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BROCADE IP LEGACY · TPM FOR MLX, VDX, ICX

Brocade IP Legacy Maintenance — vendor-independent service for MLX, VDX and ICX

We service Brocade IP legacy platforms vendor-independent — MLX series (carrier-class routing, today Ruckus/CommScope, EOSL), VDX series (data center switching with VCS Fabric, EOSL), ICX series (campus switching, today Ruckus, EOSL partially reached). With OEM switches, line cards, power supplies from our own warehouse and certified refurbishing pools, SLA up to 24×7×4. TPM is in many cases the only remaining maintenance option — the division was sold by Broadcom to Ruckus/CommScope in 2017 and service structures have been inconsistent since the handover.

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Which Brocade IP legacy models we service

Brocade IP networking was an independent business before the Broadcom acquisition with three focuses: carrier-class routing (MLX series as competitor to Cisco ASR and Juniper MX), data center switching (VDX series with VCS Fabric as competitor to Cisco Nexus and Juniper QFX), and campus switching (ICX series as competitor to Cisco Catalyst and Aruba). After the spin-off in 2017, these lines were handed over to Ruckus/CommScope — service structures have been fragmented since, many fleets in DACH receive no or only limited OEM support anymore.

MLX series · carrier-class routing
MLX-4 · MLX-8 · MLX-16 · MLX-32 · MLXe-4/8/16/32 · NetIron MLX
VDX series · data center with VCS fabric
VDX 6710 · VDX 6720 · VDX 6730 · VDX 6740 · VDX 8770-4/8770-8
ICX series · campus switching
ICX 7150 · ICX 7250 · ICX 7450 · ICX 7650 · ICX 7750 (today Ruckus)
Components & optics
Line cards · switch fabric modules · power supplies · fan modules · 1/10/40G SFP+/QSFP+

Why TPM maintenance for Brocade IP legacy

Brocade IP legacy is the special case in the DACH TPM market — the platforms are technically still productive (MLX as carrier router runs 10-15 years, VDX data center switches with stable VCS setup similarly, ICX campus switches are robust), but the service situation has been fragmented after the 2017 spin-off. Ruckus/CommScope has partially continued the lines, partially let them expire. Many DACH customers with MLX/VDX/ICX fleets today receive either no support or only at unattractive conditions. TPM is often the only remaining maintenance option in these cases — and simultaneously the most economical, because OEM costs for EOSL platforms are typically high.

We service Brocade IP legacy platforms with OEM switches, line cards, power supplies and fan modules from our own warehouse and certified refurbishing pools — pool depth is the decisive criterion here because original components are only limitedly available on the free market. Our strategic orientation: active fleet observation in DACH, targeted acquisition during refresh projects of other customers, building refurbishing partnerships. Brocade NetIron-OS (on MLX), Network OS (on VDX) and FastIron (on ICX) continue to work without licensing — all production functions stay active, only code updates to newer OS versions are limited.

30–70 %
Savings vs. OEM terms
EOSL specialist
Refurbishing pools for MLX/VDX/ICX
OS stays
NetIron, Network OS, FastIron license-free active
Bridge service
Extends fleet until refresh strategy is set

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 IP legacy generations

Brocade IP generations follow an 8-12 year lifecycle. MLX series is completely EOSL, VDX is largely EOSL, ICX series has different EOSL status per model.

Model family Released OEM support ends TPM status
MLX-4/8/16/32 (Carrier Routing) 2009 2019–2021 Recommended
MLXe-4/8/16/32 2012 2022–2024 Recommended
VDX 6710/6720/6730 (1G/10G) 2010–2013 2020–2023 Recommended
VDX 6740/6740T (10G/40G) 2013 2023–2024 Recommended
VDX 8770-4/8770-8 (Modular) 2012 2022–2023 Recommended
ICX 7150/7250 (Campus Edge) 2014–2015 2024–2025 Recommended
ICX 7450/7650 (Campus Aggregation) 2015–2017 2025–2026 Supported
ICX 7750 (Campus Core) 2014 2024 Recommended

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 IP Legacy Switching (MLX/VDX/ICX)

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

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FAQ on Brocade IP legacy maintenance

