The Brocade 6505 is a compact Gen 5 Fibre Channel SAN switch designed for enterprise storage, server and data centre environments.
It features 24 physical Fibre Channel ports and supports Fibre Channel speeds of 2, 4, 8 and 16Gbps, making it suitable for SAN fabrics, storage arrays, virtualised server environments and legacy enterprise storage infrastructure. Broadcom lists the platform in both 12-port and 24-port activated configurations, with Ports on Demand licensing available for expansion.
Key Specifications
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Brand: Brocade
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Model: 6505
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Product Type: Fibre Channel SAN Switch
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Physical Ports: 24
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Maximum Fibre Channel Speed: 16Gbps
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Supported FC Speeds: 2 / 4 / 8 / 16Gbps
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Form Factor: 1U Rackmount
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Aggregate Bandwidth: Up to 384Gbps full duplex
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Management Platform: Brocade Fabric OS
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Ports on Demand: Supported
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Access Gateway Mode: Supported
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USB: 1 × USB port for functions such as log downloads and firmware updates
Port Configuration
The Brocade 6505 hardware platform provides 24 physical Fibre Channel ports.
Depending on the installed licence, the switch may operate with either:
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12 activated ports, or
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24 activated ports
The 12-port configuration can be expanded to 24 active ports using the appropriate Ports on Demand licence.
Fibre Channel Performance
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2Gbps Fibre Channel
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4Gbps Fibre Channel
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8Gbps Fibre Channel
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16Gbps Fibre Channel
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Auto-sensing supported speeds
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Up to 128Gbps ISL trunk bandwidth using eight 16Gbps ports
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Up to 384Gbps aggregate full-duplex bandwidth
Typical Applications
Suitable for:
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Storage Area Networks (SAN)
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Enterprise storage arrays
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Fibre Channel fabrics
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Server-to-storage connectivity
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Virtualised infrastructure
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Data centre environments
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Backup and disaster recovery systems
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Legacy SAN replacement or expansion
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Test and lab environments
Compatibility
This is a Fibre Channel SAN switch and is not a conventional Ethernet network switch.
Buyers should confirm compatibility with their:
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Fibre Channel storage arrays
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Server HBAs
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SFP+ transceivers
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Fibre Channel speed requirements
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Existing SAN fabric
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Fabric OS requirements
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Port activation and licence requirements
Lifecycle Status
The Brocade 6505 is an End-of-Life platform.
Broadcom states that the 6505 reached:
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Last Customer Ship: 30 April 2020
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Fabric OS End-of-Availability: 30 April 2023
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End-of-Support: 30 April 2025
It remains relevant for organisations maintaining existing Brocade SAN infrastructure, replacement requirements and legacy Fibre Channel environments.
Condition
Used
This switch has been previously deployed and may show normal cosmetic signs of use, including scratches, rack marks, labels, scuffs or general handling wear.
Included
