Docking 101 – First in a Two Part Series
Today’s post will be the first in a two part series discussing docking and expansion capabilities for notebook PCs. I want to talk about some of the tradeoffs and design considerations that go into making docks and port replicators. However, first we need to cover some background so that the follow up post makes sense. Those with a Masters or Ph.D. in Docking are more than welcome to guest lecture in the comments.
The industry uses the word “docking” as a generic way to describe a device that attaches to your notebook PC which provides a centralized place to plug in cables through one connection on your notebook. Sometimes this is done for convenience – to avoid having to disconnect and reconnect multiple wires each time you sit down at your desk. Other times it is to add ports or functionality that do not exist on the notebook itself.
“Docking” for Lenovo notebooks can mean one of multiple options, not all of which are available on every system. In order of increasing complexity and functionality:
First is a USB attached port replicator that adds additional USB ports, VGA display output, Ethernet, and some PS/2 ports to the system. It is designed primarily for convenience, as routing all signals through one USB port not only saves USB ports on the notebook itself, but also makes it very easy to connect and disconnect from the system. In addition to ThinkPads, this will also work for our Lenovo 3000 and IdeaPad lines. Theoretically it would also work with a desktop, though I’m not sure why you’d want it to. The advantage of using a USB port replicator is that it is very easy to use and is broadly compatible. The disadvantage is that it is only suitable for basic cable management. Since everything is routed through one USB port, the bandwidth is shared and performance of the peripherals will suffer. This is especially true with video connections, but also applies to Ethernet. Routing a gigabit Ethernet connection through a 400Mb/sec. USB connection that is also carrying video, audio, and other signals isn’t exactly high performance computing.
Next up the food chain is our Essential Port Replicator. At this point, all vendors in the industry move away from generic expansion that will work across many systems and into proprietary solutions designed to suit the needs of their specific notebook PCs. In other words, don’t expect your Lenovo ThinkPad to plug into a Dell port replicator, and vice versa. Instead of connecting through a USB port, our Advanced Port Replicator uses the ThinkPad docking port found on the bottom of the majority of ThinkPad T, R, and Z series notebooks. It also introduces the concept of “drop in” docking, which means you place your ThinkPad on top of the port replicator and snap it into place. Its overall function and ports are similar to the USB port replicator mentioned above, and its primary mission is cable management – to avoid the hassle of having to disconnect and reconnect power, Ethernet, VGA display, speakers, etc. every time you move away from your desk. Since it connects directly to the system bus, it avoids the performance problems a USB port replicator. Many vendors have their own versions of port replicators under a variety of names.
Stepping up is what is considered by many to be the sweet spot of ThinkPad docking and expansion, our ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock. This is our best seller overall mainly because it adds significant functionality to the ThinkPad notebooks that support it. These include items like more USB ports, serial port, parallel port, a built in key lock, and most importantly, a DVI port to enable connecting a digital display. Using both the VGA port plus the DVI port, our Advanced Mini Dock can support two simultaneous external displays. It also ships with a second power supply so that you can leave your other power supply in your laptop bag. Again, this level of port replicator is a common item for a vendor to have as an option for its business systems.
The grand daddy of all expansion is called “full docking.” We call our version the ThinkPad Advanced Dock. At this level, it is common to add a few additional ports, but a full dock really exists to add an optical drive/HDD expansion bay and/or a PCI Express graphics slot. This graphics slot will allow a dedicated graphics card to be added so that a system can drive more than two simultaneous displays. Only a few vendors offer a full sized dock, as many see it as an anachronism of a bygone era.
One of the versions above usually works well with full sized notebooks, but ultraportable notebooks (12″ displays or smaller) are a totally different story. Notebook vendors are split as to how they address docking for their smallest notebooks. There are three options, each with its own benefits and tradeoffs:
- Add support for the same port replicators and docks that bigger cousins in the vendor’s lineup use (known as common docking).
- Provide a dedicated way to expand that is optimized for the smaller sized notebook. We do on our X Series notebooks and tablets with the ThinkPad X series Media Slices.
- Eschew docking completely – only support USB port replicators. Another option just emerging in the industry is wireless docking. This is how we address expansion for our ThinkPad X300. (More on wireless docking in the follow up post).
