Re: [qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Andrew Sullivan]

Forgot to mention, it's an M.2 SATA SSD and all the drives in the BIOS are 
checked...

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Re: [qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Andrew Sullivan]

Hi Rafael

So, I got a Transcend M.2 SSD, 2242 form. Physically fits fine, but it is 
invisible!  Can't see it in W10, Mint or Qubes - neither gparted nor Windows 
Disc Management can see it.

Can you remember exactly what you had to change in the BIOS? For some reason my 
laptop is set up in legacy mode - maybe because it originally had W7 installed; 
not sure if that would make a difference?

Thanks

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Re: [qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Andrew Sullivan]

On Tuesday, 26 May 2020 18:58:28 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>
> Quoting myself:
>
> After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a* 
>> SATA M.2 *SSD. (source 
>> 
>> ).
>> You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with the 
>> inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm length 
>> drives without any trouble.  
>
>
> So a SATA M.2 2242 or 2230 should fit. Examples 
> 
>
> I couldn't find those sizes here in my country. So as I explained on the 
> same post, I disassembled and broke away pieces of the inner frame to fit a 
> 2280 size drive.
>
>  
>
> On Tue, May 26, 2020 at 2:50 PM Andrew Sullivan  > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Thursday, 14 May 2020 13:52:59 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Andrew,
>>>
>>> Glad I could help.
>>>
>>> Yes you can manually enable and disable drives on BIOS, although it is a 
>>> somewhat cumbersome workflow if you dual boot a lot. Especially if you have 
>>> BIOS password enabled as well.
>>>
>>> Windows sees the Qubes drive enabled, initialized but not formatted. It 
>>> does not touch the drive and does not prompt to format it or anything. Yes, 
>>> it is there, exposed but again, depending on your threat model this isn’t 
>>> that big of a deal. I have custom software highest encryption bitlocker 
>>> enabled on the windows drive as well.
>>>
>>> You may always encrypt qubes boot partition as well. It’s one more 
>>> password. There’s docs for that.
>>>
>>> As far as laptop size goes that’s entirely personal. I’m 95% of the time 
>>> docked, with a full desktop setup around me, so I favor the portability 
>>> when on the go. You may consider the dock station + monitors + keyboard 
>>> mouse combo. You also get a ton of additional I/O, charging, and many perks 
>>> with this configuration. It’s awesome, and a Single eject away of being 
>>> untethered.
>>>
>>> I’ve worked with the precisions before, and to me they are absolute 
>>> mammoths. But I’d probably go for a bigger laptop if I didn’t have the 
>>> docking setup.
>>>
>>> Good luck on your Qubes adventure.
>>>
>>> Rafael 
>>>
>>> Em qui, 14 de mai de 2020 às 09:13, Andrew Sullivan <
>>> andrew@gmail.com> escreveu:
>>>


 On Monday, 11 May 2020 23:13:21 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>
> Hey Andrew!
>
> Sorry for the late reply, haven't checked the mailing list in a while. 
>
> I have a 5470 service tag # 5V2GBG2 
> You may see the full original config here 
> 
> . 
>
> Basically it came stock with a quad core i7-6820HQ. Sata drive with 
> the tiny sata cable. No m.2 bracket or SSD installed to the NVME ngff 
> slot. 
> Nothing installed on the wwan ngff slot, and intel's wifi card installed 
> to 
> the ngff wireless slot. 
>
> It has 3 ngff slots (M.2 NVME, WIFI, WWAN) keyed differently (Key A, B 
> etc) and the sata data+power cable for 1 sata drive.
>
> I've upgraded ram to 2x8GB DDR4, removed the stock sata hdd and 
> replaced it with a sata ssd. Since I needed more capacity than 
> performance, 
> I got a 512GB Crucial BX500. It was way more affordable than an nvme 
> drive 
> atm, and I didn't have the m.2 bracket either, which would mean I would 
> only be able to secure the nvme ssd with double sided tape or other 
> improvised solution. The BX500 is known to have an exploitable hardware 
> encryption, so be advised to use only software encryption on that drive.
>
> That drive became my Windows 10 drive, GPT / UEFI enabled.
> Started using Qubes on a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, it worked pretty 
> well considering the constraints, but decided I needed a drive for Qubes 
> itself.
>
> After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes 
> a SATA M.2 SSD. (source 
> 
> ).
> You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with 
> the inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm 
> length drives without any trouble.  I couldn't find an affordable SATA 
> M.2 
> with at least 256GB for Qubes (that was my personal need), so I ended up 
> getting a regular 80mm lenght one. To make it fit, I had to "mod" the 
> inner 
> plastic frame, and disassemble 50% of the laptop.  I opted simply to 
> break 
> pieces of the plastic frame in order to free space for the lengthier 
> drive. 
> Then, I isolated the surroundings with tape and secured the ssd (don't 
> remember how, 

