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other:win10wsl [2022/08/31 11:47] jypeter [Creating a backup of a Linux installation] Improved |
other:win10wsl [2022/09/06 15:40] jypeter [Restoring or relocating a Linux installation] Improved |
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* 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]] | * 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// | * ''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 | * 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 | ||
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* Reboot the computer and be patient | * 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// | * 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... | * <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. | Please create a default UNIX user account. The username does not need to match your Windows username. | ||
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PS C:\> wsl cat /proc/version | PS C:\> wsl cat /proc/version | ||
Linux version 5.10.102.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2 (oe-user@oe-host) (x86_64-msft-linux-gcc (GCC) 9.3.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils) 2.34.0.20200220) #1 SMP Wed Mar 2 00:30:59 UTC 2022</code> | Linux version 5.10.102.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2 (oe-user@oe-host) (x86_64-msft-linux-gcc (GCC) 9.3.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils) 2.34.0.20200220) #1 SMP Wed Mar 2 00:30:59 UTC 2022</code> | ||
+ | |||
+ | * Create a [[other:win10wsl#backup_of_a_full_linux_installation|backup of the newly installed distribution]] | ||
+ | * This will allow you to easily [[other:win10wsl#restoring_or_relocating_a_linux_installation|restore or relocate your distribution later]] | ||
===== After the base installation ===== | ===== After the base installation ===== | ||
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- | ==== Creating a backup of the Linux running in WSL ==== | + | ===== Advanced usage ===== |
+ | |||
+ | |||
+ | ==== 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 | ||
+ | 1.4G 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 | ||
+ | 549M 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 === | ||
- | There are several types of WSL related directories that you may want to back up: | + | You can also just create backups of specific directories: |
- | * <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>'') | + | * 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 | * <code bash>$ cd /home | ||
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95K Feb 24 12:09 /mnt/c/Scratch/<your_login>/<your_login>_home_210224_1209.tgz</code> | 95K 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]]) | ||
+ | ==== Restoring or relocating a Linux installation ==== | ||
- | ==== Restoring a WSL backup ==== | + | 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. |
+ | |||
+ | Note: | ||
+ | * This is currently the only way of **moving (//relocating//) a Linux installation** to another disk than the default ''C:\'' location | ||
+ | * //Importing// will mostly put the ''ext4.vhdx'' file in the specified target location | ||
+ | * 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 | ||
+ | * Creating a backup and restoring it is an indirect way of **reclaiming the unused space of a Linux installation**: the size of the ''ext4.vhdx'' file after importing can be smaller than the size of the originally exported ''ext4.vhdx'' file. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Detailed [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/basic-commands#import-a-new-distribution|--import]] example: | ||
+ | |||
+ | * We assume that we have an exported installation tar file available | ||
+ | * 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'' | ||
+ | * ''import'' can directly use a ''.tar.gz'' file! ([[https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/WSL/issues/1607|wsl --import should mention 'tar.gz' support !]]) | ||
+ | * 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, because the name of the restored file itself will always be the same (''ext4.vhdx'')\\ e.g. ''D:\WSL_Distributions\Ubuntu_custom'' | ||
+ | * Import the distribution, giving it a unique name (that does not appear already in ''wsl -l -v'') | ||
+ | * <code>> wsl -l -v | ||
+ | NAME STATE VERSION | ||
+ | * Ubuntu Stopped 2 | ||
+ | |||
+ | > 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 | ||
+ | |||
+ | > wsl -l -v | ||
+ | NAME STATE VERSION | ||
+ | * Ubuntu Stopped 2 | ||
+ | Ubuntu_custom Stopped 2</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%%'' | ||
+ | * You can easily open a ''root'' session with\\ ''%%wsl -d Ubuntu_custom -u root%%'' | ||
+ | * 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'' in this example) 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 | ||
+ | |||
+ | # 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 | 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 | ||
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- | ===== Advanced usage ===== | ||
- | |||
- | |||
- | ==== 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 steps: | ||
- | * 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 --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.G 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_20.04.4_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>Add compression example here</code> | ||
- | |||
- | === Other types of backup === | ||
- | |||
- | |||
- | ==== Restoring or relocating a Linux installation ==== | ||
- | |||
- | When we have a backup in a tar file, we can restore it to the default location (Check ?? FIXME), or specify where we want to restore it. This is a way of moving (relocating) an installation to another disk or partition than the default location ''C:\'' | ||
==== Uninstalling WSL ==== | ==== Uninstalling WSL ==== | ||
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* [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/release-notes|Release Notes for Windows Subsystem for Linux]] | * [[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/faq|Frequently Asked Questions]] | ||
* [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]] | * [[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]] |