Short-Term and Long-Term Debt Term Loan (Details) (USD $)	9 Months Ended			0 Months Ended				0 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2014		Jul. 31, 2013	Jul. 15, 2014 Term Loan Secured Debt	Jul. 31, 2014 Term Loan Secured Debt		Jul. 15, 2014 Term Loan Secured Debt	Jul. 15, 2014 London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) Term Loan Secured Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Term loan principal amount	$ 250,000,000				$ 250,000,000		$ 250,000,000
Proceeds from issuance of term loan, net	248,750,000		0	246,000,000
Term loan interest rate				LIBOR
Term loan LIBOR interest floor							0.75%
Interest basis spread on LIBOR								3.00%
Quarterly installment payment, percent of principal				0.25%
Total secured net leverage ratio							2.50
Mandatory prepayment percentage of excess annual cash flow				50.00%
Term loan unamortized discount	1,237,000				1,237,000
Term loan, net carrying amount	248,763,000				248,763,000	[1]
Term loan fair value	$ 249,375,000	[2]			$ 249,375,000	[1],[2]

[1] Includes unamortized bond discount.

[2] The term loan was categorized as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Ciena estimated the fair value of its term loan using a market approach based upon observable inputs, such as current market transactions involving comparable securities.