Which Brocade IP legacy models do you service?
Complete IP legacy family of all three lines: MLX series (MLX-4, MLX-8, MLX-16, MLX-32, MLXe series and NetIron MLX as carrier-class routers), VDX series (VDX 6710, 6720, 6730, 6740, 6740T and VDX 8770-4/8770-8 as data center switches with VCS Fabric) and ICX series (ICX 7150, 7250, 7450, 7650, 7750 as campus edge/aggregation/core — today Ruckus). Including all line cards, switch fabric modules, power supplies and SFP+/QSFP+ optics.
What does TPM cost for Brocade IP legacy compared to OEM costs?
30 to 70 percent savings, depending on model and EOSL status. For MLX carrier routers, where Ruckus/CommScope barely offers service anymore, we see up to 70 percent — TPM from 4,500-8,500 EUR/year for an MLX-16, depending on population. VDX data center switches: 1,500-3,500 EUR per switch, depending on model and SLA. ICX campus switches in Ruckus service: 800-1,500 EUR Ruckus support per switch, with TechCare 350-700 EUR. With complete IP legacy fleets of 20-50 devices, maintenance savings add up to five-figure amounts per year.
What about Ruckus/CommScope support for ICX/MLX since the Brocade spin-off?
Brocade IP division was spun off to Arris/Ruckus in 2017 with the Broadcom acquisition of Brocade Communications, then further with the CommScope acquisition of Arris. ICX line was continued by Ruckus with partially new models, MLX line was not further developed and has reached EOSL. VDX line was not continued, EOSL reached. From a service perspective, the situation for DACH customers is inconsistent — many fleets are today practically without OEM service. TPM fills this gap.
Do NetIron, Network OS and FastIron continue to work without an OEM contract?
Yes. Brocade NetIron OS (on MLX), Network OS (on VDX with VCS Fabric) and FastIron (on ICX) continue to work without licensing on the devices — all production functions, BGP, OSPF, MPLS (on MLX), VCS Fabric (on VDX), Spanning Tree, layer 2/3 routing, all campus and data center features stay functionally active. OS code updates to newer versions have been limited since the spin-off anyway — usually uncritical with stable legacy configurations.
When does refresh instead of TPM make sense for IP legacy?
Three criteria favor refresh: (1) MLX carrier routers when bandwidth requirements exceed 100G — modern carrier routers like Juniper MX204 or Cisco ASR 9000 offer significantly higher performance at lower operating costs. (2) VDX data center switches when new workloads (NVMe-over-Fabric, AI/ML, 100/400G requirements) come on the roadmap — refresh to Cisco Nexus, Juniper QFX, Arista or Mellanox/NVIDIA. (3) ICX campus switches when Wi-Fi 6E/Wi-Fi 7 or PoE++ requirements arise — modern campus platforms are more energy efficient. For stable fleets without new workload requirements, TPM is the economical bridge.
Which SLA levels do you recommend for IP legacy?
Strongly depends on the role: MLX carrier routers in productive service provider or enterprise backbone roles need 24×7×4 — outage affects internet or MPLS backbone. VDX data center switches in productive VCS fabrics also 24×7×4. ICX campus switches in edge roles (floor switches): 5×9 NBD or Parts Only sufficient because single switch outage at floor level. ICX campus in aggregation/core: 24×7×4. For EOSL fleets waiting for refresh: Parts Only often sufficient as a bridge.
How is component availability for very old MLX/VDX fleets?
Limited but structured. We maintain certified refurbishing pools for the main models (MLX-8/16/32, VDX 6740, VDX 8770) and actively observe the DACH market for fleets becoming available through refresh projects. Pool depth varies per component — some line cards are plentifully available, others scarce. Before contract conclusion, we create a risk assessment per model based on your inventory list — for high risk levels we often recommend keeping critical components as on-site spares (negotiable in the contract).
Can we have IP legacy, FC SAN mid-range and FC director in the same contract?
Yes. Multi-class contracts are our strength — Brocade IP legacy (MLX/VDX/ICX) plus FC SAN mid-range (G620/G630/G720/G730/6510/6520) plus FC director (X7/X6/DCX) — all in one contract, one point of contact, one SLA report set. Plus all other vendors (Cisco MDS, Juniper, Arista, etc.) in the same construct. Especially for Brocade fleets, multi-class TPM is an ideal consolidation — the same provider covers FC storage and IP legacy.
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 IP Legacy Switching (MLX/VDX/ICX) 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.

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Related topics
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DORA, NIS2, KRITIS, BAIT, TISAX, ISO 27001 — what the auditor checks, what TechCare delivers automatically with the contract.
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Practice
Real references
Three templates from European customers 2024–25 — how the migration from OEM to TPM ran in reality.
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