WSL 2 - Enabling systemd

README.md

Enable systemd in WSL 2

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/rbreaves/24df597cb4cefc3f212d587666e4d3aa/raw/48b3519f5be1fd5bdf58f359703b77ee31523185/install-sg.sh"

• Make it executable:

  chmod +x /tmp/install-sg.sh

• Run the new script:

  /tmp/install-sg.sh
  # genie requires this to change from graphics to multi-user
  sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target
  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

install-sg.sh

#! /usr/bin/env bash
set -e

# change these if you want
UBUNTU_VERSION="22.04"
GENIE_VERSION="2.3"

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 && sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https

  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 update
  sudo apt-get install -y \
    daemonize \
    dotnet-runtime-6.0 \
    systemd-container \
    policykit-1 \
    python3 \
    python3-pip \
    python3-psutil \
    gawk

  sudo rm -f /usr/sbin/daemonize
  sudo ln -s /usr/bin/daemonize /usr/sbin/daemonize
}

function main() {
  installDependencies

  downloadDebPackage

  installDebPackage
}

main

Works for me, after I applied a few patches identified in genie/wiki/Systemd-units-known-to-be-problematic-under-WSL. Could you please publish a license or add a license script comments? e.g. unlicense.org

At this point Microsoft has publicly announced official support for Systemd in wsl2 moving forward, so I do not believe these hacks are needed any longer and the license was whatever the guy determined that it ought to be that I forked it from lol.