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WSL 2 - Enabling systemd
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README.md

Enable systemd in WSL 2

NOTE: If you have Windows 11 there is now an official way to do this in WSL 2, use it if possible - see MS post here (WINDOWS 11 ONLY)

This guide will enable systemd to run as normal under WSL 2. This will enable services like microk8s, docker and many more to just work during a WSL session. Note: this was tested on Windows 10 Build 2004, running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS in WSL 2.

  • To enable systemd under WSL we require a tool called systemd-genie

  • Copy the contents of install-sg.sh to a new file /tmp/install-sg.sh:

    cd /tmp
wget --content-disposition \
  "https://gist.githubusercontent.com/djfdyuruiry/6720faa3f9fc59bfdf6284ee1f41f950/raw/952347f805045ba0e6ef7868b18f4a9a8dd2e47a/install-sg.sh"

  • Make it executable:

    chmod +x /tmp/install-sg.sh

  • Run the new script:

    /tmp/install-sg.sh && rm /tmp/install-sg.sh

  • Exit the WSL terminal and shutdown the WSL env:

    wsl --shutdown

  • To open a new WSL terminal with systemd enabled, run:

    wsl genie -s

  • Prove that it works:

    sudo systemctl status time-sync.target
Raw
install-sg.sh
#! /usr/bin/env bash
set -e
# change these if you want
UBUNTU_VERSION="20.04"
GENIE_VERSION="1.44"
GENIE_FILE="systemd-genie_${GENIE_VERSION}_amd64"
GENIE_FILE_PATH="/tmp/${GENIE_FILE}.deb"
GENIE_DIR_PATH="/tmp/${GENIE_FILE}"
function installDebPackage() {
# install repackaged systemd-genie
sudo dpkg -i "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}"
rm -rf "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}"
}
function downloadDebPackage() {
rm -f "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}"
pushd /tmp
wget --content-disposition \
"https://github.com/arkane-systems/genie/releases/download/v${GENIE_VERSION}/systemd-genie_${GENIE_VERSION}_amd64.deb"
popd
}
function installDependencies() {
sudo apt-get update
wget --content-disposition \
"https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/${UBUNTU_VERSION}/packages-microsoft-prod.deb"
sudo dpkg -i packages-microsoft-prod.deb
rm packages-microsoft-prod.deb
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
daemonize \
dotnet-runtime-5.0 \
systemd-container
sudo rm -f /usr/sbin/daemonize
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/daemonize /usr/sbin/daemonize
}
function main() {
installDependencies
downloadDebPackage
installDebPackage
}
main
@redlinejoes
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Technically speaking, WSL is a VM. The main difference is the kernel. The kernel in WSL distributions is different because Microsoft develops it. Per Microsoft, it is intended to be used for interoperability during development. Everyone can read the docs here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/about.

During development on Windows, you absolutely should be using WSL for Docker. There is nothing to disagree with. What you describe are development purposes.

If someone intends to keep a heterogeneous Linux system for production, they should use the Linus-developed kernel distributions in a VM.

There are valid reasons why this is best practice from Microsoft and the Linux community and not a matter of opinion. Using the documentation from Microsoft, I'll go ahead and elaborate so others can know the differences.

From the documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/faq#who-is-wsl-for-
Who is WSL for?
"This is primarily a tool for developers, especially web developers, those working on open source projects, or deploying to Linux server environments. WSL is for anyone who likes using Bash, common Linux tools (sed, awk, etc.) and Linux-first frameworks (Ruby, Python, etc.) but also enjoys using Windows productivity tools."

From the documentation: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/faq#can-i-use-wsl-for-production-scenarios--
Can I use WSL for production scenarios?
"WSL has been designed and built to use with inner loop development workflows. There are design features in WSL that make it great for this purpose but may make it challenging for production-related scenarios compared to other products. Our goal is to make clear how WSL differs from a regular VM environment, so you can make the decision on whether it fits your business needs."

The main differences between WSL and a traditional production environment are:

  • WSL has a lightweight utility VM that starts, stops and manages resources automatically.
  • If you have no open file handles to Windows processes, the WSL VM will automatically be shut down. This means if you are using it as a web server, SSH into it to run your server and then exit, the VM could shut down because it is detecting that users are finished using it and will clean up its resources.
  • WSL users have full access to their Linux instances. The lifetime of the VM, the registered WSL distributions, etc., are all accessible by the user and can be modified by the user.
  • WSL automatically gives file access to Windows files.
  • Windows paths are appended to your path by default, which could cause unexpected behavior for certain Linux applications compared to a traditional Linux environment.
  • WSL can run Windows executables from Linux, which could also lead to a different environment than a traditional Linux VM.
  • The Linux kernel used by WSL is updated automatically.
  • GPU access in WSL happens through a /dev/dxg device, which routes GPU calls out to the Windows GPU. This setup is different than a traditional Linux set up.
  • There are other smaller differences compared to bare metal Linux and more differences are expected to arise in the future as the inner loop development workflow is prioritized.

