high install density in DACH banks (storage refresh cycles are conservative there, many DCX-8510 platforms run productively for 8-12 years). Brocade Fabric OS on directors continues to work without licensing — zoning, ISL trunking, virtual fabric, all director-specific functions stay active.

30–60 %
Savings vs. Broadcom support for director-class
up to 70 %
Savings on EOSL DCX/DCX-8510
Bank-grade
24×7×4, German-speaking, compliance-ready
Multi-gen
X7/X6/DCX line cards all in stock

Generations timeline & TPM coverage

Per hardware generation: vendor phase (slate) and TechCare coverage window (teal) up to ~5 years post-OEM EOSL.

EOSL status of Brocade director generations

Brocade director generations follow an 8-12 year lifecycle. DCX and DCX-4S are completely EOSL, DCX-8510 has largely reached EOSL. X6 is in stable mid-cycle, X7 is the current generation.

Model family Released OEM support ends TPM status
DCX (8-Slot 8Gb) 2007 2018 Recommended
DCX-4S (4-Slot 8Gb) 2008 2018–2019 Recommended
DCX-8510-4 (4-Slot 16Gb) 2011 2022–2023 Recommended
DCX-8510-8 (8-Slot 16Gb) 2011 2022–2023 Recommended
X6-4 (4-Slot 32Gb) 2017 2026–2027 Supported
X6-8 (8-Slot 32Gb) 2017 2026–2027 Supported
X7-4 (4-Slot 64Gb) 2021 ca. 2030+ Supported
X7-8 (8-Slot 64Gb) 2021 ca. 2030+ Supported

As of 2026. EOSL data based on official vendor roadmaps and subject to change. Binding case-by-case information available on request.

What we deliver

OEM original parts

Our warehouse stocks OEM original components and certified refurbishing pools for EOSL generations.

Onsite engineer

German-speaking technicians throughout DACH, 4-hour response time guaranteed.

Flexible SLA per system

Parts Only, 5×9 NBD or 24×7×4 — freely combinable by location and criticality.

Multi-vendor contract

One contract for Brocade FC SAN, IP legacy and all other vendors. No more individual contracts.

EOSL tracking & reporting

Monthly SLA reports, asset overview, automatic EOSL notifications.

Fabric OS stays

Brocade FOS, NetIron, Network OS and FastIron license-free active. SANnav subscription independent.

Comparison

TechCare vs. Brocade FC Director-Class Switches

Concrete SLA tiers, OEM comparison, coverage details and source footnotes — on a print-friendly page.

