Commitments And Contingencies (Narrative) (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Jul. 29, 2011 sqft	Apr. 29, 2011
Lease period of land, in years	99
Office space for the headquarters, in sq ft	600,000
Original cost of office space	$ 149.6
Percentage of residual guarantee	85.00%
Synthetic lease residual guarantee deficiency accrual	21.6
Synthetic lease residual guarantee deficiency	51.0
Future annual minimum lease payments	312.3
Accrued purchase commitments with contract manufacturers	4.5	4.5
Maximum guaranteed payment contingencies	97.9
Deferred revenue on recourse financing arrangements	102.0
Deferred cost of revenues on recourse financing arrangements	9.3
Purchase orders and other commitments	*Purchase Orders and Other Commitments* In the normal course of business we make commitments to our third-party contract manufacturers, to manage manufacturer lead times and meet product forecasts, and to other parties, to purchase various key components used in the manufacture of our products. We establish accruals for estimated losses on purchased components to the extent we believe it is probable that such components will not be utilized in future operations. To the extent that such forecasts are not achieved, our commitments and associated accruals may change. We had $191.8 million in non-cancelable purchase commitments with our contract manufacturers as of July 29, 2011. In addition, we recorded a liability for firm non-cancelable and unconditional purchase commitments with contract manufacturers for quantities in excess of our future demand forecasts through a charge to product cost of sales. As of July 29, 2011 and April 29, 2011, such liability amounted to $4.5 million for both periods and is included in other current liabilities in the condensed consolidated balance sheets. In addition to commitments with contract manufacturers and component suppliers, we have open purchase orders and contractual obligations associated with our ordinary course business for which we have not received goods or services. We had $25.0 million in capital purchase commitments and $249.2 million in other purchase commitments as of July 29, 2011.
Financing guarantees	*Financing Guarantees* We have both nonrecourse and recourse lease financing arrangements with third-party leasing companies through new and preexisting relationships with customers. In addition, from time to time we provide guarantees for a portion of other financing arrangements under which we could be called upon to make payments to our third-party funding companies in the event of nonpayment by end-user customers. Under the terms of the nonrecourse leases, we do not have any continuing obligations or liabilities to the third-party leasing companies. Under the terms of the recourse leases, which are generally three years or less, we remain liable for the aggregate unpaid remaining lease payments to the third-party leasing companies in the event of end-user customer default. These arrangements are generally collateralized by a security interest in the underlying assets. Where we provide a guarantee, we defer the revenues associated with the end-user financing arrangement in accordance with our revenue recognition policies. As of July 29, 2011, the maximum guaranteed payment contingencies under our financing arrangements totaled approximately $97.9 million, and the related deferred revenue and cost of revenues totaled approximately $102.0 million and $9.3 million, respectively. To date, we have not experienced material losses under our lease financing programs or other financing arrangements.
Legal contingencies	*Legal Contingencies* We are subject to various legal proceedings and claims which may arise in the normal course of business. No accrual has been recorded as of July 29, 2011, as the outcome of these legal matters is currently not determinable. On October 13, 2010, Amalgamated Bank (as trustee of the Longview Largecap 500 Index Fund and the Longview Largecap 500 Index Veba Fund) filed a derivative lawsuit on behalf of NetApp, Inc. and NetApp U.S. Public Sector, Inc. in the Superior Court of the State of California, Santa Clara County. The lawsuit named 15 of our current and former directors as defendants. On February 3, 2011, the plaintiff filed an amended complaint in response to motions to dismiss that we and the individual defendants had filed. Like the original complaint, the amended complaint includes claims of breach of fiduciary duty and waste of corporate assets and alleges that the defendants failed to monitor internal controls to ensure that we complied with legal requirements in our General Services Administration (GSA) contracting activities, resulting in us incurring defense and settlement costs. The amended complaint seeks disgorgement of salaries and other compensation from the defendants and additional unspecified damages. We and the individual defendants filed motions to dismiss the amended complaint in early March 2011, and the hearing on these motions was held on July 15, 2011. The Court granted the motions to dismiss and dismissed the plaintiff's complaint, but permitted plaintiff leave to amend the complaint on or before September 16, 2011. On August 10, 2011, Amalgamated Bank filed a complaint in Delaware Chancery Court against NetApp, Inc. for the purpose of obtaining, in a summary proceeding, books and records to be used in the California lawsuit. We will respond to this Complaint on or before August 30, 2011.
Accrual legal proceedings and claims	0
Number of current and former directors	15
Capital Purchase Commitments [Member]
Significant commitment	25.0
Other Purchase Commitments [Member]
Significant commitment	249.2
Contract Manufacturers [Member]
Significant commitment	$ 191.8