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WSL2 installation requirements

Installing WSL 2 involves enabling specific Windows system features and downloading necessary updates. The process consists of enabling the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" feature, enabling the "Virtual Machine Platform," and applying the Linux kernel update package^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md].

System requirements

To support WSL 2, the system requires the "Virtual Machine Platform" feature to be enabled^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md]. This feature is distinct from the legacy "Windows Subsystem for Linux" feature and is necessary for the virtualization improvements in WSL 2^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md].

Installation steps

  1. Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux: Run the DISM command to enable the feature^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md]. dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
  2. Enable Virtual Machine Platform: Run the DISM command to enable virtualization^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md]. dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
  3. Download Linux Kernel Update: Install the WSL2 Linux kernel update package (e.g., wsl_update_x64.msi)^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md].
  4. Set WSL 2 as Default: Configure the default WSL version to 2^[400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md]. wsl --set-default-version 2

Sources

  • 400-devops-02-os-and-linux-basics-windows-wsl.md
  • [[WSL]]
  • [[Linux]]
  • [[Windows]]