Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- other:win10wsl [2022/08/29 14:27]
jypeter [Hyper-V requirements] Improved
+++ other:win10wsl [2022/09/06 14:45]
jypeter [Base installation]
@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[other:index#windows_10_notes|Other Windows 10 related notes]]
-<note warning>
+<WRAP center round important 60%>
   * What is described on this page was tested with [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/compare-versions#whats-new-in-wsl-2|WSL 2]].\\ **WSL 2** is available in [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual#step-2---check-requirements-for-running-wsl-2|Windows 11 or Windows 10, Version 1903, Build 18362 or later]]
   * You can also check JYP's [[other:win10_wsl_1|original WSL 1 instructions]]
+    * ...but even **if you need WSL 1, you should use this page for installing WSL, and then switch to WSL 1** with [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#set-default-wsl-version|--set-default-version]] or [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#set-wsl-version-to-1-or-2|--set-version]]
   * The user can choose to install Linux using **WSL 1 or WSL 2**
     * **WSL 2 should be your default choice**
     * If you have doubts, check the [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/compare-versions|differences between WSL1 and WSL2]] and read [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/compare-versions#exceptions-for-using-wsl-1-rather-than-wsl-2|Exceptions for using WSL 1 rather than WSL 2]] before choosing
-</note>
+</WRAP>
+<WRAP center round tip 60%>
+The commands on this page have to be typed:
+  * either in **Windows PowerShell terminals**
+  * or in **bash terminals running in WSL**
+It should be clear enough which type of terminal you have to use
+</WRAP>
@@ Line 35: / Line 45: @@
 Once you have verified that your Windows is recent enough, you should also:
-  * Install the [[other:win10apps#windows_terminal|Windows terminal]], because it will be one of the ways to open ''Ubuntu'' terminals, once ''Ubuntu'' is installed
+  * Your should really **install the [[other:win10apps#windows_terminal|Windows terminal]]**, because it will be one of useful the ways to open ''Ubuntu'' terminals, once ''Ubuntu'' is installed
-  * Know how to use copy-paste in a Powershell FIXME
+  * **Know how to use copy-paste** in:
-  * It will be useful to be able to [[other:win10config#displaying_hidden_folders_and_files_and_the_files_extension|see hidden folders and files]]
+    * a //Windows Terminal//: [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/selection|Selecting text in Windows Terminal]]
-  * Have at least some basic knowledge of Linux...
+    * an old ''cmd'' command prompt or a //PowerShell//: FIXME
+  * It will be useful to **be able to [[other:win10config#displaying_hidden_folders_and_files_and_the_files_extension|see hidden folders and files]]**
+  * **Have some basic knowledge of Linux**...
     * Get some [[other:newppl:starting#useful_documentation_for_beginners|basic Linux documentation]] if required
 ==== Computer CPU and memory ====
@@ Line 127: / Line 139: @@
   * Disk size after upgrading to //Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS// with ''sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade''\\ ''-rwxrwxrwx 1 root root 2.6G Aug 24 15:24 /mnt/c/Users/jypeter/AppData/Local/Packages/CanonicalGroupLimited.UbuntuonWindows_79rhkp1fndgsc/LocalState/ext4.vhdx''
+    * Size of the [[other:win10wsl#creating_a_backup_of_the_linux_running_in_wsl|backup tar file]] of this installation, generated with ''%%wsl --export%%'': ~1.4 Gb
 ==== Hyper-V requirements ====
@@ Line 161: / Line 174: @@
     * If you have an older Windows version (at least //Version 1903, Build 18362//), follow the [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual|Manual installation steps for older versions of WSL]]
-  * Open a ''Powershell'' in //administrator// mode
+  * Open a ''PowerShell'' in //administrator// mode
     * ''Start''=>''W''=>''Windows PowerShell'' then right-click on ''Windows PowerShell'' and select //Run as Administrator//
     * Use a [[https://wiki.lsce.ipsl.fr/pmip3/doku.php/other:win10apps#windows_terminal|Windows Terminal]], if you have already installed it. Use ''CTRL''+<left click> on ''Windows Powershell'' in the pull-down menu to get a ''Powershell'' in //administrator// mode
@@ Line 193: / Line 206: @@
   * Reboot the computer and be patient
     * This step will take some time (make sure you have 15-30 mn available). Windows will install and configure what it needs for running //WSL+Ubuntu//, reboot, and install some more //stuff//
-    * The final installation step will take place when you open your Windows session. A terminal opens, displaying the final installation of Ubuntu, and asking you for a username and password, and giving you access to a ''bash'' prompt
+    * The final installation step will take place when you open your Windows session. A terminal opens, displaying the final installation of Ubuntu, and asking you for a username and password, and giving you access to a ''bash'' prompt\\ <wrap hi>Do not use an existing password!</wrap> The security of the Linux running in WSL is weak by design, and somebody could easily extract your password information from a backup of your distribution
     * <code>Installing, this may take a few minutes...