Open Battle-Card

FAQ on Brocade director maintenance

Which Brocade director models do you service?
Complete director family of all three generations: X7 series (X7-4 with 4 slots, X7-8 with 8 slots — current 64Gb generation, up to 384 ports), X6 series (X6-4, X6-8 — 32Gb generation, up to 384 ports) and DCX series (DCX original 8-slot 8Gb, DCX-4S 4-slot 8Gb, DCX-8510-4 4-slot 16Gb, DCX-8510-8 8-slot 16Gb — older generations, EOSL reached or near). Including all line cards (FC8/FC16/FC32-48/FC64-48), extension blades, control processors (CP modules), switch fabric modules (CR modules), power supplies and blower modules.
What does TPM cost for Brocade director compared to Broadcom support?
30 to 60 percent savings. An X6-8 with 4 line cards and 24×7×4 costs 22,000 to 35,000 EUR/year with Broadcom, 9,000 to 15,000 EUR with TechCare. X7-8 with full population 60,000-95,000 EUR Broadcom support, 25,000-42,000 EUR with TechCare. DCX-8510-8 (EOSL) often no longer available with Broadcom or only at significantly increased prices — TPM from 8,000-14,000 EUR/year for full population, depending on refurbishing share. With multiple directors per data center (fabric-A/fabric-B redundancy), maintenance costs add up quickly to six-figure Broadcom amounts — TPM achieves the largest absolute savings here.
Can you service older DCX/DCX-8510?
Yes, the key focus topic of our Brocade director business. DCX (released 2007), DCX-4S (2008), DCX-8510-4 and DCX-8510-8 (2011) are still very widespread in DACH banks, insurers and large industry — storage refresh cycles are traditionally conservative there, and 16Gb FC for classic SAN workloads is still sufficient. We stock line cards (FC8 cards, FC16 cards), control processors, power supplies and blower modules from certified refurbishing pools. Fabric OS on older DCX platforms continues to work — typically uncritical because director configs in productive bank fabrics are stable over years.
When does X7 vs. X6 vs. DCX make sense from a TPM perspective?
X7 is the current 64Gb generation — relevant for refresh projects and new storage workloads (NVMe-over-FC, AI/ML storage). TPM is an alternative to Broadcom support for hardware maintenance here, but X7 fleets have only been in the market since 2021 — the larger TPM relevance begins after factory warranty expiration. X6 (32Gb, since 2017) is the established generation in DACH enterprise SAN — TPM very much in demand here, Broadcom support renewals are often not economically attractive. DCX/DCX-8510 (8/16Gb) are the EOSL generations — TPM is often the only remaining service option here because Broadcom no longer offers renewal.
Which SLA levels do you recommend for director-class?
Director-class is tier-1 storage networking — director outage affects the entire SAN fabric with all attached storage arrays. 24×7×4 with German-speaking onsite engineer is standard. In DACH banks and insurers often 24×7×2 (2-hour response) is also desired — we offer this too, at a corresponding surcharge. With dual-fabric designs with fabric-A and fabric-B (standard in enterprise SAN), single director failure can be absorbed by the second fabric, but we recommend 24×7×4 because of the criticality of the storage backbone role. For EOSL DCX fleets with second active fabric: 5×9 NBD economically justifiable.
Can we get 64Gb FC optics for X7?
Yes. X7 uses SFP+/QSFP+ optics for 64Gb FC connectivity. We supply optics as certified third-party optics or original Brocade optics — both options technically compatible. Plus 32Gb optics for X6 and 16Gb/8Gb optics for DCX platforms. Third-party FC optics are typically 50-70 percent cheaper than original Brocade optics, technically identical.
Can we have director, mid-range and older IP platforms in the same contract?
Yes. Multi-class contracts are our strength — director-class (X7/X6/DCX) as storage backbone, mid-range (G620/G630/G720/G730/6510/6520) as edge, plus older Brocade IP platforms (MLX/VDX/ICX, today Ruckus/CommScope) — all in one contract, one point of contact, one SLA report set. Plus all other vendors (Cisco MDS, IBM SAN, Dell EMC) in the same construct.
How fast do we get a quote?
Within 48 hours after receipt of your inventory list with model, line card count, line card type (FC8/FC16/FC32-48/FC64-48), CP module configuration, power supply configuration and serial number.
Service performance

Real actuals Q1 2026 — straight from our ITIL ticketing.

99,2 %
Tickets resolved within agreed response time
2,4 h
Avg. first response on 4h SLA tier
88 %
First-time fix on initial dispatch
97 %
Spare part on site within 4 h, DACH depots

Save on Brocade FC Director-Class Switches without risk

Send us your inventory list — we deliver a binding fixed-price quote within 48 hours. No migration, no risk, clear comparison to OEM maintenance.

Request quote Download whitepaper
Related topics
Core service
Hardware maintenance in detail
How we set up TPM: contract, SLA tiers up to 24×7×4, engineer pool, spare parts strategy — the service behind the vendor hubs.
View service →
Compliance
Audit documentation in the contract pack
DORA, NIS2, KRITIS, BAIT, TISAX, ISO 27001 — what the auditor checks, what TechCare delivers automatically with the contract.
View audit topics →
Practice
Real references
Three templates from European customers 2024–25 — how the migration from OEM to TPM ran in reality.
View cases →
More from Brocade

Other Brocade models and service

All Brocade models

Overview of all Brocade maintenance pages with SLA, spare-parts strategy and vendor-specific notes.

Open Brocade hub →
BrocadeFc Mid Range
View more →
BrocadeIp Legacy
View more →
BrocadeMlx
View more →
Service options

Contract, SLA tiers, engineer pool, spare parts — the service behind vendor maintenance in detail.

View hardware maintenance →