Dell's New WD19 Thunderbolt/USB-C Docks Should Be Playing Nicely On Linux

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Dell's New WD19 Thunderbolt/USB-C Docks Should Be Playing Nicely On Linux

In addition to Dell releasing "budget-friendly" laptops with Ubuntu Linux on Wednesday, the company released new Thunderbolt and USB-C docks that should be working fine out-of-the-box on Linux...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Dell-WD19-New-Docks-Linux

[Zyklon]

Anyone knows about compatibility with non-Dell machines? Richard said it works at least with his Thinkpad, but our HP docks at work for example don't work on Fujitsus, or just provide the USB ports.

[superm1]

Anyone knows about compatibility with non-Dell machines? Richard said it works at least with his Thinkpad, but our HP docks at work for example don't work on Fujitsus, or just provide the USB ports.

Yes, they'll work on non-Dells, including FW updates from Linux.

[chithanh]

I don't see anything about Thunderbolt on the linked Dell product page? They seem to be standard USB Type-C with DisplayPort docks.

[superm1]

I don't see anything about Thunderbolt on the linked Dell product page? They seem to be standard USB Type-C with DisplayPort docks.

There are 4 models.
* Docking station (WD19 w/ 130W power supply)

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-dock-wd19-130w/apd/210-ario/pc-accessories?ref=p13n_ena_pdp_vv&c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

This is the single C w/ DP

* Docking station (WD19 w/180W power supply)

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-docking-station-wd19-180w/apd/210-ariq/pc-accessories?ref=p13n_ena_pdp_vv&c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

This is the single C w/ DP

* Thunderbolt docking station (WD19TB)

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-thunderbolt-dock-wd19tb/apd/210-arik/pc-accessories

This is Thunderbolt.
It's Titan Ridge, which will work on systems both with and without Thunderbolt

* Performance docking station (WD19DC)

https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-performance-dock-wd19dc/apd/210-aril/pc-accessories?ref=p13n_ena_pdp_vv&c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd

This is the dual-C configuration for high end precisions, with extra graphics bandwidth.

[aorth]

Great. I'll probably get one. I got Lenovo's USB-C Dock last year and it reliably kernel panics my machine after unplugging. Sometimes it's after a few minutes, sometimes after an hour. So far it happens on kernels 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, 5.0. Now I know that if I plug into the dock to do some work, I always have to power off if I want to go mobile again.

[chithanh]

aorth That sounds more like a kernel/driver than a hardware problem? What if you unplug while the machine is suspended (to RAM or disk)?

[dwagner]

Dell's docking stations are certainly among the most Linux friendly, and electronically work fine.

But every docking station using a USB-C type connector is prone to mechanical failure, as USB-C type connectors just do not tolerate much shearing forces. In our company, where everyone has a Dell docking station, the number of broken USB-C connectors is just staggering.

A docking station connector, which is meant to withstand several dock/undock cycles per day, and a little rough handling when people are in a hurry moving things around on their desk, should really use a much bigger and more sturdy connector than that flimsy USB-C.

[M@GOid]

Dell's docking stations are certainly among the most Linux friendly, and electronically work fine.

But every docking station using a USB-C type connector is prone to mechanical failure, as USB-C type connectors just do not tolerate much shearing forces. In our company, where everyone has a Dell docking station, the number of broken USB-C connectors is just staggering.

A docking station connector, which is meant to withstand several dock/undock cycles per day, and a little rough handling when people are in a hurry moving things around on their desk, should really use a much bigger and more sturdy connector than that flimsy USB-C.

USB-C was designed to address the weakness of the micro-B connectors. But as that Google engineer discovered, not all USB-C connectors are made equal.

I'm not saying USB-C are build like tanks, but in my experience, some people manage to break everything, even the famous unbreakable Nokia 3310 brick phones, that one made of nokiudiun.

[wizard69]

This shearing problem is what will break what is an otherwise good idea. Frankly it is a good reason n to demand older USB recepticals on new hardware. This especially for USB drives used on the fly or items you want to keep docked over the long term.

Kinda sad that a good tech gets saddled with a crappy connector.

Dell's docking stations are certainly among the most Linux friendly, and electronically work fine.

But every docking station using a USB-C type connector is prone to mechanical failure, as USB-C type connectors just do not tolerate much shearing forces. In our company, where everyone has a Dell docking station, the number of broken USB-C connectors is just staggering.

A docking station connector, which is meant to withstand several dock/undock cycles per day, and a little rough handling when people are in a hurry moving things around on their desk, should really use a much bigger and more sturdy connector than that flimsy USB-C.