Ubuntu on Surface Pro 3/5

Support and Help
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1

I need to set up multiple surface pro 3/5 for end users.
The users will have a bluetooth scanning gun.
Barcodes will be scanned to a web app.

So far I have successfully insatalled
Description: Ubuntu 24.04.1
Codename: noble

I kind of went on a dive with mir-kiosk and that did not work. It was kind of glitchy.

I would apreciate any suggestions on what route I should take with this.
Specifically on how I should deploy them. I read something about setting one up first then using clonezilla to clone
Aslo someone asked me to use PXE.

Appologies if I am in the wrong discussion. Please point me in the right direction if I am.

Thank You

2

For those you probably need the kernel at GitHub - linux-surface/linux-surface: Linux Kernel for Surface Devices

3

eeicmeyer,

Question. Is there a reason I would need to take that step.
It seems like the instalation -bootstick image- is working pretty well on its own.
I installed some a few months ago and I did have to do some troubleshooting with some settings to get the touch and rotation settings to work correctly, but now it seems like there was an update and everything seems to work fine.

4

Based on my own experience with a Surface Pro 4. YMMV.

5

Quick update—I wanted to share the path that finally worked for me after chasing down a few rabbit holes (Xubuntu, standard GNOME, etc.). Each flavor came with its own headaches—Wayland didn’t play nicely with Splashtop (although I’ve since retired Splashtop altogether), Bluetooth kept dropping out, and screen rotation was flaky.

In the end, I settled on the GNOME‐on‐Ubuntu Server approach outlined below, then cloned that setup ten times for testing. If all goes well, I’ll roll it out to many more devices. There was prob a better way, so please, feedback or suggestions are absolutely welcome.

Tech stack & tools:

  • OS: Ubuntu Server 20.04+
  • Desktop: GNOME (gnome-session, GDM3)
  • Browser: Chromium via Snap, auto-launched in kiosk mode
  • Lockdown: gsettings tweaks for idle-delay, power settings, hiding shell UI, disabling settings/app switch
  • Extensions: Dash-to-Dock (built from source) to remove the “show apps” button
  • Snapshots: Timeshift for safe restore points at key stages
  • Networking: NetworkManager + Netplan tweaks to keep the Wi-Fi icon alive
  • Imaging (optional): Clonezilla for USB cloning.

What I did, in a nutshell:

  1. Installed GNOME on Ubuntu Server, then snapped in Chromium.
  2. Created a kiosk user, granted sudo, and set up GDM for auto-login.
  3. Autostarted Chromium pointing at our barcode URL in true full-screen kiosk mode.
  4. Locked everything down via GSettings: no screen sleep, no lock screen, no “Settings” app, no app launcher… you name it, it’s hidden.
  5. Built and enabled Dash-to-Dock from GitHub so I could strip out that pesky nine-dot “show apps” button.
  6. Snapped the system with Timeshift after each major milestone (GNOME, kiosk setup, network fix, etc.), so rollback is trivial.
  7. Added and configured NetworkManager to keep the Wi-Fi icon in the tray (trust me, you’ll need it).
  8. Optional Clonezilla flow: Create an ISO stick, image & restore multiple devices
  9. Final lockdown: disabled logout/user-switch, optionally removed the control center—just enough so nobody accidentally ends up at a login prompt.