Today I bought two USB-C adapter made by Icy Box. I wasn’t able to find any references on the internet about Linux compatibility… So here are my findings.
My test setup was a Lenovo T470 with Arch Linux (Linux 4.15).
Notebook Multiport Docking Station
Type IB-DK4033-CPD. Tested HDMI, USB 3.0 and Ethernet, all worked fine without any further doing. I was able to display an extended 4K desktop through HDMI. Ethernet performed as it should with effective peak 940Mbits/sec effective speed (measured using iperf3).
$ lsusb --tree /: Bus 04.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/2p, 10000M |__ Port 1: Dev 2, If 0, Class=Hub, Driver=hub/4p, 5000M |__ Port 3: Dev 4, If 0, Class=Mass Storage, Driver=uas, 5000M |__ Port 4: Dev 3, If 0, Class=Vendor Specific Class, Driver=r8152, 5000M /: Bus 03.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/2p, 480M |__ Port 1: Dev 2, If 0, Class=Hub, Driver=hub/4p, 480M |__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 0, Class=Human Interface Device, Driver=usbhid, 12M |__ Port 2: Dev 3, If 1, Class=, Driver=, 12M
$ lspci -t -v -[0000:00]-+-00.0 Intel Corporation Xeon E3-1200 v6/7th Gen Core Processor Host Bridge/DRAM Registers +-02.0 Intel Corporation HD Graphics 620 +-14.0 Intel Corporation Sunrise Point-LP USB 3.0 xHCI Controller ... +-1d.0-[05-3d]----00.0-[06-3d]--+-00.0-[07]-- | +-01.0-[08-3c]-- | \-02.0-[3d]----00.0 Intel Corporation Device 15c1
dmesg did show some errors, but it seems not to be an issue in practise. This is with a external Samsung SSD connected to the USB 3.0.
The manual states that the device support VESA DP ALT mode to HDMI or VGA (hence not both simultaneously! I did not test VGA so far). The additional USB-C can be used to charge the device or use it as a data link.
USB Type-C to HDMI Adapter
Type IB-AD534-C. Also the HDMI adapter worked fine without any further doing. I was able to drive 4K screen in extended mode. The adapter is very well finished with a aluminum look and feel.
It seems that the same controller is used internally, lscpi looks exactly like it did on the Multiport Docking Station adapter and lsusb showed the same root hubs.
dmesg looks very similar too.
All in all I am happy with those adapters and I can recommend them both.