One port to rule em all
Considering the DMA vulnerabilities of thunderbolt, that's not too far off.
At least until we have some sort of IOMMU-based hotplug device firewalls in our operating systems.
Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
81–90 of 198 posts
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#82So now you can't even put glue in the thunderbolt port anymore to prevent DMA attacks? I don't think DMA attacks have been fully solved yet via software, or am I not up to date here? I guess you could blacklist the driver.
Just glue over your USB-C ports with tinfoil.
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#83The USB C connector is awesome and this is great news. I still wish the industry would have standardized on the 2.5mm jack. It can be plugged in any direction. You could pull a cord out of a mess of cables and it would not snag as there is nothing to snag on.
Not very suitable for high-speed impedence-matched communication, and not ideal for power delivery: the 'ring' prong in the socket touches the tip on insertion.
Hence why we prefer Speakon connectors instead of those lame jack plugs they insist on putting on all guitar amps (and a great way to blow up a Marshall amp - just half pull that speaker output cable out and watch the valves go a funny colour eventually)
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#84So, will Apple finally be able to refresh the Thunderbolt Display? I got an old one I want to sell before it gets obsolete. I guess the time is now. Edit: "Thunderbolt 3 integrates USB 3.1, optional 100W power delivery, 5K @ 60Hz display." Optional power delivery? Optional nowadays just mean "will be removed before even reaching production"
Whenever this makes it's way to the Macbook Pro (probably next year?), this will definitely enable them to make the upgrade. Right now, they don't have any TB3-capable computers, so no one would want to buy that monitor. And I guess the sticky part will be all those 12" Macbook's with Type C connectors that wouldn't work with such a display...
Those 12" Macbook's aren't capable of driving a 5K display at 60Hz, period, even if they had a TB3 port. However, a TB3 display plugged into a standard type-C port would negotiate a DP1.2 connection so it could run 5K@30 or 4K@60.
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#85Seems to be trading all our different ports with the problem of having all levels of different cables? This port is going to be very expensive for the manufactures. If it does everything I'm going to need a bunch. Does anything stop OEMs making a row of identical ports that only 1 charges my laptop, only a couple take can use the fastest cable and I'm sure all sorts of potential shenanigans,
This already happens. My laptop has three USB ports. One with just the USB symbol, one with the superspeed USB symbol ("SS") and one with the superspeed symbol and a lightening bolt. I'm not sure exactly what that lightning bolt... Who knows what that means - maybe support for the Battery Charging Specification (5V, 1.5A)?
We'll just have to get used to ports having a load of obscure symbols next to them.
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the Apple TB Display is comparable here. If you have a rare TB device, you're probably a professional, and yes, you'll need to ensure the TB logo is on the port. If it's an extremely common USB device, it'll work on any port, without exception. The Apple Thunderbolt monitors are Apple's fault. There was no reason they couldn't have accepted a raw DisplayPort signal, but they still didn't.
Confused. I have an Apple TB display and plug it into a ThinkPad mini DisplayPort port. Works fine.
It really doesn't work - I really really wish it did.
Your ThinkPad has a Thunderbolt port (which doubles as a DisplayPort).
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the Apple TB Display is comparable here. If you have a rare TB device, you're probably a professional, and yes, you'll need to ensure the TB logo is on the port. If it's an extremely common USB device, it'll work on any port, without exception. The Apple Thunderbolt monitors are Apple's fault. There was no reason they couldn't have accepted a raw DisplayPort signal, but they still didn't.
Confused. I have an Apple TB display and plug it into a ThinkPad mini DisplayPort port. Works fine.
Either your ThinkPad has Thunderbolt as was suggested, or you have a DisplayPort Cinema Display.
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#88So now you can't even put glue in the thunderbolt port anymore to prevent DMA attacks? I don't think DMA attacks have been fully solved yet via software, or am I not up to date here? I guess you could blacklist the driver.
If the thunderbolt part (more accurately, the pci-express lanes) could be disabled without losing the USB 3.1 and display port capabilities the port still might be "good enough" for most purposes.
And yeah, we really need device firewalls that isolate everything via IOMMU and don't allow drivers to do any memory mappings until the user confirmed the device.
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thunderbolt isn't an Apple interface, it is an Intel interface. They were the first to use it, because they picked the best and fastest interface to combine video with network, USB, firewire, etc into one cable. However, several other brands have caught on, including the Dell m3800 I bought recently.
I didn't mean to imply it's an Apple interface - but I haven't seen TB 2 in the wild anywhere else then MacBooks/iMacs and most Thunderbolt devices refused to work with Windows (at least as I tested on my rMBP) due to lack of drivers. I did not mean to cause confusion, I apologise.
I have been seeing Thunderbolt as an option on motherboards when I do builds for at least the last three years. But I am generally looking at motherboards in the $200 price range, as the lower end ones are usually lacking connectors and features in ways that are much more important to me than Thunderbolt.
Manufacturers I believe don't usually include it because most PC buyers would not use that feature as a purchasing criteria.
Re: Thunderbolt 3 embraces USB Type-C connector, doubles bandwidth to 40Gbps
#90I'm kinda disapointed about the whole Type-C scenario. Now when you've got a Type-C Port, you just don't know what it can do. It could be anything from a USB 2 Port, up to a USB 3.1 + 20A Power + Thunderbolt Port. You can't see this from looking at it, and Spec Sheets today have a problem of listing the version numbers of HDMI and DisplayPort Ports, I don't see them suddenly becoming very concise about this. The prom…
I disagree, provided that the standard provides for some degree of backwards compatibility. I think it's great how a USB 3.0 drive will still work on a USB 1.0 computer from 1999. Sure, it'll run slower, but it'll work , and even without an adapter! With Apple's previous various high-speed ports (Firewire 400, Firewire 800, Thunderbolt), they have no backwards compatibility -- from FW 400 -> 800 you could use an adap…
from FW 400 -> 800 you could use an adaptor,
but for Thunderbolt you're out of luck completely
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Thunderbolt-to-FireWire-Adapter/...