Title: FW16 Rear TB4 Ports: No Detection of Multiple TB4 NVMe Enclosures (Inateck FE2028, Zike TB4) on Linux

Hi all,

System:

  • Laptop: Framework 16 (AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS)
  • BIOS/EC: System Firmware 0.0.3.5, CPU firmware 0x0a704108 (latest via fwupdmgr)
  • OS: Arch Linux (kernel 6.15.6-zen1-1-zen)
  • Enclosures tested:
    • Inateck FE2028 (original TB4 cable)
    • Zike TB4 enclosure (original TB4 cable)
  • Drives: Multiple SSDs tested
  • boltctl: No output (no device detected)

Issue:

  • Neither enclosure is detected at all (not even as fallback USB) when plugged into either rear TB4 port, regardless of hotplug or cold boot.
  • The enclosure LED lights up, and there are Type-C/PD/Alternate Mode events (see logs), but the device never appears in lsblk, lsusb, or as a block device.
  • Both enclosures work as USB3 drives (mass storage, UAS driver) on the side USB3 port, confirming that the enclosures and SSDs themselves are functional.
  • Other USB devices (sticks, mice, etc.) work on all ports as expected.

Troubleshooting Done:

  • Updated to latest BIOS/EC and Linux kernel.
  • Tested with two enclosures and their original TB4 cables.
  • Cold boot with enclosure plugged in: not detected.
  • Hotplug after boot: not detected.
  • Tried multiple SSDs in each enclosure.
  • No errors or device detection in dmesg; only Type-C/PD/alternate mode events in udev.
  • boltctl shows no devices.
  • Side USB3 port: enclosure works as expected (see comparison logs).

Logs (inline excerpts, full logs attached as .txt files or see pastebin/gist links):

System Info (uname -a):
Linux vbm 6.15.6-zen1-1-zen #1 ZEN SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu, 10 Jul 2025 17:10:03 +0000 x86_64 GNU/Linux

fwupdmgr get-devices (excerpt):
Framework Laptop 16 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series)
System Firmware: Current version: 0.0.3.5
AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS w/ Radeon 780M Graphics: Current version: 0x0a704108

lspci | grep -i ‘thunder|usb4|pci’:
00:03.1 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 19h USB4/Thunderbolt PCIe tunnel
00:04.1 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Family 19h USB4/Thunderbolt PCIe tunnel
c4:00.5 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Pink Sardine USB4/Thunderbolt NHI controller #1
c4:00.6 USB controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Pink Sardine USB4/Thunderbolt NHI controller #2

dmesg | grep -i thunder:
[ 7.328221] ACPI: bus type thunderbolt registered
[ 7.328265] thunderbolt 0000:c4:00.5: enabling device (0000 → 0002)
[ 7.389327] thunderbolt 0000:c4:00.6: enabling device (0000 → 0002)

Plugging In Inateck TB4 Enclosure (Rear TB4):
(udevadm monitor --environment --udev, plug/unplug events, but no block device detected)
UDEV [903.288749] change /devices/platform/USBC000:00/typec/port0 (typec)
UDEV [903.289204] add /devices/platform/USBC000:00/typec/port0/port0-partner (typec)
UDEV [903.289524] change /devices/platform/USBC000:00/power_supply/ucsi-source-psy-USBC000:001 (power_supply)

UDEV [904.771153] add /devices/platform/USBC000:00/typec/port0/port0-partner/port0-partner.0 (typec)
UDEV [904.772163] bind /devices/platform/USBC000:00/typec/port0/port0-partner/port0-partner.0 (typec)
UDEV [904.823054] add /devices/platform/USBC000:00/typec/port0/port0-partner/port0-partner.1 (typec)
UDEV [904.858510] change /devices/platform/USBC000:00/typec/port0/port0-partner (typec)
(no new block device appears)

lsusb -t (Rear TB4 Port, Enclosure Plugged In):
(No new device appears at any speed.)

lsblk (Rear TB4 Port, Enclosure Plugged In):
(no new device; only internal drives and virtual devices)

boltctl list (Rear TB4 Port, Enclosure Plugged In):
(no output – no Thunderbolt devices detected)

Side USB3 Port (Same enclosure):

lsusb -t:
/: Bus 002.Port 001: Dev 001, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/2p, 10000M
|__ Port 002: Dev 002, If 0, Class=Hub, Driver=hub/3p, 10000M
|__ Port 001: Dev 003, If 0, Class=Mass Storage, Driver=uas, 10000M

lsblk:
sda 3,6T disk
├─sda1 EFI 2G part vfat
├─sda2 96G part crypto_LUKS
├─sda4 30G part
└─sda5 ZfsRoot-old 3,4T part zfs_member

References:
Has anyone been having trouble with the Framework not recognizing USB 3.2 2x2 (20gbps) devices?

Questions:

  • Is this a known compatibility issue with certain TB4 enclosures on the FW16 rear ports (especially on AMD/Linux)?
  • Is a BIOS/EC or kernel update in progress to address this?
  • Any workaround or known-good enclosure/cable combination for NVMe PCIe storage over TB4?

Attached: full outputs of fwupdmgr get-devices, udevadm monitor, and lsusb -t as .txt files if forum allows. Otherwise, I can provide pastebin/gist links on request.

Thanks for any insights! Happy to run further diagnostics or provide longer logs if needed.

#########################

Which Linux distro are you using?
Arch Linux (latest)

Which release version?
(if rolling release without a release version, skip this question)

(If rolling release, last date updated?)
2025-07-15

Which kernel are you using?
6.15.6-zen1-1-zen

Which BIOS version are you using?
System Firmware 0.0.3.5
AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS w/ Radeon 780M Graphics: Current version: 0x0a704108

Which Framework Laptop 16 model are you using? (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series)
Framework Laptop 16 (AMD Ryzen 7040 Series)

Does this help?