Option one, adding support for the same docks and port replicators that bigger systems use, seems perfect. Customers who use “hot desking” love this compatibility. Hot desking is often used in sales or other environments when users are commonly away from the office. Instead of giving each person a dedicated desk, users can drop in to the office once every so often, find an empty desk, and then sit down and work. This saves real estate space since on average only a small percentage of people will come by the office to work.
Companies who use hot desking love common docking because it allows them to set up a standardized work environment with external display, keyboard, mouse, and Ethernet connection all connected to a port replicator or dock. Regardless of whether a user uses an ultraportable notebook or a full sized notebook, the company does not have to worry about having to supply different docks and port replicators.
While this seems like the obvious solution to implement, it has a significant tradeoff – adding support for common docking adds considerable thickness and weight to a notebook. Ultraportable users are extremely conscious about both of these, and are often unwilling to add to system bulk to get common docking with the rest of the family lineup. Since the ultraportable range is the most highly contested (though not the biggest volume) area of notebook design, being even a few ounces or tenths of a kg heavier or thicker can dramatically impact sales.
Option two involves creating a dedicated “expansion base” for the smallest ultraportable systems. This is the option most often chosen by system designers. Our ThinkPad X series Media Slice is one example of this category. By being optimized for one particular notebook family, it can be made small, portable, and also address any shortcomings not available on the main product. For example, we use our Media Base to add support for an Ultrabay optical drive, DVI, and a few more USB ports. Since the design is small and light, it is versatile enough to be portable. Admittedly though, few people actually carry it around with them. For those people who leave it behind, we also provide a key lock to lock the notebook in place when it is on the user’s desk for more security.
Option three is to simply not provide a connector for docking at all. A few months ago, this meant a user would only be able to use a USB port replicator. However, with the availability of Ultra-Wideband technology (UWB), wireless docking is just becoming a possibility. Unfortunately though, it is no panacea either. More on that in the next post.
I hope this post has laid the groundwork for some more advanced discussion next time. In the next post, Docking 201, we’ll explore the following topics: Tradeoffs in designing docks, usability considerations, advanced video support, wireless docking, the future of docking, and more (your suggestions welcome). That’s when the real fun begins.
For now, we are actively soliciting feedback and opinions on future docking possibilities. If you would be willing to provide some feedback by participating in this survey, our team would be very interested what you have to say. We will not use your information for marketing purposes (i.e. sell you out). Here’s the link.
Lenovo Meet the Modder Dean Liou
Lenovo Meet the modder- Chris Blarsky Dairy 2
Lenovo Meet the modder- Chris Blarsky Dairy 1
Lenovo H320 desktop
May 1st, 2008 5:47 pm
any dock with full HDMI will do please!!!
yes, Thinkpad is a business notebook! But Sony and Apple have hdmi too and I want to hook my TP to my receiver and/or HDTV to have some fun too!
Loved the parody of X300 on “air”!!!
May 1st, 2008 6:38 pm
Media Slice (or any docking product) for the X series with DVI output? Where? I can’t find in on the Lenovo web site. The UltraBay only offers VGA.
May 1st, 2008 9:10 pm
I wish there one more option. A dock connector with just a small strip of plastic that came out back avoiding the battery area. I could provide connectors for the interfaces on the dock connector that are not on the laptop. (Like the DVI connector, Line in, SPDIF etc.)
May 1st, 2008 9:21 pm
Dimitris — my mistake. I corrected it above. I was not thinking correctly. DVI and HDMI are subjects for the next post, but unfortunately not part of the X6 Ultrabase or X6 Tablet Ultrabase.
May 2nd, 2008 6:20 am
There is another option, like the one Compaq used to have for there subnotebooks, for the M300 model for example. They had small portable dock like the ultrabase, providing a multibay slot for optical drives, harddisks or a battery, more connectors etc. The portable dock again would fit into the “real” docking solutions for the “big” notebooks – so you could have the best of both worlds.
May 2nd, 2008 2:16 pm
Just make it reliable. My Z61p has an advanced mini-dock at work and a advanced dock at home. The system frequently gets confused requiring a reboot during a dock/undock sequence. Even though my external displays are both 1920×1200 DVI and operate as clones of the laptop display (also 1920 x 1200), the software gets confused and resizes everything to XGA (and shrinks / scrunches all windows to the upper left corner of the screen).