Re: [qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Rafael Reis]

Quoting myself:

After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a*
> SATA M.2 *SSD. (source
> 
> ).
> You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with the
> inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm length
> drives without any trouble.


So a SATA M.2 2242 or 2230 should fit. Examples


I couldn't find those sizes here in my country. So as I explained on the
same post, I disassembled and broke away pieces of the inner frame to fit a
2280 size drive.



On Tue, May 26, 2020 at 2:50 PM Andrew Sullivan 
wrote:

>
>
> On Thursday, 14 May 2020 13:52:59 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>>
>> Hey Andrew,
>>
>> Glad I could help.
>>
>> Yes you can manually enable and disable drives on BIOS, although it is a
>> somewhat cumbersome workflow if you dual boot a lot. Especially if you have
>> BIOS password enabled as well.
>>
>> Windows sees the Qubes drive enabled, initialized but not formatted. It
>> does not touch the drive and does not prompt to format it or anything. Yes,
>> it is there, exposed but again, depending on your threat model this isn’t
>> that big of a deal. I have custom software highest encryption bitlocker
>> enabled on the windows drive as well.
>>
>> You may always encrypt qubes boot partition as well. It’s one more
>> password. There’s docs for that.
>>
>> As far as laptop size goes that’s entirely personal. I’m 95% of the time
>> docked, with a full desktop setup around me, so I favor the portability
>> when on the go. You may consider the dock station + monitors + keyboard
>> mouse combo. You also get a ton of additional I/O, charging, and many perks
>> with this configuration. It’s awesome, and a Single eject away of being
>> untethered.
>>
>> I’ve worked with the precisions before, and to me they are absolute
>> mammoths. But I’d probably go for a bigger laptop if I didn’t have the
>> docking setup.
>>
>> Good luck on your Qubes adventure.
>>
>> Rafael
>>
>> Em qui, 14 de mai de 2020 às 09:13, Andrew Sullivan 
>> escreveu:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Monday, 11 May 2020 23:13:21 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:

 Hey Andrew!

 Sorry for the late reply, haven't checked the mailing list in a while.

 I have a 5470 service tag # 5V2GBG2
 You may see the full original config here
 
 .

 Basically it came stock with a quad core i7-6820HQ. Sata drive with the
 tiny sata cable. No m.2 bracket or SSD installed to the NVME ngff slot.
 Nothing installed on the wwan ngff slot, and intel's wifi card installed to
 the ngff wireless slot.

 It has 3 ngff slots (M.2 NVME, WIFI, WWAN) keyed differently (Key A, B
 etc) and the sata data+power cable for 1 sata drive.

 I've upgraded ram to 2x8GB DDR4, removed the stock sata hdd and
 replaced it with a sata ssd. Since I needed more capacity than performance,
 I got a 512GB Crucial BX500. It was way more affordable than an nvme drive
 atm, and I didn't have the m.2 bracket either, which would mean I would
 only be able to secure the nvme ssd with double sided tape or other
 improvised solution. The BX500 is known to have an exploitable hardware
 encryption, so be advised to use only software encryption on that drive.