 Please create a default UNIX user account. The username does not need to match your Windows username.
@@ Line 352: / Line 365: @@
 ===== After the base installation =====
-Once you have completed the base installation steps, you'll get a Ubuntu machine, with a //root// and user account (pre-configured to use ''sudo'' for commands that need root access) and lots of pre-installed applications (but no graphics).
+After completing the base installation steps, you get a //Ubuntu// machine with:
+  * a //root// and //user// account
+    * the //user// account is pre-configured to use ''sudo'' for commands that need root access
+  * pre-installed base Linux applications
+    * **no** graphics
+    * enough to play a bit with a Linux computer and test that the installation is working, but not enough to do some real work
 ==== Opening a terminal ====
@@ Line 482: / Line 500: @@
 ==== Ubuntu packages installed ====
-<code>$ dpkg --list
+<code>$ dpkg --list | head -n 10
 Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
 | Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
 |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
-||/ Name                  Version         Architecture    Description
+||/ Name                           Version                           Architecture Description
-+++-=====================-===============-===============-================================================
++++-==============================-=================================-============-===============================================================================
-ii  accountsservice       0.6.45-1ubuntu1 amd64           query and manipulate user account information
+ii  accountsservice                0.6.55-0ubuntu12~20.04.5          amd64        query and manipulate user account information
-ii  acl                   2.2.52-3build1  amd64           Access control list utilities
+ii  adduser                        3.118ubuntu2                      all          add and remove users and groups
-ii  acpid                 1:2.0.28-1ubunt amd64           Advanced Configuration and Power Interface event
+ii  alsa-topology-conf             1.2.2-1                           all          ALSA topology configuration files
-ii  adduser               3.116ubuntu1    all             add and remove users and groups
+ii  alsa-ucm-conf                  1.2.2-1ubuntu0.13                 all          ALSA Use Case Manager configuration files
+ii  apparmor                       2.13.3-7ubuntu5.1                 amd64        user-space parser utility for AppArmor
-[...]
-ii  xterm                 330-1ubuntu2    amd64           X terminal emulator
-ii  xxd                   2:8.0.1453-1ubu amd64           tool to make (or reverse) a hex dump
-ii  xz-utils              5.2.2-1.3       amd64           XZ-format compression utilities
-ii  zerofree              1.0.4-1         amd64           zero free blocks from ext2, ext3 and ext4 file-s
-ii  zlib1g:amd64          1:1.2.11.dfsg-0 amd64           compression library - runtime
-$ dpkg --list > /mnt/c/Scratch/jyp/pkg_initial_201601.txt
+$ dpkg --list > /mnt/c/Scratch/jypeter/Ubuntu_Installed_List_`date +"%y-%m-%d"`.txt
-$ wc -l /mnt/c/Scratch/jyp/pkg_initial_201601.txt
+$ wc -l /mnt/c/Scratch/jypeter/Ubuntu_Installed_List_*.txt
- /mnt/c/Scratch/jypeter/pkg_initial_201601.txt</code>
+ /mnt/c/Scratch/jypeter/Ubuntu_Installed_List_22-08-29.txt</code>
-Full (example) list of installed packages: {{:other:pkg_initial_201601.txt|pkg_initial_201601.txt}}
+Full (example) list of installed packages: {{ :other:ubuntu_installed_list_22-08-29.txt |}}
 ==== Update ubuntu ====
@@ Line 539: / Line 551: @@
 en_US.UTF8
 </code>
 ==== Package management ====
@@ Line 547: / Line 561: @@
   * Install the **synaptic** package manager: ''aptitude install synaptic''
     * [[https://doc.ubuntu-fr.org/synaptic|details]] (fr)
 === Useful commands ===
@@ Line 553: / Line 568: @@
   * ''dpkg -L package_name'': list files installed from ''package_name''
   * ''dpkg -S path/command'': name of the package used to install ''path/command''
 === Example ===
@@ Line 722: / Line 738: @@
  * [[https://linoxide.com/how-to-clear-apt-cache/|How to Clear Apt Cache]]
 ===== Advanced configuration =====
@@ Line 946: / Line 964: @@
   * [[https://github.com/Microsoft/WSL/issues/2636|Automount additonal filesystems from fstab]]
   * [[https://gist.github.com/sgtoj/f82990bcd9e89db49b84e2d2e70b281d|Ubuntu for Windows: Mounting C: Drive to WSL's Root]]
 ==== Rebooting WSL ====
@@ Line 964: / Line 983: @@
-==== Creating a backup of the Linux running in WSL ====
+===== Advanced usage =====
-There are several types of WSL related directories that you may want to back up:
-  * <wrap hi>Your Linux //home// directory</wrap> (''/home/<your_login>''), or some specific sub-directories of the //Ubuntu// running in WSL (sub-directories of ''/''): all these files are located in a [[other:win10wsl#location_of_the_files|hidden sub-directory of you Windows directory]], and the best way to save them is probably to **create a tar file from Linux**, and put this tar file in a specific Windows //WSL backup folder// (we will use below the directory ''/mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>'' or ''c:\Scratch\<your_login>'')