In summary, Microsoft is saying that WSL is not intended to replace running Linux as a VM, regardless of how WSL performs. WSL can do certain things that make it ideal for development workflows. However, it's been designed to operate differently than users expect from a typical Linux system. This makes it not ideal for production or long-running utilization. The confusion can stem from when a development tool is released to the public, and non-developers start to use it and think it's something it is not.

@4wk-
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4wk- commented Jan 7, 2023

So I misunderstood you earlier, sorry. I wasn't talking of production use. My use of WSL is only for developing purposes, and I do agree with you! Thanks!

@dominsights
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It didn't work for Ubuntu 22. I've used Ubuntu 20 and it worked fine.

This git and the methods described are deprecated.

You should NOT be using this method any longer. The author needs to update this Gist to inform users that this is no longer necessary. WSL has been updated for Windows 10 to match what is available in Windows 11.

You should NOT be using this Gist or the methods described in this repo to enable systemd in WSL for Windows 10 or 11.

To enable the systemd support in Windows 10 or 11, you only need to update your WSL installation.

On Windows 10, when you run the WSL --version command, you should see the following: WSL version: 1.0.3.0 Kernel version: 5.15.79.1 WSLg version: 1.0.47 MSRDC version: 1.2.3575 Direct3D version: 1.606.4 DXCore version: 10.0.25131.1002-220531-1700.rs-onecore-base2-hyp Windows version: 10.0.19045.2364

On Windows 11, when you run the WSL --version command, you should see the following: WSL version: 1.0.3.0 Kernel version: 5.15.79.1 WSLg version: 1.0.47 MSRDC version: 1.2.3575 Direct3D version: 1.606.4 DXCore version: 10.0.25131.1002-220531-1700.rs-onecore-base2-hyp Windows version: 10.0.25267.1000

If you run the latest version of WSL, you can enable the systemd support without issue in Ubuntu 22.04. So that you know, you will want to install WSL from the MS Store. Then you can enable the systemd support using the "/etc/wsl.conf" file with the following options: [boot] systemd=true

Follow these instructions for help. The procedure works on Windows 11; as of November 2022, it also works on Windows 10. https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/

It doesn't work on Windows 10. I have tried this multiple times, the only thing that worked was using the Ubuntu 20 and the method the author said above. Please don't remove the gist.

@dominsights
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Nevermind, I forked it.

@redlinejoes
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redlinejoes commented Jan 13, 2023 •
edited
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Please read the documentation for WSL upgrades.

Check your version of WSL on Windows 10 by using the following command:
wsl --version

If that command does not return WSL version: 1.0+, you do not have the correct version of WSL.

You can fork this Gist, but you'll still be using deprecated code and methods that are no longer supported and should not be used.

If you want support for WSL, we can help you.
What is the actual issue you are experiencing?
What exactly does not work on Windows 10?
What did you specifically try that failed?

Post the response to the wsl --version command and also check that you have properly configured systemd using the Microsoft supported and recommend method using "/etc/wsl.config"

@Guidoow
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Guidoow commented Mar 14, 2023 •
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Works perfectly on Debian!
Thanks!

But there is a little problem when I do systemd

starting with PID 1 "init"
with and without being superuser:
Trying to run as user instance, but $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not set.

starting with PID 1 systemd: (wsl genie -s)

Failed to create /user.slice/user-1000.slice/session-c3.scope/init.scope control group: Permission denied
Failed to allocate manager object: Permission denied

as super user:
Trying to run as user instance, but $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not set.

About xdg_runtime_dir:
env | grep XDG_RUNTIME_DIR

XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000

Any kind of help would be appreciated, im very new on linux, thanks!

Note that i do not need to execute systemd because systemctl actually works fine, I just want to solve this and know what is wrong. <3

@redlinejoes
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Works perfectly on Debian! Thanks!

But there is a little problem when I do systemd

starting with PID 1 "init" with and without being superuser: Trying to run as user instance, but $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not set.

starting with PID 1 systemd: (wsl genie -s)

Failed to create /user.slice/user-1000.slice/session-c3.scope/init.scope control group: Permission denied
Failed to allocate manager object: Permission denied

as super user: Trying to run as user instance, but $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is not set.

About xdg_runtime_dir: env | grep XDG_RUNTIME_DIR

XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/1000

Any kind of help would be appreciated, im very new on linux, thanks!

Note that i do not need to execute systemd because systemctl actually works fine, I just want to solve this and know what is wrong. <3

The procedure described in this gist has been out of date for over 4 months.
Nobody should follow this guide anymore. It's deprecated.
It should be removed from the Internet, so it stops people from following it.
Too many people come here, fail to read the comments and end up in your situation.
At this time, this gist is causing more harm than good.
It is especially concerning the amount of "very new to linux" users that stumble on this gist and have a bad experience with WSL or Linux in general.

@tuxflo
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tuxflo commented Mar 14, 2023 •
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It may be worth mentioning, that the "updated way" of enabling systemd also works in Windows 10 (not just Windows 11 as stated in the header section of the gist).
I was using this method for a long time because I thought the official way is Windows 11 only and my company managed PC is not able to upgrade to Windows 11.
Just update WSL and follow the official docs on how to enable systemd.