I’ve already added the rubber “booties” to both docks (known problem, Lenovo retrofit kit) to help the static problem that resulted in crashes. It helps but is not a complete cure.
A concur on the DVI is a requirement. I was going to buy an X61t but am holding off for the x62t cause it might support DVI (or it’s successor).
Finally, you guys to an awful job of describing the DVI capabilities of your docks/laptops. Some dock and laptop combinations support Dual DVI (needed for the 30″ Apple display for instance). Your marketing stuff should clearly say, for each laptop/display variant, what is the max external resolution in conjunction with the various dock choices.
May 2nd, 2008 4:24 pm
A drop in dock/Port Replicator that has a vesa mount on the bottom would be ideal for those users with tablet PCs. This would allow the system, in tablet mode, to be positioned around the desk either as a display (keyboard/mouse use) or for writing.
May 2nd, 2008 4:29 pm
I purchased a Lenovo X61 last fall along with the docking station and DVD burner. I have not been able to get the dock to reliably work (USB/DVD/Video) — while I am frustrated that I can’t seem to get help from Lenovo to fix the problem (service from IBM saying I need to request a replacement from Lenovo, but Lenovo keeps sending me back to IBM for further repair “assistance”) , I still think this is a great concept. My main reason for the purchase was to allow me to use my tablet and to also use another monitor along with peripherals (laptop, mouse, USB devices). Part of this goal would be to use 1-2 higer resolution monitors along with my X61 (being used in tablet mode). Is this possible?
Also, as per previous posts, I have also wished for an HDMI connection on occasion.
May 2nd, 2008 4:29 pm
How about a BIOS fix for the issue of T61s freezing when the power plug is disconnected from the docking station?
-Jan
May 2nd, 2008 4:44 pm
The thing that will convince me to buy a dock (instead of plugging the USB devices I have accumulated over the years into a USB hub which plugs into my laptop) is ease of use. I want to be able to drop in a laptop and have it powered, connected to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, and locked in.
The great thing about the ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock is that the laptop is locked into it. Even road warriors need to go to the bathroom and cable locks are a pain.
May 2nd, 2008 5:21 pm
I have an X61 tablet here with the Ultrabase. I would love to see a cable- or wireless-based version of the dock, sort of what Toshiba has available for their high end R400 tablet (wireless) or their older M200 (cabled). This gives me the easy flexibility to use the tablet as a tablet while still docked. Otherwise, when I come home, I have to trade the convenience of tablet mode with connectivity to an external monitor and extra USB device.
May 2nd, 2008 5:29 pm
I have an X61 tablet and an ultra base as well which makes it very easy to grab and run which I do several times in a day. However the lack of HDMI has always been a point of frustration with this setup as I must always adjust my monitor manually to correct for slightly fuzziness, and even then it is still not the same. The current dock configuration is fine, just add HDMI. In fact, it is so important too me that my next purchase have HDMI regardless of make and model.
May 2nd, 2008 8:37 pm
I have an X60 with the Ultrabase so I dock/undock a few times a day. I love being able to drop my laptop down and have it charge and recognize all of my USB stuff right away. All four USB ports on my dock are filled: external HDD, printer, mouse, and printer.
I will say that sometimes docking gets funky and I’ll have to restart to get everything to work right or some peripheral will prevent me from undocking, which I hate. The worst offender is my Logitech Z-10 speaker system which has a media display; as long as music is playing I cannot undock my computer because the speakers are still communicating with the computer. Another complaint is that the microphone/headphone jacks should be on the front or side of the dock, not in the back where I can’t see to plug anything in. My last complaint is that when I undock, there is all kinds of HDD activity and the computer is unresponsive until it stops, so I have to wait 30 seconds or sometimes more before I can put the computer to sleep, throw it in my bag and go.
I have not used my dock with an external monitor, but it is on my agenda as soon as I can afford an external monitor.
I would certainly be interested in wireless docking for my next tablet, but it can’t be really expensive. I got the X60T Ultrabase because it was only like $150. Hopefully Lenovo will have a <3lb tablet with a docking solution for me to buy by next spring.
May 3rd, 2008 4:57 am
I have the Advanced Dock. Guess what.. for my T61p it won’t fit under the monitor stand sold by Lenovo. So, it sits “near it” and how frustrating is that? The previous monitor stand accepted all docking options.
Please Lenovo, bring me a monitor stand that lets me use my Advanced Dock.