+==== Creating a backup ====
+=== Backup of a FULL Linux installation ===
+You can use ''wsl'' to [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/faq#how-can-i-back-up-my-wsl-distributions--or-move-them-from-one-drive-to-another-|save a full Linux installation]] to a //tar// file, that can be:
+  * used later for //restoring// the full installation
+  * used for //relocating// the full installation from ''C:\'' to another disk
+Detailed [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#export-a-distribution-to-a-tar-file|--export]] example:
+  * Determine the name of the current Linux installation(s) used in WSL
+    * <code>> wsl --list --verbose
+  NAME      STATE           VERSION
+* Ubuntu    Running         2</code>
+  * [[other:win10wsl#rebooting_wsl|Stop WSL+Linux]]
+      * <code>> wsl --shutdown
+> wsl -l -v
+  NAME      STATE           VERSION
+* Ubuntu    Stopped         2</code>
+  * Export the specified Linux installation to a //tar// file:
+    * You should export to a directory or external disk where you have //enough// space\\ e.g. The tar file for a [[other:win10wsl#base_installation|newly installed and updated]] //Ubuntu 20.04.5 LTS// is ~1.4 Gb
+    * You should use a detailed enough file name for the tar file\\ e.g. WSL_<Linux_Distribution>_<Distribution_Version>_<User>_<Date>.tar
+    * Example: ''%%wsl --export Ubuntu C:\Scratch\<your_login>\WSL\WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar%%''
+    * If you are not going to use the backup tar file right away, you can optionally compress it in order to save some space
+      * <code>$ ls -lh /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/WSL/WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar
+.4G Aug 29 17:49 /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/WSL/WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar
+$ gzip  /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/WSL/WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar
+$ ls -lh /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/WSL/WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar.gz
+M Aug 29 17:49 /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/WSL/WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar.gz</code>
+=== Backup of specific directories ===
+You can also just create backups of specific directories:
+  * Your Linux //home// directory (''/home/<your_login>/''), or some specific sub-directories of the //Ubuntu// running in WSL (sub-directories of ''/''): the best way to save them is probably to **create a //tar// file from Linux**, and put this //tar// file in a specific Windows //WSL backup folder// (we will use below the directory ''/mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>'' or ''c:\Scratch\<your_login>'')
     * <code bash>$ cd /home
@@ Line 984: / Line 1039: @@
 K Feb 24 12:09 /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/<your_login>_home_210224_1209.tgz</code>
-  * <wrap hi>Regular Windows folders</wrap> where you store data used by WSL: you can use ''tar'' in a Linux terminal, as above, or use any usual way of backing up Windows files (drag and drop, some specific [[other:win10apps#backup_software|backup software]])
+  * Regular Windows folders where you store data used by WSL: you can use ''tar'' in a Linux terminal, as above, or use any usual way of backing up Windows files (drag and drop, some specific [[other:win10apps#backup_software|backup software]])
+    * WARNING: there should not be performance issues using ''tar'' (from Linux) to make a backup of Windows files with WSL 1, but **WSL 2 is significantly slower than WSL 1 to access Windows files** ([[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/compare-versions#exceptions-for-using-wsl-1-rather-than-wsl-2|Exceptions for using WSL 1 rather than WSL 2]])
-  * <wrap hi>The **full** Linux/Ubuntu installation</wrap> running in WSL (based on [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/faq#how-can-i-back-up-my-wsl-distros-or-move-them-from-one-drive-to-another|How can I back up my WSL distros?]]). The following steps will save the full installation in a tar file, that can be used later for restoring the full installation (//restoration// not tested yet)
-    * Open a **Windows terminal** (preferably a //PowerShell// if you need easy copy/paste)\\ The //Windows// terminal is where you will type the ''wsl'' commands shown below
-    * Determine the name of the current Linux installation used in WSL (and see if it is running, and using //WSL 1// or //WSL 2//)
-      * <code>> wsl --list --all
-Distributions du sous-système Windows pour Linux :
-Ubuntu (par défaut)
-> wsl --list --verbose
+==== Restoring or relocating a Linux installation ====
-  NAME      STATE           VERSION
-* Ubuntu    Running         1</code>
-    * [[other:win10wsl#rebooting_wsl|Stop WSL+Linux]]
-      * <code>> wsl --list --verbose
-  NAME      STATE           VERSION
-* Ubuntu    Running         1
-> wsl --shutdown
+When we have the tar file of a [[other:win10wsl#creating_a_backup|FULL backup]], we can use [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#import-a-new-distribution|--import]] to install or restore it to a specific location.