 That drive became my Windows 10 drive, GPT / UEFI enabled.
 Started using Qubes on a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, it worked pretty
 well considering the constraints, but decided I needed a drive for Qubes
 itself.

 After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a
 SATA M.2 SSD. (source
 
 ).
 You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with
 the inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm
 length drives without any trouble.  I couldn't find an affordable SATA M.2
 with at least 256GB for Qubes (that was my personal need), so I ended up
 getting a regular 80mm lenght one. To make it fit, I had to "mod" the inner
 plastic frame, and disassemble 50% of the laptop.  I opted simply to break
 pieces of the plastic frame in order to free space for the lengthier drive.
 Then, I isolated the surroundings with tape and secured the ssd (don't
 remember how, if I was able to bolt it in, tape it, or pressure). The SSD I
 used in the WWAN port is
 https://www.lexar.com/portfolio_page/ssd-nm100/ 256GB version

 You have to change BIOS settings under drive configuration to enable
 the required sata ports.

 Initialized that drive as GPT, and 

Re: [qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Andrew Sullivan]

On Thursday, 14 May 2020 13:52:59 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>
> Hey Andrew,
>
> Glad I could help.
>
> Yes you can manually enable and disable drives on BIOS, although it is a 
> somewhat cumbersome workflow if you dual boot a lot. Especially if you have 
> BIOS password enabled as well.
>
> Windows sees the Qubes drive enabled, initialized but not formatted. It 
> does not touch the drive and does not prompt to format it or anything. Yes, 
> it is there, exposed but again, depending on your threat model this isn’t 
> that big of a deal. I have custom software highest encryption bitlocker 
> enabled on the windows drive as well.
>
> You may always encrypt qubes boot partition as well. It’s one more 
> password. There’s docs for that.
>
> As far as laptop size goes that’s entirely personal. I’m 95% of the time 
> docked, with a full desktop setup around me, so I favor the portability 
> when on the go. You may consider the dock station + monitors + keyboard 
> mouse combo. You also get a ton of additional I/O, charging, and many perks 
> with this configuration. It’s awesome, and a Single eject away of being 
> untethered.
>
> I’ve worked with the precisions before, and to me they are absolute 
> mammoths. But I’d probably go for a bigger laptop if I didn’t have the 
> docking setup.
>
> Good luck on your Qubes adventure.
>
> Rafael 
>
> Em qui, 14 de mai de 2020 às 09:13, Andrew Sullivan  > escreveu:
>
>>
>>
>> On Monday, 11 May 2020 23:13:21 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey Andrew!
>>>
>>> Sorry for the late reply, haven't checked the mailing list in a while. 
>>>
>>> I have a 5470 service tag # 5V2GBG2 
>>> You may see the full original config here 
>>> 
>>> . 
>>>