BUT… please don’t tell me to buy 3rd party or a radial arm for $100+.
Cheers
May 4th, 2008 10:25 am
Jan Olbrecht – update your BIOS and there is a legacy port option for the docking station – disable this (disables the parallel and serial port on the dock) and this issue will not longer occur.
May 4th, 2008 11:34 am
I absolutely agree with many of the above statements. A physical dock is a VERY convenient way to ‘manage’ swapping workspaces. BUT I also have to agree that the current software execution is buggy. For example charging in the dock is always bound to mess up the power-manager to ATI control center communication regarding ATI PowerPlay. This is very anoying especially given the Fact that Lenovo is unwilling to give ATI the ability to directly support their hardware like other major players do. Add in the eternal pulsing fan problem (of the T60/60p) and this can make easy docking into fumbling arround in software settings…
Best regards
May 4th, 2008 11:50 pm
one thing i hated about owning a T42p and T61p is having to buy a dock just to unlock DVI output. if the capability is in the thinkpad then the port needs to be on the thinkpad, regardless of the dock offerings.
for the first time in my life i was embarrassed to own a thinkpad when i visited a client who only had DVI-capable displays for me to use in a presentation. instead i was left using the on-board WUXGA display which in itself was a bit of a disappointment. (but, i digress, that’s a whole other topic.) while i did blame myself for not doing more homework first, i also swore never to buy another workstation-class thinkpad until it had DVI or displayport output. i’ve even doubted myself when buying the X300 for this same reason as it seems archaic to buy a notebook in 2008 using display output technology from 1987.
regardless of what happens with docks, please don’t force us to buy them to unlock a single feature — especially one as important as digital display output. i’d much rather see the same cost of the dock added to the price of the thinkpad itself.
May 5th, 2008 4:14 am
Dock quickly and pull my X61 tablet computer to go quickly. too How right now. I was more impressed with my Motion dock than I am with my Lenovo Ultradock.
Next on my list would be the ability to have an external monitor as primary and my TabletPC docked as secondary with the ability to ink on it!
May 6th, 2008 1:10 am
I generally love my T61p and Mini-dock(both at home and at work); I’ve had a Thinkpad docking solution all the way back to my 750c back in the early 90’s. Docking stations are every bit as important to my buying decisions as the notebook itself.
While I prefer Thinkpads to alternatives, I agree with Steve’s comment above – Lenovo’s documentation, both in marketing materials and in technical specifications, leave me and countless others confused as to the real capabilities of the system. It wasn’t clear to me when I purchased my T61p that my model didn’t come equiped with UWB, or that the (unlike the T61) audio ports were on the left side of the machine.
Other manufacturers are often much clearer on specs. Any improvements in this area would be greatly appreciated, would result in increased sales, and would provide Lenovo with a significant return on invested resources.
May 6th, 2008 1:11 am
Just wanted to mention that since upgrading to Vista, the option to immediately switch to a particular display profile upon docking is greyed out in Presentation Director. This somewhat spoils what has always been (under XP) a fast and efficient docking solution which connects me with a DVI external display, keyboard, network, speakers, card reader and cable lock. I’m sure many people who dock with external displays using Vista would be very grateful if this feature could be re-enabled. Keep up the good work!
May 9th, 2008 12:47 pm
The USB dock doesn’t have an ethernet port, please make a correction, also the dock you showed in the picture looks exactly like Kensington’s: http://www.electronista.com/ar.....ptop.dock/
so either you or they’re copying yours or you’re simply buying from them and putting your company’s stamp on it and selling it for more.
May 13th, 2008 3:16 am
Matt – good post.
If as you say the primary reason for docking is cable management, then PLEASE bring back the ability of the x60 series to use a dock or mini-dock.
I have an old x31 with ultrabase at work, and dock at home. At home it works perfectly in dual monitor setup. But at work the same setup with the ultrabase is awful. Undocking from the ultrabase is horribly unreliable (as Brian says above) and 1 in 10 times needs a restart. The ultrabse is also very heavy (enormous metal plate inside it).
With the x60 series there us no dock – we can only buy the ultrabase for $150 or more. I don’t want access to an Ultrabay (USB is far better and more reliable). I just want good cable management which the old dock/mini-dock used to provide. Are there any plans to bring this back?
In fact are there any future plans for the x60 at all?
