You're reading from Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) Tips, Tricks, and Techniques Maximise productivity of your Windows 10 development machine with custom workflows and configurations

Product type Paperback

Published in Oct 2020

Publisher Packt

ISBN-13 9781800562448

Length 246 pages

Edition 1st Edition

Tools

Linux

Concepts

Shell Scripting

Author (1):

Stuart Leeks

View More author details

Table of Contents (16) Chapters

Preface

1. Section 1: Introduction, Installation, and Configuration

2. Chapter 1: Introduction to the Windows Subsystem for Linux FREE CHAPTER

3. Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring the Windows Subsystem for Linux

4. Chapter 3: Getting Started with Windows Terminal

5. Section 2:Windows and Linux – A Winning Combination

6. Chapter 4: Windows to Linux Interoperability

7. Chapter 5: Linux to Windows Interoperability

8. Chapter 6: Getting More from Windows Terminal

9. Chapter 7: Working with Containers in WSL

10. Chapter 8: Working with WSL Distros

11. Section 3: Developing with the Windows Subsystem for Linux

12. Chapter 9: Visual Studio Code and WSL

13. Chapter 10: Visual Studio Code and Containers

14. Chapter 11: Productivity Tips with Command-Line Tools

15. Other Books You May Enjoy

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Enabling WSL

To set up your machine ready for running WSL, you need to ensure that you are on a version of Windows that supports it. Then you can enable the Windows features required to run WSL and install the Linux kernel ready for the installation of Linux distros. Finally, you will be able to install one or more Linux distros to run.

Let's get started by ensuring you are using an up-to-date version of Windows.

Checking for the required Windows version

To install WSL 2, you need to be running on a recent enough build of Windows 10. To check the version of Windows 10 you are running (and whether you need to update), press Windows Key + R and then type winver:

Figure 2.1 – The Windows version dialog showing the 2004 update

In this screenshot, you can see Version 2004 indicating that the system is running the 2004 release. After that, you can see the OS Build is 19041.208.

To run WSL 2, you need to be on version 1903 or higher with OS...