other:win10wsl
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other:win10wsl [2022/09/07 12:04] jypeter [Base installation] Link to the Security section |
other:win10wsl [2022/09/08 07:55] jypeter [Opening a terminal] |
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| stdu@sadira034:~$ echo $SHELL | stdu@sadira034:~$ echo $SHELL | ||
| /bin/bash</code> | /bin/bash</code> | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Note: after installing (even from the PowerShell command line), Ubuntu will appear as a regular installed application in the //Microsoft Store// and the list of applications | ||
| + | * {{ :other:ubuntu_ms-store.png?direct&400 |}} | ||
| + | * {{ :other:ubuntu_applications.png?direct&400 |}} | ||
| * Get some basic information about your new ''Ubuntu'' installation | * Get some basic information about your new ''Ubuntu'' installation | ||
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| [[https://github.com/mintty/wsltty|WSLtty]] allows you to use the efficient //Mintty// as a terminal for WSL. **You do not need to have an //X server// running to use it!** | [[https://github.com/mintty/wsltty|WSLtty]] allows you to use the efficient //Mintty// as a terminal for WSL. **You do not need to have an //X server// running to use it!** | ||
| - | * Download and execute the latest [[https://github.com/mintty/wsltty/releases|64bit installer]] (the most recent ''wsltty-*-install-x86_64.exe'' file) | + | * Download and execute the latest [[https://github.com/mintty/wsltty/releases|64bit installer]] (the most recent ''wsltty-<version>-x86_64-install.exe'' file) |
| * After installing, you will get several ways to open a terminal: | * After installing, you will get several ways to open a terminal: | ||
| * Double-click on the ''WSL terminal'' icon on the desktop | * Double-click on the ''WSL terminal'' icon on the desktop | ||
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| ==== Restoring or relocating a Linux installation ==== | ==== Restoring or relocating a Linux installation ==== | ||
| - | 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. | + | 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: | Note: | ||
| * This is currently the only way of **moving (//relocating//) a Linux installation** to another disk than the default ''C:\'' location | * 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 | * //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 | + | * You need [[other:win10wsl#disk_usage|enough disk space]] in the new disk location, knowing that the size of the //restored// ''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. | + | * Creating a backup and restoring it is an indirect way of **reclaiming the unused space of a Linux installation ''vhdx'' file**: 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: | 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 | + | * 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'' | * 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 !]]) | + | * ''%%--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 | * 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'' | + | * Hint: choose 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'') | * Import the distribution, giving it a unique name (that does not appear already in ''wsl -l -v'') | ||
| * <code>> wsl -l -v | * <code>> wsl -l -v | ||
| Line 1102: | Line 1106: | ||
| * After importing, there should be a new ''ext4.vhdx'' file in the previously empty ''D:\WSL_Distributions\Ubuntu_custom'' directory | * 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 | * Start the imported ''Ubuntu_custom'' distribution | ||
| - | * Directly from the Windows Terminal pull-down menu | + | * Select ''Ubuntu_custom'' in the Windows Terminal pull-down menu |
| - | * Or from a PowerShell, using ''wsl --distribution Ubuntu_custom'' | + | * Or specify ''Ubuntu_custom'' in a PowerShell, using:\\ ''%%wsl --distribution Ubuntu_custom%%''\\ or ''wsl -d Ubuntu_custom'' |
| - | * WARNING: even if the distribution we imported had an existing default ''stdu'' user, the //new// default user will be ''root'' ! | + | * WARNING: even if the imported distribution had an existing default user (''stdu'' in our example), 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%%'' | + | * It is possible to explicitly specify the requested user each time we start a terminal, but it will be more convenient to specify a new default user\\ ''%%wsl --distribution Ubuntu_custom --user stdu%%'' |
| * You can easily open a ''root'' session with\\ ''%%wsl -d Ubuntu_custom -u root%%'' | * 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 | + | * Select a new (non ''root'') 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 | * <code># cat /etc/wsl.conf | ||