@Mart-Bogdan
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Mart-Bogdan commented Mar 14, 2023 •
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It may be worth mentioning, that the "updated way" of enabling systemd also works in Windows 10 (not just Windows 11 as stated in the header section of the gist).

Yeah. Thanks, @tuxflo. I can confirm that it works on Windows 10.0.19045.2604

But start up time is slower than raw WSL without systemd.

Option with genie allowed you to chose whether to launch systemd)

@Guidoow
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Guidoow commented Mar 14, 2023

The procedure described in this gist has been out of date for over 4 months. Nobody should follow this guide anymore. It's deprecated. It should be removed from the Internet, so it stops people from following it. Too many people come here, fail to read the comments and end up in your situation. At this time, this gist is causing more harm than good. It is especially concerning the amount of "very new to linux" users that stumble on this gist and have a bad experience with WSL or Linux in general.

I don't think so @redlinejoes, maybe you can explain more.
If "no one should use this guide", how can a WSL user use systemctl any other way? In my case, I couldn't use systemctl before (because PID 1 = init != systemd) and now I can with this script.
I just flagged a simple error with the systemd command and|or the configuration. I tried a few commands (including systemctl) that didn't work before, but now with this script, are perfectly working and solved some of my problems.

I found another method to start with systemd as PID 1 which is detailed here:
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/
But it throws similar errors as this method, and some more like "Failed to connect to bus: No such file or directory" when tried to execute systemctl without super user.

There is any method that u recommend to solve this?

@tuxflo
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tuxflo commented Mar 14, 2023

But start up time is slower than raw WSL without systemd.

Well I guess you could simulate the switch between systemd and non systemd with a script that toggles the boolean value systemd = true in the wsl.conf but I'm happy with systemd at all time (since I had reasons for enabling it).

@Mart-Bogdan
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I found another method to start with systemd as PID 1 which is detailed here:
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/
But it throws similar errors as this method, and some more like "Failed to connect to bus: No such file or directory" when tried to execute systemctl without super user.

@Guidoow did you run wsl --update ?

@Mart-Bogdan
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Well I guess you could simulate the switch between systemd and non systemd with a script that toggles the boolean value systemd = true in the wsl.conf but I'm happy with systemd at all time (since I had reasons for enabling it).

@tuxflo but you need to run WSL first, yes? Coz that file is inside /etc/wsl.conf, not on a host.

But that's fine, yes. Benefits are better, can wait few seconds :-)

@Guidoow
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Guidoow commented Mar 15, 2023 •
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@Guidoow did you run wsl --update ?

@Mart-Bogdan yes, I did.
After WSL and Debian reinstallation and properly update, using this script, It is working PERFECT, Including the above error of systemd $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR. Thanks!

@redlinejoes
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I don't think so @redlinejoes, maybe you can explain more. If "no one should use this guide", how can a WSL user use systemctl any other way?

There is any method that u recommend to solve this?

You are operating with the assumption that the last six months of development didn't happen.

There is no reason for that when all the necessary information is included in this thread.

This leads one to believe you have yet to read and comprehend it.

The answer you seek is explained in detail in this thread. You must do yourself a favor and read my previous comment fully.
https://gist.github.com/djfdyuruiry/6720faa3f9fc59bfdf6284ee1f41f950?permalink_comment_id=4410998#gistcomment-4410998

There is no reason anyone should use the methods described in this guide. This Gist does more harm than good and is damaging to the open-source software community since the release of WSL version: 1.0.3.0.

@tertek
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tertek commented Jun 27, 2023 •
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This is much easier in 2023, source: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/
Just ensure you have the latest version of WSL:

wsl --update
wsl --version
# soemthing like this
WSL version: 1.2.5.0
Kernel version: 5.15.90.1
WSLg version: 1.0.51
MSRDC version: 1.2.3770
Direct3D version: 1.608.2-61064218
DXCore version: 10.0.25131.1002-220531-1700.rs-onecore-base2-hyp
Windows version: 10.0.19045.3086

Simply add within your distro, e.g. Ubuntu inside /etc/wsl.conf:

[boot]
systemd = true

@redlinejoes
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This is much easier in 2023, source: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/ Just ensure you have the latest version of WSL:

wsl --update
wsl --version
# soemthing like this
WSL version: 1.2.5.0
Kernel version: 5.15.90.1
WSLg version: 1.0.51
MSRDC version: 1.2.3770
Direct3D version: 1.608.2-61064218
DXCore version: 10.0.25131.1002-220531-1700.rs-onecore-base2-hyp
Windows version: 10.0.19045.3086

Simply add within your distro, e.g. Ubuntu inside /etc/wsl.conf:

[boot]
systemd = true

It's been this way since 2022.
Read my reply from Dec 2022.
I copied the link here for you to make it easier for you to find and read.

https://gist.github.com/djfdyuruiry/6720faa3f9fc59bfdf6284ee1f41f950?permalink_comment_id=4410998#gistcomment-4410998

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