>>> Basically it came stock with a quad core i7-6820HQ. Sata drive with the 
>>> tiny sata cable. No m.2 bracket or SSD installed to the NVME ngff slot. 
>>> Nothing installed on the wwan ngff slot, and intel's wifi card installed to 
>>> the ngff wireless slot. 
>>>
>>> It has 3 ngff slots (M.2 NVME, WIFI, WWAN) keyed differently (Key A, B 
>>> etc) and the sata data+power cable for 1 sata drive.
>>>
>>> I've upgraded ram to 2x8GB DDR4, removed the stock sata hdd and replaced 
>>> it with a sata ssd. Since I needed more capacity than performance, I got a 
>>> 512GB Crucial BX500. It was way more affordable than an nvme drive atm, and 
>>> I didn't have the m.2 bracket either, which would mean I would only be able 
>>> to secure the nvme ssd with double sided tape or other improvised solution. 
>>> The BX500 is known to have an exploitable hardware encryption, so be 
>>> advised to use only software encryption on that drive.
>>>
>>> That drive became my Windows 10 drive, GPT / UEFI enabled.
>>> Started using Qubes on a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, it worked pretty well 
>>> considering the constraints, but decided I needed a drive for Qubes itself.
>>>
>>> After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a 
>>> SATA M.2 SSD. (source 
>>> 
>>> ).
>>> You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with the 
>>> inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm length 
>>> drives without any trouble.  I couldn't find an affordable SATA M.2 with at 
>>> least 256GB for Qubes (that was my personal need), so I ended up getting a 
>>> regular 80mm lenght one. To make it fit, I had to "mod" the inner plastic 
>>> frame, and disassemble 50% of the laptop.  I opted simply to break pieces 
>>> of the plastic frame in order to free space for the lengthier drive. Then, 
>>> I isolated the surroundings with tape and secured the ssd (don't remember 
>>> how, if I was able to bolt it in, tape it, or pressure). The SSD I used in 
>>> the WWAN port is https://www.lexar.com/portfolio_page/ssd-nm100/ 256GB 
>>> version
>>>
>>> You have to change BIOS settings under drive configuration to enable the 
>>> required sata ports. 
>>>
>>> Initialized that drive as GPT, and installed Qubes to it.
>>>
>>> You are right regarding the "dual boot". I don't have Grub. I use the 
>>> "BIOS" UEFI bootmanager to choose which OS I'd like to boot. All I have to 
>>> do is press F12 after powering up. I've renamed Qubes to Recovery, so it is 
>>> inconspicuous. Default boot drive is the BX500 with windows. 
>>>
>>> The level of compatibility of the E5470 with Qubes is outstanding. The 
>>> performance is incredible.
>>> The only thing that didn't work OOB was the SD card reader, which was 
>>> easily fixed by opting to  kernel-latest . Docking station works 100%, with 
>>> multiple monitors. Even 2 monitors + laptop monitor works perfectly. I wish 
>>> it was possible to nuke Intel ME on 6th gen laptops and have it fully 
>>> Opensource. It would make a great candidate for certification.
>>>
>>> My only concern right now is 

