Brocade Fiber Switch High Performance San X8 Director Enterprise Grade
Product Description
The Brocade X8 Director is a Gen 8 (128G) enterprise SAN core switch, purpose‑built for mission‑critical and AI workloads. Available in 9U (X8‑4) and 14U (X8‑8) chassis, it delivers 31 Tbps to 62 Tbps of non‑blocking shared memory bandwidth with up to 384 device ports and 4,608 cascaded ports. Supporting auto‑sensing speeds from 16G to 128G, it features quantum‑safe 256‑bit encryption, embedded SAN AI for automated monitoring, and UltraScale ICL for inter‑chassis links without consuming device ports. All major components (power, fans, CP blades, core blades, port blades) are hot‑swappable and redundant, delivering 99.999% uptime.
Key Differentiators
Gen 8 (128G) — latest generation, late 2025 / early 2026 release
X8‑4: 9U, 192 ports, 31 Tbps | X8‑8: 14U, 384 ports, 62 Tbps
Non‑blocking shared memory architecture
Auto‑sensing speeds: 16/32/64/128G
Up to 4,608 cascaded FC ports
UltraScale ICL — inter‑chassis links without device port consumption
FC128‑48 port blade: 48‑port 128G with AnyIO (FC or Ethernet)
CR128 core blades, ICLX8 inter‑chassis link blades
Quantum‑safe 256‑bit encryption — quantum‑resistant cryptography ready
Embedded SAN AI — automated monitoring, load balancing
99.999% availability — no single point of failure
All major components hot‑swappable and redundant
Specifications
| Category | X8-4 | X8-8 |
|---|---|---|
| Chassis Height | 9U | 14U |
| Port Slots | 4 | 8 |
| ICL Slots | 2 (ICLX8-4) | 2 (ICLX8-8) |
| Max Device Ports | 192 | 384 |
| Total Bandwidth | 31 Tb/s | 62 Tb/s |
| Max Cascaded Ports | Up to 4,608 FC ports |
Common Specifications
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Supported Speeds | 16/32/64/128G, auto‑sensing |
| Port Types | E_Port, F_Port, EX_Port, M_Port, D_Port, SIM |
| ICL | UltraScale ICL (8 ports on X8‑4, 16 on X8‑8) |
| Ethernet Support | Some ports support 100/50/25/10GbE |
| Blade Types | FC128‑48 (48‑port 128G, AnyIO), CR128‑8/4 (core), ICLX8‑8/4 (ICL) |
| Security | Quantum‑safe 256‑bit encryption, quantum‑resistant crypto ready |
| Management | Embedded SAN AI (automated monitoring, load balancing) |
| Availability | 99.999% — no single point of failure |
| Redundancy | Power, fans, CP blades, core blades, port blades — all redundant & hot‑swap |