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Can anyone please explain me what will be the compatibility/communication issues of using media converter at one end and fiber switch at the other end.? if no, then will different brand of fiber switch and media converter will have any impact.??

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  • The real problem with media converters is that they provide another point of failure. They also may not be able to be managed like other network devices.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Dec 15, 2015 at 16:54
  • Did any answer help you? If so, you should accept the answer so that the question doesn't keep popping up forever, looking for an answer. Alternatively, you can provide your own answer and accept it.
    – Ron Maupin ♦
    Aug 12, 2017 at 23:39

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As long as the two devices utilize the same network connection type and follow the standards, there should be no compatibility/communication issues. They should be able to work without problems.

However as Ron points out, there are other potential negatives to such a configuration. He mentions another point of failure, and I will also add that it can make troubleshooting a bit more difficult. For instance, most media converters are not managed (again as Ron pointed out). This means that you will only be able to pull statistics from one side of each of the copper and fiber links. So you may not see errors on traffic flowing in one direction on the link.

Also, link state is not always mirrored on media converters, so one side of the link (from the switches' perspectives) may look up while the other side shows down. You may see the link as up from the side you are troubleshooting and see outgoing traffic but no incoming traffic. This may initially lead you to false assumptions about what is actually taking place.

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  • Note: In modern terms, a "media converter" is just a dumb (unmanaged) switch.
    – Ricky
    Dec 15, 2015 at 21:10
  • @RickyBeam most of the ones I have seen are more like a hub than a switch/bridge. They simply repeat out the second interface what they receive on the first and vice versa.
    – YLearn
    Dec 15, 2015 at 21:18
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    That would be "the old way". Switch chips are cheap and plentiful these days.
    – Ricky
    Dec 15, 2015 at 21:23

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