TB15 Dock Linux Support

I agree on all your items but for me the dock is good enough. There are ways around most of the problems, like know what steps work when plugging in/out, suspending etc. Not saying I never get it to hang my laptop but it gets me dual high-res monitors, audio, USB and charging through one single cable.

Are you using the default 16.04 kernel (4.4.x) or hwe (4.8.x) or hwe-edge (4.10.x) and the nouveau driver or the Nvidia-375 driver package? Also are you using literally suspend2ram or `sudo systemctl suspend` to trigger a suspend? I haven't had any issues with the latter near 100% success rate, and I'm also able to do a `sudo systemctl hibernate` and resume about 90% of the time.

I have no Nvidia GPU, so I don't use Nvidia drivers. It is a Intel Core i7 system and internal Intel graphics.

Hi, I'm using the Dell XPS 13 9350 with the latest Dock firmware and Bios versions, Debian 9.0 stretch, and the latest vanilla kernels. At the moment it is 4.12.2, soon it will be 4.12.3.

To suspend the system I use: 'echo "mem" > /sys/power/state'

The troubles with the dock vary slightly from kernel version to kernel version.

It's a dual boot system. I rarely (more or less never) use windows, the dock works better there.

On my Dell XPS 9350, latest Bios and firmware for the Dock TB15, currently latest vanilla kernel 4.12.4: sshfs over the ethernet connector works now at 1GB full duplex. The transfer of 10GB of random data was fine, a simultaneous ls -R over a huge directory tree also works. Yes!

ssuspend2ram and dual screen still is unstable. Cold boot does not work with the tb15.

Do you guys still think they are working on making the TB15 work on Linux?

No.

The TB15 has been discontinued, replaced by TB16. Probably due at least in part to the poor thermal design of the TB15.

I've returned my TB15 several months ago and got full refund for it. Then when TB16 got out I order one. I've been using it for over a month now and no issue. Didn't had to do any firmare upgrade at all. Just plug and play. Using it on vanilla Ubuntu 17.04 with 2 external monitors (1 HDMI and 1 DVI) plus laptop screen. Really happy with it.

I had my TB15 swapped for a TB16 by contacting support.

However it was good for only a very short time and then has had the same issues as the TB15 ever since.

Network is there or not depending on the wind and is still limited to 100Mb/s , USB doesn't always work etc

Laptop must be switched on before connecting to the dock to drive the screen.

Using the latest version of Ubuntu or Ubuntu Gnome Edition with all patches applied.

Is there a process for exchanging the TB15 for the TB16?

@lefrog.ca,  

Im glad the TB16 is working out for you and I apologize for the experience with the TB15.

* I've contacted Dell customer support regarding one TB15 and one TB16 and both times the service tags were missing from their database. I imagine they are missing for every dock. Major devops f-up at Dell it seems.

* I bought my TB15 from Dell and when I heard about the recall here, I called them and asked to be included. I got tossed around several support technicians, all of which had no clue what to do when a service tag is missing. In the end they basically told me that there's nothing to be done. A few days later I receive a TB16 in the mail. I'll never know if it was it on its way anyway or if my seemingly failed service requests actually resolved the issue.

* Two months after receiving the TB16, it died on me. I contacted Dell again, and got tossed around 6-7 useless support technicians. Also, it didn't help that the service tag was missing again. I then called the tech support using the service tag of my XPS 13 which I have from work and is under a corporate service plan. At this point I received fantastic support from the corporate service technician. We tried troubleshooting it, but after a few hours they just sent me a replacement and it has been working ever since. The moral of the story is If you have another Dell product such as an XPS laptop and especially one that is under a corporate service contract, use this service code when contacting Dell.

* In my experience the TB16 looks and functions exactly like a TB15. The only noticeable difference a little heat vent on the back. My TB16 has been working fairly well with Ubuntu 16.10 and a newish kernel, but with the same limitations that everybody has already mentioned. Cold boot doesn't work and ethernet drops occasionally and is slower than wifi so I don't use it. Other than that it works perfectly for all of my USB peripherals and my single monitor. I even have sound over HDMI now.

Overall, it works to a satisfactory level for me on Linux so I'm still content with my purchase. Especially considering that even two years after the initial TB15 release, there are still no real alternatives that I know of on the market.

@dre85 mu usb still dont work with the TB15; did you install something else but the kernel? such as `thunderboltd` ?

So I purchased a TB15 quite cheap from ebay not knowing about all the issues.

Long story short: since I connected an external ethernet adapter to the USB-C port of the dock all my problems are gone! Mouse and keyboard are working, ethernet (over the external adapter) is working at 1G. No CRC errors, display flickering or mouse or keyboard stop working! To me it seems like Dell messed up the signal termination.

The only thing I'm currently struggling with is the audio config.

Is there a way to have audio output over the connector in the back but recognize a headset if connected to the front jack? In windows this is working but in linux it seems to be either front or back.

Could someone with a working setup provide his configuration?

I'm running Linux Mint 18.2.