-> wsl --list --verbose
+Note:
-  NAME      STATE           VERSION
+  * This is currently the only way of moving (relocating) a Linux installation to another disk than the default ''C:\'' location
-* Ubuntu    Stopped         1</code>
+  * Importing will mostly put the ''ext4.vhdx'' file in the specified target location!
-    * Export the current Linux to a //tar// file:
+    * You need [[other:win10wsl#disk_usage|enough disk space]] in the new disk location, knowing that the size of the ''vhdx'' file will start growing (as needed) as soon as you use your installation
-      * <code> > wsl --export Ubuntu C:\Scratch\<your_login>\<your_login>_ubuntu-<ubuntu_version>-full_<some_date>.tar</code>
+  * This is an indirect way of reclaiming the unused space of a Linux installation, i.e the size of the ''ext4.vhdx'' file after importing can be smaller than the size of the originally exported ''ext4.vhdx'' file.
-    * You can optionally open a new terminal (this will start again WSL+Ubuntu) to get some information about the created file (size and number of saved files/directories), and compress it in order to save some disk space
-      * <code>$ cd /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>
-$ ls -ltrh *ubuntu*tar*
+Detailed [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#import-a-new-distribution|--import]] example:
-M Jan 21  2020 <your_login>_200121.tar.gz
-.8G Aug 22  2020 <your_login>-16.04-full_200822.tar
-.4G Feb 24 14:06 <your_login>-20-04-1-full_210224.tar
-# Determine the number of files/directories in the backup
+  * We assume that we have an exported installation tar file available
-$ tar tvf <your_login>-20-04-1-full_210224.tar | wc -l
+    * In this example, we use the compressed backup file created in [[other:win10wsl#backup_of_a_full_linux_installation|Backup of a FULL Linux installation]]\\ ''C:\Scratch\<your_login>\WSL\WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar.gz''
+  * Create the directory where the Linux installation (mostly its ''ext4.vhdx'' file) will be restored
+    * Hint: use an explicit directory path and name using the name of the distribution that will be restored\\ e.g. ''D:\WSL_Distributions\Ubuntu_custom''
+  * Import the distribution, giving it a name that does not appear in ''wsl -l -v''
+    * <code>> wsl -l -v
+  NAME      STATE           VERSION
+* Ubuntu    Stopped         2
-$ gzip *ubuntu*.tar
+> wsl --import Ubuntu_custom D:\WSL_Distributions\Ubuntu_custom C:\Scratch\<your_login>\WSL\WSL_Ubuntu_20.04.5_LTS_stdu_22-08-29.tar.gz
-$ ls -ltrh *ubuntu*tar*
+> wsl -l -v
-M Jan 21  2020 <your_login>_200121.tar.gz
+  NAME             STATE           VERSION
-.2G Aug 22  2020 <your_login>-16.04-full_200822.tar.gz
+* Ubuntu           Stopped         2
-.8G Feb 24 14:06 <your_login>-20-04-1-full_210224.tar.gz
+  Ubuntu_custom    Stopped         2</code>
-</code>
+    * After importing, there should be a new ''ext4.vhdx'' file in the previously empty ''D:\WSL_Distributions\Ubuntu_custom'' directory
+  * Start the imported ''Ubuntu_custom'' distribution
+    * Directly from the Windows Terminal pull-down menu
+    * Or from a PowerShell, using ''wsl --distribution Ubuntu_custom''
+    * WARNING: even if the distribution we imported had an existing default ''stdu'' user, the //new// default user will be ''root'' !