Alex.
May 13th, 2008 10:18 am
dido, The Lenovo USB dock does ship with an ethernet dongle. The Kensington dock does not.
May 23rd, 2008 8:22 am
I use R61 now and plan to buy the advanced mini dock because I want to hook my Thinkpad with my LCD tv and digital LCD monitor at my home and my workplace through DVI.
Can I use it with only battery from my Laptop? or I must always plug it to a wall outlet.
erik. I also agree with you about adding DVI port to the Thinkpad. It’s ok not to include them to R series (but I think you should add it.) but for T series which is quite expensive in my country and others should must have it. Thinkpad is expensive than other brand but give user only D-sub port and analog audio in/out. The other brand’s offer HDMI and digital/analog audio in/out even cheaper Lenovo laptop also has the digital audio in/out without using any port replicator.
May 23rd, 2008 8:48 am
Thanks for the post Matt. I’d love to see some comments on the Toshiba wireless docking station they released for the R400 they did over a year ago now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRlYYI9hCS8
Would love to know why this type of technology didn’t proliferate more and why the range is so low (5 feet according to the video).
May 23rd, 2008 2:11 pm
1) Maybe it’s just me but I don’t get this wireless docking at all.
As long as we’re not able to transfer power over the air, and the laptop battery won’t last a whole day, then we need to plug-in the laptop to outlet anyway. I find attaching laptop to Advanced Mini Dock faster and easier than to a power supply. That’s because the dock is always there. The power supply might be in my laptop case or its cable might have fallen somewhere or so.
2) The smaller the laptops get, and the more inferior their panels get (TN technology), the more important it is to be able to drive an external display. But what do we get as default for all laptops, and *as the only connector for those that would most desperately need better*? VGA. No way, not going to try to look at that blurry picture for more than a minute.
May 23rd, 2008 9:35 pm
hi there,
i love my t61 and the great docking solution (advanced dock). but one think: why is the fan inside the advanced dock so aloud !?!?!? at the present i do not use the pci-express-slot so there is nothing to cool out of the power supply and the fan sounds so aloud – it is simply incomprehensible.
now improve your fan-solution and install a temprature controlled fan – please!
And also 1 or 2 additional usb-ports would be nice 
June 21st, 2008 1:04 pm
None of the photos on Flickr are working.
June 23rd, 2008 10:09 am
Thanks for the catch Ramu.
July 15th, 2008 2:55 am
As an industrial design student I’m glad to have found this blog. Went and submitted the survey and left some comments I have re: my full ThinkPad Advance Dock on the T43p. Hope they are useful.
July 15th, 2008 10:30 pm
I use the advanced dock for my R60 and with the addition of a video card run 4 monitors (the laptop itself and 3 seperate ones). I would not want to trade the full dock for anything less! I bought the cheapest video card with no fan and the smallest heat sink I could find and hardly hear the fan in the dock. I had a much better video card installed and the fan ran like a jet engine! No gaming here though so I’m not missing anything.
April 8th, 2009 4:16 pm
Just a follow up my earlier comment (number 20) regarding the option of switching display profile upon docking that was available in Vista. This feature has now been added to version 4.03 of Presentation Director. Yipee!
June 7th, 2009 1:25 am
I’m troubled by the move away from universal docking that started with the x40. the mini notebooks are the ones screaming to be connected to a full size dock.
I use a notebook computer like a portable CPU. It’s docked at home and office to a large multiple monitor setup. I only use the built-in keyboard and monitor while travelling
that for me is an ideal setup: having a fast multicore subnotebook that’s dockable. It would use integrated video for long battery life, but could be docked to a full dock with an add on video card. And the dock would accep the current range of Lenovo models.
Universal docking has the marketing advantage of encouraging users to stick with Lenovo laptops. I have more laptops than docks available, so I regularly switch laptops in the dock depending on the work I need to do at the moment.
Without universal dockability there’s no reason why my third, or fourth Laptops should be Lenovos. They could be Dells, or HPs.
August 27th, 2009 4:07 pm
[...] new developments worth talking about. If you need a remedial docking course, you can check out Docking 101 and Docking 201. Remember that I use “docking” as a generic term to mean a way to expand the [...]
October 8th, 2009 4:24 am
I personally like Lenovo and IBM for its performance and robustness. These articles prove I am right.