Re: [qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Rafael Reis]

Hey Andrew,

Glad I could help.

Yes you can manually enable and disable drives on BIOS, although it is a
somewhat cumbersome workflow if you dual boot a lot. Especially if you have
BIOS password enabled as well.

Windows sees the Qubes drive enabled, initialized but not formatted. It
does not touch the drive and does not prompt to format it or anything. Yes,
it is there, exposed but again, depending on your threat model this isn’t
that big of a deal. I have custom software highest encryption bitlocker
enabled on the windows drive as well.

You may always encrypt qubes boot partition as well. It’s one more
password. There’s docs for that.

As far as laptop size goes that’s entirely personal. I’m 95% of the time
docked, with a full desktop setup around me, so I favor the portability
when on the go. You may consider the dock station + monitors + keyboard
mouse combo. You also get a ton of additional I/O, charging, and many perks
with this configuration. It’s awesome, and a Single eject away of being
untethered.

I’ve worked with the precisions before, and to me they are absolute
mammoths. But I’d probably go for a bigger laptop if I didn’t have the
docking setup.

Good luck on your Qubes adventure.

Rafael

Em qui, 14 de mai de 2020 às 09:13, Andrew Sullivan <
andrew.t.sulli...@gmail.com> escreveu:

>
>
> On Monday, 11 May 2020 23:13:21 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>>
>> Hey Andrew!
>>
>> Sorry for the late reply, haven't checked the mailing list in a while.
>>
>> I have a 5470 service tag # 5V2GBG2
>> You may see the full original config here
>> 
>> .
>>
>> Basically it came stock with a quad core i7-6820HQ. Sata drive with the
>> tiny sata cable. No m.2 bracket or SSD installed to the NVME ngff slot.
>> Nothing installed on the wwan ngff slot, and intel's wifi card installed to
>> the ngff wireless slot.
>>
>> It has 3 ngff slots (M.2 NVME, WIFI, WWAN) keyed differently (Key A, B
>> etc) and the sata data+power cable for 1 sata drive.
>>
>> I've upgraded ram to 2x8GB DDR4, removed the stock sata hdd and replaced
>> it with a sata ssd. Since I needed more capacity than performance, I got a
>> 512GB Crucial BX500. It was way more affordable than an nvme drive atm, and
>> I didn't have the m.2 bracket either, which would mean I would only be able
>> to secure the nvme ssd with double sided tape or other improvised solution.
>> The BX500 is known to have an exploitable hardware encryption, so be
>> advised to use only software encryption on that drive.
>>
>> That drive became my Windows 10 drive, GPT / UEFI enabled.
>> Started using Qubes on a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, it worked pretty well
>> considering the constraints, but decided I needed a drive for Qubes itself.
>>
>> After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a
>> SATA M.2 SSD. (source
>> 
>> ).
>> You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with the
>> inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm length
>> drives without any trouble.  I couldn't find an affordable SATA M.2 with at
>> least 256GB for Qubes (that was my personal need), so I ended up getting a
>> regular 80mm lenght one. To make it fit, I had to "mod" the inner plastic
>> frame, and disassemble 50% of the laptop.  I opted simply to break pieces
>> of the plastic frame in order to free space for the lengthier drive. Then,
>> I isolated the surroundings with tape and secured the ssd (don't remember
>> how, if I was able to bolt it in, tape it, or pressure). The SSD I used in
>> the WWAN port is https://www.lexar.com/portfolio_page/ssd-nm100/ 256GB
>> version
>>
>> You have to change BIOS settings under drive configuration to enable the
>> required sata ports.
>>
>> Initialized that drive as GPT, and installed Qubes to it.
>>
>> You are right regarding the "dual boot". I don't have Grub. I use the
>> "BIOS" UEFI bootmanager to choose which OS I'd like to boot. All I have to
>> do is press F12 after powering up. I've renamed Qubes to Recovery, so it is
>> inconspicuous. Default boot drive is the BX500 with windows.
>>
>> The level of compatibility of the E5470 with Qubes is outstanding. The
>> performance is incredible.
>> The only thing that didn't work OOB was the SD card reader, which was
>> easily fixed by opting to  kernel-latest . Docking station works 100%, with
>> multiple monitors. Even 2 monitors + laptop monitor works perfectly. I wish
>> it was possible to nuke Intel ME on 6th gen laptops and have it fully
>> Opensource. It would make a great candidate for certification.
>>
>> My only concern right now is the decisions for the GUI of Qubes 4.1. I
>> wonder if the separation of the GUI and dom0 would result in
>> incompatibility with E5470 or even a big decrease in performance. This
>> thing is perfect for Qubes if 

[qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Andrew Sullivan]