+      * It is possible to explicitly specify the requested user each time we start a terminal, but it will be more convenient to specify a default user\\ wsl --distribution Ubuntu_custom --user stdu
+  * Specify a default user (note: [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/use-custom-distro#add-wsl-specific-components-like-a-default-user|Add WSL a default user]] also shows how to //create a new user//). We just have to use the root account to add a default user (user ''stdu'' here) to the [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-config#user-settings|/etc/wsl.conf]] file
+    * <code># cat /etc/wsl.conf
+cat: /etc/wsl.conf: No such file or directory
-==== Restoring a WSL backup ====
+# echo -e "[user]\ndefault=stdu" >> /etc/wsl.conf
+# cat /etc/wsl.conf
+[user]
+default=stdu</code>
+    * Restart the Linux installation to take the new settings into account
+      * ''%%wsl  --terminate Ubuntu_custom%%''
+    * If you need the ''root'' account later, you will need to use the ''sudo'' command from the new default account
+      * <code>$ whoami
+stdu
+stdu@sadira034:~$ sudo su -
+[sudo] password for stdu:
+root@sadira034:~# whoami
+root</code>
 FIXME Read [[https://www.howtogeek.com/426562/how-to-export-and-import-your-linux-systems-on-windows-10/|How to Export and Import Your Linux Systems on Windows 10]] and [[https://winaero.com/blog/export-import-wsl-linux-distro-windows-10/|Export and Import WSL Linux Distro in Windows 10]] and similar threads
@@ Line 1044: / Line 1109: @@
     * Can we restore (//clone//) a backed up Linux distribution on another Windows 10 computer for another user?
       * if the default user (and its password) has to be changed, you probably have to follow the steps to [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/user-support#for-fall-creators-update-and-later|reset the Linux password]] and find a way to create a new account when the ''root'' password is activated
 ==== Uninstalling WSL ====
-Not too sure about this part...
+Before starting, you may want to make a backup of whatever you had in your Ubuntu home directory, and all the files and settings that are not in the ''/mnt'' directories
+=== Removing a specific Linux installation ===
+This process is called //unregistering// (based on [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#unregister-or-uninstall-a-linux-distribution|Unregister or uninstall a Linux distribution]])
+You just need to get the list of the currently installed Linux distributions, stop them and remove/unregister a specific distribution name
+<code>> wsl -l -v
+  NAME             STATE           VERSION
+* Ubuntu           Stopped         2
+  Ubuntu_custom    Running         2
+> wsl --terminate Ubuntu_custom
+> wsl -l -v
+  NAME             STATE           VERSION
+* Ubuntu           Stopped         2
+  Ubuntu_custom    Stopped         2
+> wsl --unregister Ubuntu_custom
+Désinscription...
+> wsl -l -v
+  NAME             STATE           VERSION
+* Ubuntu           Stopped         2</code>
+=== Removing WSL ===
+''wsl'' is a part of the Windows system and probably can't be removed.
+Anyway, when all existing Linux distributions are uninstalled, there should not be any big ''.vhdx'' files remaining (i.e. //no extra disk space used//), and there will not be any Linux processes running (i.e. //no extra CPU used//).
-  * Make a backup of whatever you had in your Ubuntu home directory, and all the files and settings that are not in the ''/mnt'' directories
-  * Find how to unregister Ubuntu on the [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-config|Manage and configure Windows Subsystem for Linux]] page
-  * and then disable WSL???
 ===== Miscellaneous =====
@@ Line 1086: / Line 1182: @@
   * For WSL 2, you also need to meet the [[other:win10wsl#hyper-v_requirements|Hyper-V requirements]]
-=== Updating! ===
+=== Upgrading WSL ===
-[[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual#step-3---enable-virtual-machine-feature|Activate the Virtual Machine Platform]] (just the //Step 3// instructions) and reboot the computer
+[[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual#step-3---enable-virtual-machine-feature|Activate the Virtual Machine Platform]] (just the //Step 3// instructions) and **reboot the computer**
 After rebooting, go back to the [[other:win10wsl#determining_which_version_of_wsl_is_installed|Determining which version of WSL is installed]] section above, and check that you are now using WSL 2
@@ Line 1102: / Line 1198: @@
   * [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/release-notes|Release Notes for Windows Subsystem for Linux]]
+  * [[https://craigloewen-msft.github.io/WSLTipsAndTricks/|WSL Tips and Tricks]]
   * [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/faq|Frequently Asked Questions]]
   * [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]]

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