Thunderbolt ethernet bridge linking a TB 2 Windows system and a TB 1 Mac?

[JohnnieBBadde]

Hi,

I wasn't quite sure of where to start this topic but since people running Windows with Boot Camp on a Thunderbolt 2-equipped Mac can possibly answer my questions I've decided to try my luck here.

My goal is to connect two 2012 Macs running OS X 10.9.5 (both with Thunderbolt 1) to a Windows 8.1 file and VM server that has two Thunderbolt 2 ports using the Thunderbolt ethernet bridge functionality and Corning's optical TB cables.

Dick move from Intel, for some reason they only allow Windows machines with TB 2 to use the ethernet bridge feature:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014...s-thunderbolt-ethernet-capability-to-windows/

I don't have the TB 2 motherboard yet so I can't test it myself. I'm a little bit worried that the Windows machine's TB 2 controller "senses" the TB 1 device on the opposite end and switches to a "TB 1 compatibility mode" preventing the Intel Thunderbolt Windows driver from establishing the TB bridge.

Could a user with access to TB 2 and TB 1 machines be so kind as to test this scenario? It should be sufficient to boot Windows on a TB 2-equipped Mac and connect any TB 1 Mac (Windows on a TB 1 system doesn't do anything when another TB 1 computer is connected)

Thank you very much for your help!

 

[JohnnieBBadde]

I can finally shine a light on this: Yes, it is possible!

Connecting 2012 Macs (10.9.5) with TB1 to a Windows system with TB2 will create a Thunderbolt Ethernet Bridge, IF the Thunderbolt Driver Software on the Windows system is version 3.x or later.

It even works faster and more reliable than connecting the two TB 1 Macs. With the Windows system as a partner I get around 500 MB/s constantly over SMB in both directions (the deployed SATA SSDs are limiting), even when transferring a couple of hundred GB at a time. The two Macs by themselves do about 400 MB/s with some random drops in speed and short pauses.