Login
Login

Fabric OS

{{Infobox OS

| name = Fabric OS

| developer = Broadcom

| source_model = Closed source

| supported_platforms = Broadcom Fibre Channel switches/directors

| ui = Command-line interface

| latest_release_version = 9.2.2a

| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2025|4|29}}

| working_state = Current

| website = {{URL|broadcom.com/products/fibre-channel-networking/software/fabric-operating-system|FOS - Fabric Operating System}}

}}

In storage area networking, Fabric OS (FOS) is the firmware for Brocade Communications Systems's Fibre Channel switches and Fibre Channel directors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadcom.com/products/fibre-channel-networking|title = Broadcom Fibre Channel Networking}}

First generation

The first generation of Fabric OS was developed on top of a VxWorks kernel and was mainly used in the Brocade Silkworm 2000 and first 3000 series on Intel i960.

Second generation

The second generation of Fabric OS (4.0) was developed on a PowerPC platform, and uses MontaVista Linux, a Linux derivative with real-time performance enhancements. With the advent of MontaVista, switches and directors have the ability of hot firmware activation (without downtime for Fibre Channel fabric), and many useful diagnostic commands.

According to free software licenses terms, Brocade [http://www.brocade.com/services-support/drivers-downloads/oscd/oscd_listings.page provides access to sources] of distributed free software, on which Fabric OS and other Brocade's software products are based.

Additional licensed products

Additional products for Fabric OS are offered by Brocade for one-time fee. They are licensed for use in a single specific switch (license key is coupled with device's serial number). Those include:

  • Integrated Routing
  • Adaptive Networking: Quality of service, Ingress Rate Limiting
  • Brocade Advanced Zoning (Free with rel 6.1.x)
  • ISL trunking
  • Ports on Demand
  • Extended Fabrics (more than 10 km of switched fabric connectivity, up to 3000 km)
  • Advanced Performance Monitoring (APM)
  • Fabric Watch
  • Secure Fabric OS (obsolete)
  • VMWare VSPEX integration {{Cite web |url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/brocade-san-fabric-technologies-provide-solid-foundation-for-new-emc-vspex-with-vmax3-100k-infrastructure-solution-2015-05-05 |title=Brocade SAN Fabric Technologies Provide Solid Foundation for New EMC VSPEX with VMAX3 100K Infrastructure Solution - MarketWatch |access-date=2015-08-12 |archive-date=2015-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001174530/http://www.marketwatch.com/story/brocade-san-fabric-technologies-provide-solid-foundation-for-new-emc-vspex-with-vmax3-100k-infrastructure-solution-2015-05-05 |url-status=dead }}

Versions

{{mw-datatable}}

class="wikitable sortable mw-datatable"

|+ {{vanchor|Fabric OS current "Posted" versions}}[https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/Brocade-SW-Support-RM FOS Release Support and Posting Status Matrices (PDF)] - Version 2.22; Brocade-SW-Support-RM124; April 30, 2025

!Major Version
(Date)

!Version

!Date

!Target Path

!FICON Qualified

!Posting Status

!Notes

rowspan="2" {{Version|c|9.2.2x}}
(October 2024)

|9.2.2a

|{{Date table sorting|April 29, 2025}}

|{{No}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes|Posted}}

|

9.2.2

|{{Date table sorting|October 15, 2024}}

|{{No}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes|Posted}}

|

valign=top

| colspan="7" |

valign=top

| rowspan="3" {{Version|co|9.2.1x}}
(December 2023)

|9.2.1b

|{{Date table sorting|January 7, 2025}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes|Posted (LW)}}

|

9.2.1a1

|{{Date table sorting|October 31, 2024}}

|{{No}}

|{{operational|Yes}}

|{{Yes|Posted}}

|

9.2.1

|{{Date table sorting|December 20, 2023}}

|{{No}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes|Posted}}

|

valign=top

| colspan="7" |

valign=top

| rowspan="2" {{Version|co|9.2.0x}}
(April 2023)

|9.2.0c3

|{{Date table sorting|January 22, 2025}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{operational|Yes}}

|{{Yes|Posted (LW)}}

|

9.2.0b1

|{{Date table sorting|June 27, 2024}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{operational|Yes}}

|{{Yes|Posted}}

|

valign=top

| colspan="7" |

valign=top
rowspan="1" {{Version|co|9.1.x}}
(December 2021)

|9.1.1d7

|{{Date table sorting|April 3, 2025}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{operational|Yes}}

|{{Yes|Posted (LW)}}

| Transitioned to Unsupported (EOS)

valign=top

| colspan="7" |

valign=top

|{{Version|co|8.2.x}}
(November 2017)

|8.2.3e2

|{{Date table sorting|December 17, 2024}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{operational|Yes}}

|{{Yes|Posted}}

|Available and supported for Gen 5 platforms only

| colspan="7" | {{Version |l |show=101100}} LW = Lifetime Warranty platforms

  • Fabric OS 9.x
  • 9.2.2:
  • 9.2.1:
  • 9.2.0:
  • 9.1: Root Access Removal, NTP Server authentication
  • 9.0: Traffic optimizer, Fabric congestion notification, New Web Tools (graphical UI switched from Java to Web)
  • Fabric OS 8.x
  • 8.2: NVMe capable + REST API
  • 8.1:
  • 8.0: Contains many new software features and enhancements as well as issue resolutions
  • Fabric OS 7.x
  • 7.4: Switch to Linux 3.10 kernel
  • 7.3:
  • 7.2:
  • 7.1:
  • 7.0:
  • Fabric OS 6.x
  • 6.4:
  • 6.3: Fillwords 2 and 3 introduced in Fabric OS 6.3.1a
  • 6.2: Virtual Fabrics-capable
  • 6.1: M-EOS compatibility enhancements
  • 6.0: LDAP support
  • Fabric OS 5.x
  • 5.3: Switch to Linux 2.6 kernel
  • 5.2:
  • 5.1: Access Gateway mode
  • 5.0:
  • Fabric OS 4.x
  • 4.4:
  • 4.3:
  • 4.2:
  • 4.1: SSH support, Multiple user access
  • 4.0: migrated from VxWorks to Linux
  • Fabric OS 3.x
  • Fabric OS 2.x

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.broadcom.com/products/fibre-channel-networking/software/fabric-operating-system FOS - Fabric Operating System]
  • [https://docs.broadcom.com/doc/Brocade-SW-Support-RM FOS Release Support and Posting Status Matrices (PDF)]

Category:Fibre Channel

Category:Internet Protocol based network software

{{network-software-stub}}