On Monday, 11 May 2020 23:13:21 UTC+1, Rafael Reis wrote:
>
> Hey Andrew!
>
> Sorry for the late reply, haven't checked the mailing list in a while. 
>
> I have a 5470 service tag # 5V2GBG2 
> You may see the full original config here 
> 
> . 
>
> Basically it came stock with a quad core i7-6820HQ. Sata drive with the 
> tiny sata cable. No m.2 bracket or SSD installed to the NVME ngff slot. 
> Nothing installed on the wwan ngff slot, and intel's wifi card installed to 
> the ngff wireless slot. 
>
> It has 3 ngff slots (M.2 NVME, WIFI, WWAN) keyed differently (Key A, B 
> etc) and the sata data+power cable for 1 sata drive.
>
> I've upgraded ram to 2x8GB DDR4, removed the stock sata hdd and replaced 
> it with a sata ssd. Since I needed more capacity than performance, I got a 
> 512GB Crucial BX500. It was way more affordable than an nvme drive atm, and 
> I didn't have the m.2 bracket either, which would mean I would only be able 
> to secure the nvme ssd with double sided tape or other improvised solution. 
> The BX500 is known to have an exploitable hardware encryption, so be 
> advised to use only software encryption on that drive.
>
> That drive became my Windows 10 drive, GPT / UEFI enabled.
> Started using Qubes on a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, it worked pretty well 
> considering the constraints, but decided I needed a drive for Qubes itself.
>
> After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a 
> SATA M.2 SSD. (source 
> 
> ).
> You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with the 
> inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm length 
> drives without any trouble.  I couldn't find an affordable SATA M.2 with at 
> least 256GB for Qubes (that was my personal need), so I ended up getting a 
> regular 80mm lenght one. To make it fit, I had to "mod" the inner plastic 
> frame, and disassemble 50% of the laptop.  I opted simply to break pieces 
> of the plastic frame in order to free space for the lengthier drive. Then, 
> I isolated the surroundings with tape and secured the ssd (don't remember 
> how, if I was able to bolt it in, tape it, or pressure). The SSD I used in 
> the WWAN port is https://www.lexar.com/portfolio_page/ssd-nm100/ 256GB 
> version
>
> You have to change BIOS settings under drive configuration to enable the 
> required sata ports. 
>
> Initialized that drive as GPT, and installed Qubes to it.
>
> You are right regarding the "dual boot". I don't have Grub. I use the 
> "BIOS" UEFI bootmanager to choose which OS I'd like to boot. All I have to 
> do is press F12 after powering up. I've renamed Qubes to Recovery, so it is 
> inconspicuous. Default boot drive is the BX500 with windows. 
>
> The level of compatibility of the E5470 with Qubes is outstanding. The 
> performance is incredible.
> The only thing that didn't work OOB was the SD card reader, which was 
> easily fixed by opting to  kernel-latest . Docking station works 100%, with 
> multiple monitors. Even 2 monitors + laptop monitor works perfectly. I wish 
> it was possible to nuke Intel ME on 6th gen laptops and have it fully 
> Opensource. It would make a great candidate for certification.
>
> My only concern right now is the decisions for the GUI of Qubes 4.1. I 
> wonder if the separation of the GUI and dom0 would result in 
> incompatibility with E5470 or even a big decrease in performance. This 
> thing is perfect for Qubes if your threat model isn't government agencies 
> high.
>
> Hope I could help, and let me know if you have further questions.
> Em quarta-feira, 6 de maio de 2020 20:51:29 UTC-3, andrew@gmail.com 
> escreveu:
>>
>> Hi Rafael
>>
>> Interested to see you got an SSD drive to work in the WWAN slot in your 
>> E5470. Could you tell me what drive you used, and the spec for your laptop. 
>> Am I right in thinking that you have Windows installed on one drive and 
>> Qubes on the other, and that you actually choose which drive to boot from 
>> at power up? So it's not "dual-boot" in the usual sense (ie multiple OSs on 
>> the same drive)?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>
Hi Rafael

Very many thanks for your comprehensive reply, lots of good information 
there.  What I hope to end up with is pretty similar to what you have - a 
large(ish) drive with Windws and Linux Mint in a conventional dual boot 
setup, and a drive in the WWAN slot to run Qubes.  I think it is possible 
to inactivate drives individually on Dell laptops so if I feel it necessary 
I could switch off the W/LM drive when using Qubes and vice versa.  I think 
this would largely get around the potential risk of the Qubes /boot 
partition getting compromised when using one of the other OSs?  Depends how 
paranoid I feel!

Regarding choice of laptop, I am torn between the E5470 and the 

[qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[brendan . hoar]

On Monday, May 11, 2020 at 6:13:21 PM UTC-4, Rafael Reis wrote:

> My only concern right now is the decisions for the GUI of Qubes 4.1. I 
> wonder if the separation of the GUI and dom0 would result in 
> incompatibility with E5470 or even a big decrease in performance. This 
> thing is perfect for Qubes if your threat model isn't government agencies 
> high.
>

Following the developer discussion, my understanding is that for Qubes 4.1, 
GUI/dom0 separation will be an optional feature and not the default. 