| cat: /etc/wsl.conf: No such file or directory | cat: /etc/wsl.conf: No such file or directory | ||
| Line 1118: | Line 1122: | ||
| * Restart the Linux installation to take the new settings into account | * Restart the Linux installation to take the new settings into account | ||
| * ''%%wsl --terminate Ubuntu_custom%%'' | * ''%%wsl --terminate Ubuntu_custom%%'' | ||
| - | * If you need the ''root'' account later, you will need to use the ''sudo'' command from the new default account | + | * If you need the ''root'' account later, you will need to use the ''sudo'' command from the new default account (or use ''wsl -d Ubuntu_custom -u root'' in a PowerShell) |
| * <code>$ whoami | * <code>$ whoami | ||
| stdu | stdu | ||
| Line 1125: | Line 1129: | ||
| root@sadira034:~# whoami | root@sadira034:~# whoami | ||
| root</code> | root</code> | ||
| + | * If the //relocation// goal was to free up some space on ''C:'', it is possible to [[other:win10wsl#removing_the_main_linux_installation|Remove the main installation]], once the relocated installation has been successfully tested | ||
| - | 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 | + | Questions FIXME |
| + | * Is it possible to restore to the default location (on ''C:\'') ? | ||
| + | ==== Uninstalling WSL or a distribution ==== | ||
| - | FIXME Check if [[https://wslhub.com/|WSL Manager]] is maintained and can be useful | + | Before uninstalling //something//, you probably want to [[other:win10wsl#creating_a_backup|create a backup]], just to be safe... |
| - | + | ||
| - | This assumes that you have followed the steps above to create a full backup of your Linux distribution in a ''ubuntu_<your_login>_<some_date>.tar'' file. This file can theoretically be restored with: | + | |
| - | * ''wsl %%--%%import <DistributionName> <InstallLocation> ubuntu_<your_login>_<some_date>.tar'' | + | |
| - | * Note: found a page mentioning that you should be in a terminal with admin rights when using ''%%--%%import'' | + | |
| - | * Can we use the same ''<DistributionName>'' (e.g. ''Ubuntu'') as the one we are trying to restore without first removing it with ''unregister'' ([[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-config#unregister-and-reinstall-a-distribution|Unregister and reinstall a distribution]])? | + | |
| - | * If we use a new distribution name, it will probably not appear anymore in the Microsoft Store and will not be updated. Is this a problem? | + | |
| - | * It seems we can use ''<InstallLocation>'' to install anywhere! What should we do if we want to restore to the default location (in the hidden directory)? | + | |
| - | * Can we install out of the current user's Windows folder? | + | |
| - | * Can we install out of ''C:\''? | + | |
| - | * 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 ==== | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | 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 === | === Removing a specific Linux installation === | ||
| Line 1171: | Line 1162: | ||
| * Ubuntu Stopped 2</code> | * Ubuntu Stopped 2</code> | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Removing the main Linux installation === | ||
| + | |||
| + | If you remove the main installation (on ''C:\''): | ||
| + | * Another //relocated// installation will become the new default installation (if present) | ||
| + | * <code>PS C:\Users\your_login> wsl -l -v | ||
| + | NAME STATE VERSION | ||
| + | Ubuntu_custom Running 2 | ||
| + | * Ubuntu Running 2 | ||
| + | |||
| + | PS C:\Users\your_login> wsl --unregister Ubuntu | ||
| + | Désinscription... | ||
| + | |||
| + | PS C:\Users\your_login> wsl -l -v | ||
| + | NAME STATE VERSION | ||
| + | * Ubuntu_custom Running 2</code> | ||
| + | |||
| + | * The initial installation directory will still be present on ''C:\'', and should probably be left untouched: | ||
| + | * ''C:\Users\your_login\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.UbuntuonWindows_79rhkp1fndgsc\'' | ||
| + | * ...with a very low disk usage (the big ''ext4.vhdx'' is removed during the ''unregister'' step) | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''Ubuntu'' will still appear in the Microsoft store, and clicking on ''Launch'' will trigger a re-installation on ''C:\'' | ||
| + | * If you end up with an installation error message and a new //orphan// ''ext4.vhdx'' file on ''C'', click on ''Launch'' to restart and complete the installation | ||
| + | |||
| + | * ''Ubuntu'' will still appear in the list of installed applications (''Windows'' + ''I'' => ''Applications'') but with a smaller disk usage, probably just the size of the //Linux kernel// installed and updated independently of the Linux installations) | ||
| === Removing WSL === | === Removing WSL === | ||
other/win10wsl.txt · Last modified: 2023/12/06 13:24 by jypeter
