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I managed to get a tau rampart (well I ordered it but they went out of stock and instead gave me the separate gunrig, droneport and shield line X2, so I ended up with an extra platform for the shield line).

I found sticking Darkstrider, Marksman and 5-8 Pathfinders on the droneport did well for me.
I would use Darkstrider’s BS+2 for the drones (normally took either 2 marker light and 2 tactical or 4 marker light drones), the marksman would be good to backup the marker lights too and would count as stationary and the pathfinders with the heavy weapons would also remain as stationary.
(Darkstrider also allows the fallback and shoot in the fortifications so can be fun when they are in the gunrig too).

I have often thought that I should cave in and get an Ethereal (I don’t like the model or lore personally) but in the current 8th codex they can choose the Invocation of the Elements - Storm of Fire (to re-roll hit rolls of 1 in the Shooting phase for units that remain stationary in 6”).
I suspect this will remain or be similar in the 9th edition codex.

This would basically cover all units in the droneport (maybe one or two outside, as I often back units up but depends on the unit type infantry and battle suit.

My question is would this re-roll ones affect the drones (which normally it wouldn't) but since the drones are using the Darkstrider to shoot? Even if the drones are over 6” away?
(i.e. drones would be hitting on 2+ and re-rolling 1)

Its not an argument that the other units would also benefit from this as the fortification movement does not count as embarked unit movement so they would not get penalty to shoot heavy weapons and re-roll 1s.

I guess the crux of my question is would having an Ethereal in the droneport / gunrig with (insert cheap BS2+ here) Darkstrider or Cadre Fireblade, allow the unit to re-roll 1s for the drones attached to the drone port and detached from the droneport (and the gunrig supremacy railgun).

I have found most agree with the gunrig supremacy railgun re-rolls and drones when attached. Some agree with the drones when detached.

Im just not clear on the rules for this as its would be in theory (insert cheap BS2+ unit here) using the weapon, so if that unit is in range of the Ethereal ability, should the object that they are controlling get the benefit of the Ethereal ability …. should I get an Ethereal?

(feels like that person who gets a Hammerfall Bunker and puts a techmarine next to it to heal it and give +1 to hits, except tau need this right now and SM dont).

the terrain piece? Keep in mind unless it gets special rule on datasheet it's going to be nightmare to deploy. Requiring every part of piece be more than 3" is TOUGH. Sisters pretty much stopped using their terrain piece because 11"x11" empty square is pretty hard to find in terrain fields of these days...isn't the tidewall bit of big model?

The Tau Tidewall fortifications are not really considered terrain pieces.
They have the keyword Building and vehicle but they are basically slow troop transports (capacity 10, not 12 like devil fish) with a 6” move.

The fortification rules, as I understand, have to be setup 3” away from terrain (except hills).

Only the Tidewall Shieldline (only with a Defence Platform) has an addition restriction when it is set up on the battlefield, both models (Shieldline and Defence Platform) have to be placed within 1" of each other. (after that during normal play they are treated as separate units and can go in separate directions with no unit coherency)
(the Gunrig and Droneport do not have this restriction)

The Tidewall has a few unique rules and gotcha's and ther 'perks' to these units like being able to shoot at units that are in engagement range of the tidewall unit (wish more tau units had this option, to shoot at units that are in engagment)

I have had confirmation in another thread that the re-rolls from the Ethereal would not count on the drones (or the gunrig).
So it makes it less appealing that I should get an Ethereal, but still a good option for units embarked on the tidewall for re-roll 1s, still tempting.

Typically peopel keep the Gunrig back on a back objective (as it has long range weapon) with a cheap BS2+/3+ unit in it to target stuff and hit often (or more often).
I normally throw the Droneport and Shieldline towards enemy to get the drones in range or draw enemy into the Shieldline so that units can shoot at the enemy engaged units (or if needed units can disembark and shoot at them).
Sometimes im OK with letting the unit explode when it is engagment with the enemy (on a 6 it explodes with D3 mortal wounds on each unit within 6").

It's fortification battlefield role so unless it has special exception that says otherwise it follows fortification rules which includes 3" gap.

The deployment thing really is a non issue.
Each piece is about the size of a tank (excluding the Shieldline which is long and thin like an infantry line, but smaller, if you can deply a few lines of infantry you can deploy this).

Again they have to be deployed 3" away from terrain and each piece (if you cannot do that then it is likely that the board has been setup incorrectly with way too much terrain in a normal game, unless this is a special / unique game of some kind).

Each piece can be setup independently (except the Shieldline with a Defence Platform, both of these models have to be placed within 1" of each other in deployment) but again if needed they could be setup in reserve and brought on one unit at a time if there is only space for one unit in deployment.
The Tidewall is different from most other fortifications as the point is that it moves. I guess the Necron fortification can be considered to move also?
So you can deploy one unit in your only place possible and then move it and in the next deployment do it again.

It was pointed out that from the rules
“Units cannot normally do anything or be affected in any way while they are embarked. Unless specifically stated, other units’ abilities have no effect on units while they are embarked, and Stratagems cannot be used to affect units while they are embarked.”

However the Tidewall units are “Open-topped”
Models embarked can attack in their Shooting phase. When they do so, any restrictions or modifiers that apply to this model also apply to its passengers.

So the Ethereal should still affect the units.
I have been assuming that it can affect the units when it is also embarked, if not worst case you have the Ethereal follow behind the Tidewall to get the same result (it has same moment or higher).

The Ethereal “Invocation of the Elements” can be cast even if the Ethereal moved etc and can invoke a number of different elemental powers affecting all friendly Tau empire infantry and battle suit (affecting the units that embark the Tidewall in this example) units within 6" of the model.

I'm looking at the elemental power:
Storm of Fire: Re-roll hit rolls of 1 in the Shooting phase for affected units that remain stationary in the Movement phase.

Even the Defence Platform (that has no form of attack or shield / Tidewall Field to bounce shots back at the enemy units), would then be able to re-roll hit rolls of 1, along with the units inside.

Just for the lolz I would want this to work for the Explodes on a D6 to allow you to re-roll the 1 on that too (as explodes is kind of like a hit roll for all units within 6”) but it is not actually a hit roll.