3 ms·

I wouldn't be surprised if it's ethernet after all. Ethernet over Thunderbolt achieves multiple gigabits, enough for uncompressed 1080p@60Hz.

jauntywundrkind 2y ago
One of the better possible implementation cases really is usb-ip over thunderbolt-net. https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.19/admin-guide/thunderbolt.html#networking-over-thunderbolt-cable https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.19/admin-guide/thunderbol... For reference, DisplayLink DL-5xxx has been doing 4k over USB since 2014. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayLink#DL-5xxx_(2014) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayLink#DL-5xxx_(2014) Linux has had the pieces around for a while. Usb-device-mide gadgets in Linux can be connected to a usb-ip virtual port, so you can share virtual peripherals. The rest is regular networking. Wild but USB gadget mode has been around here and there in laptops for a long long time now, but has rarely ever been used. Here's a steamdeck acting as USB printer, https://hackaday.com/2023/01/31/steamdeck-become-printer/ https://hackaday.com/2023/01/31/steamdeck-become-printer/ Getting an add-in card that can do usb-device-mode / usb-client mode can be tricky but is possible. This capability seems standard on most single-board-computers like RPi (since rpi1 iirc?). https://github.com/ufrisk/pcileech/issues/21 https://github.com/ufrisk/pcileech/issues/21
- therein 2y ago
  Is there any way to use the usb-gadget-mode to have a Linux machine become a webcam?
  - jauntywundrkind 2y ago
    Sure! There's a USB "uvc" (USB Video Class device) gadget in Linux. https://docs.kernel.org/usb/gadget_uvc.html https://docs.kernel.org/usb/gadget_uvc.html There is support in gstreamer. The example shows piping the standard test signal out as uvc gadget. https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation/uvcgadget/index.html?gi-language=c https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation/uvcgadget/in... There's various write-ups out there for example using a RPi as a USB webcam, using this. These write-ups cover more of the details of - as an end user - setting up/configuring the gadget device. https://github.com/geerlingguy/pi-webcam?tab=readme-ov-file#raspberry-pi-webcam https://github.com/geerlingguy/pi-webcam?tab=readme-ov-file#...
kylebenzle 2y ago
So laptops might finally be getting our Ethernet ports back!!!
- Dylan16807 2y ago
  USB to Ethernet dongles have always been available. If you mean RJ45 built into the device then I don't see how that's implied by the above comments.
shanemhansen 2y ago
I recently upgraded my home network and realized my laptop had just gigabit Ethernet. So I bought a couple 2.5G USB 3 adapters and confirmed: iperf3 reports 2.5 gigabit between my laptop and desktop connected to the same switch. Much cheaper than getting a new NIC for the desktop. gigabit Ethernet over a switch under my desk makes nomachine almost pleasant.

jauntywundrkind 2y ago

One of the better possible implementation cases really is usb-ip over thunderbolt-net. https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.19/admin-guide/thunderbolt.html#networking-over-thunderbolt-cable https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/v4.19/admin-guide/thunderbol... For reference, DisplayLink DL-5xxx has been doing 4k over USB since 2014. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayLink#DL-5xxx_(2014) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DisplayLink#DL-5xxx_(2014) Linux has had the pieces around for a while. Usb-device-mide gadgets in Linux can be connected to a usb-ip virtual port, so you can share virtual peripherals. The rest is regular networking. Wild but USB gadget mode has been around here and there in laptops for a long long time now, but has rarely ever been used. Here's a steamdeck acting as USB printer, https://hackaday.com/2023/01/31/steamdeck-become-printer/ https://hackaday.com/2023/01/31/steamdeck-become-printer/ Getting an add-in card that can do usb-device-mode / usb-client mode can be tricky but is possible. This capability seems standard on most single-board-computers like RPi (since rpi1 iirc?). https://github.com/ufrisk/pcileech/issues/21 https://github.com/ufrisk/pcileech/issues/21

therein 2y ago
Is there any way to use the usb-gadget-mode to have a Linux machine become a webcam?
- jauntywundrkind 2y ago
  Sure! There's a USB "uvc" (USB Video Class device) gadget in Linux. https://docs.kernel.org/usb/gadget_uvc.html https://docs.kernel.org/usb/gadget_uvc.html There is support in gstreamer. The example shows piping the standard test signal out as uvc gadget. https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation/uvcgadget/index.html?gi-language=c https://gstreamer.freedesktop.org/documentation/uvcgadget/in... There's various write-ups out there for example using a RPi as a USB webcam, using this. These write-ups cover more of the details of - as an end user - setting up/configuring the gadget device. https://github.com/geerlingguy/pi-webcam?tab=readme-ov-file#raspberry-pi-webcam https://github.com/geerlingguy/pi-webcam?tab=readme-ov-file#...

kylebenzle 2y ago

So laptops might finally be getting our Ethernet ports back!!!

Dylan16807 2y ago
USB to Ethernet dongles have always been available. If you mean RJ45 built into the device then I don't see how that's implied by the above comments.

shanemhansen 2y ago

I recently upgraded my home network and realized my laptop had just gigabit Ethernet. So I bought a couple 2.5G USB 3 adapters and confirmed: iperf3 reports 2.5 gigabit between my laptop and desktop connected to the same switch. Much cheaper than getting a new NIC for the desktop. gigabit Ethernet over a switch under my desk makes nomachine almost pleasant.