Brendan

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[qubes-users] Re: HCL - Dell Latitude E5470 + Docking Station

[Rafael Reis]

Hey Andrew!

Sorry for the late reply, haven't checked the mailing list in a while. 

I have a 5470 service tag # 5V2GBG2 
You may see the full original config here 

. 

Basically it came stock with a quad core i7-6820HQ. Sata drive with the 
tiny sata cable. No m.2 bracket or SSD installed to the NVME ngff slot. 
Nothing installed on the wwan ngff slot, and intel's wifi card installed to 
the ngff wireless slot. 

It has 3 ngff slots (M.2 NVME, WIFI, WWAN) keyed differently (Key A, B etc) 
and the sata data+power cable for 1 sata drive.

I've upgraded ram to 2x8GB DDR4, removed the stock sata hdd and replaced it 
with a sata ssd. Since I needed more capacity than performance, I got a 
512GB Crucial BX500. It was way more affordable than an nvme drive atm, and 
I didn't have the m.2 bracket either, which would mean I would only be able 
to secure the nvme ssd with double sided tape or other improvised solution. 
The BX500 is known to have an exploitable hardware encryption, so be 
advised to use only software encryption on that drive.

That drive became my Windows 10 drive, GPT / UEFI enabled.
Started using Qubes on a USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, it worked pretty well 
considering the constraints, but decided I needed a drive for Qubes itself.

After some deep research I discovered that the WWAN slot indeed takes a 
SATA M.2 SSD. (source 

).
You'd better go for the shorter ones, otherwise they'll collide with the 
inner plastic frame and won't fit. I believe you can fit 32 and 40mm length 
drives without any trouble.  I couldn't find an affordable SATA M.2 with at 
least 256GB for Qubes (that was my personal need), so I ended up getting a 
regular 80mm lenght one. To make it fit, I had to "mod" the inner plastic 
frame, and disassemble 50% of the laptop.  I opted simply to break pieces 
of the plastic frame in order to free space for the lengthier drive. Then, 
I isolated the surroundings with tape and secured the ssd (don't remember 
how, if I was able to bolt it in, tape it, or pressure). The SSD I used in 
the WWAN port is https://www.lexar.com/portfolio_page/ssd-nm100/ 256GB 
version

You have to change BIOS settings under drive configuration to enable the 
required sata ports. 

Initialized that drive as GPT, and installed Qubes to it.

You are right regarding the "dual boot". I don't have Grub. I use the 
"BIOS" UEFI bootmanager to choose which OS I'd like to boot. All I have to 
do is press F12 after powering up. I've renamed Qubes to Recovery, so it is 
inconspicuous. Default boot drive is the BX500 with windows. 

The level of compatibility of the E5470 with Qubes is outstanding. The 
performance is incredible.
The only thing that didn't work OOB was the SD card reader, which was 
easily fixed by opting to  kernel-latest . Docking station works 100%, with 
multiple monitors. Even 2 monitors + laptop monitor works perfectly. I wish 
it was possible to nuke Intel ME on 6th gen laptops and have it fully 
Opensource. It would make a great candidate for certification.

My only concern right now is the decisions for the GUI of Qubes 4.1. I 
wonder if the separation of the GUI and dom0 would result in 
incompatibility with E5470 or even a big decrease in performance. This 
thing is perfect for Qubes if your threat model isn't government agencies 
high.

Hope I could help, and let me know if you have further questions.
Em quarta-feira, 6 de maio de 2020 20:51:29 UTC-3, andrew@gmail.com 
escreveu:
>
> Hi Rafael
>
> Interested to see you got an SSD drive to work in the WWAN slot in your 
> E5470. Could you tell me what drive you used, and the spec for your laptop. 
> Am I right in thinking that you have Windows installed on one drive and 
> Qubes on the other, and that you actually choose which drive to boot from 
> at power up? So it's not "dual-boot" in the usual sense (ie multiple OSs on 
> the same drive)?
>
> Thanks
>
>

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