HOWTO: Install WSL2 and Move AlmaLinux 9 to Another Drive

 HOWTO: Install WSL2 and Move AlmaLinux 9 to Another Drive

TL;DR A guide for myself. A product of my professional experience as a Linux system administrator, enhanced and articulated with the aid of AI tools to ensure comprehensive coverage and clarity for technical audiences.

 This guide details the process of installing the Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2 (WSL2) on Windows 11 Pro and subsequently installing AlmaLinux 9 onto a non-default drive (D:), ensuring a secure and efficient setup.

Copies around the web

https://gist.github.com/linuxmalaysia/491098eea7160aa184e85c19d6b68acc

https://medium.com/@linuxmalaysia/phase-2-install-wsl2-and-move-almalinux-9-to-another-drive-bb9f9649fc59

Phase 1: Installing WSL2 on Windows 11 Pro

Enable the Virtual Machine Platform and WSL Features

Open PowerShell as Administrator. This elevated privilege is necessary to modify system features.

Execute the following command to enable the core WSL functionality:

PowerShell

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all


This command utilises the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool (dism.exe) to enable the specified Windows feature.

Execute the subsequent command to enable the Virtual Machine Platform, which is essential for WSL2's virtualisation capabilities:

PowerShell

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all


WSL2 runs within a lightweight virtual machine, necessitating this feature.

Restart the computer when prompted. This restart is crucial for the changes to take effect.

Set WSL 2 as the Default Version

Open PowerShell as Administrator.

Run the following command to configure WSL to use the more performant WSL2 architecture by default:

PowerShell

wsl --set-default-version 2


WSL2 offers significant performance improvements over WSL1 due to its full system call compatibility.

Install the AlmaLinux 9 WSL Distribution

Open a web browser and navigate to the AlmaLinux WSL page: https://wsl.almalinux.org/.

Download the AlmaLinux 9 .appx package. The file will likely be named AlmaLinuxOS-9_latest_x64.appx. Save it to a convenient location, such as the Downloads folder.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the directory where downloaded from the .appx file.

Double-click the AlmaLinuxOS-9_latest_x64.appx file. This will launch the App Installer.

Click on the "Install" button. Windows will proceed to install the AlmaLinux 9 WSL distribution.

Launch AlmaLinux 9 and Complete Initial Setup

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt.

List the installed WSL distributions to confirm AlmaLinux 9 is present:

PowerShell

wsl -l -v


Launch the AlmaLinux 9 distribution

PowerShell

wsl -d AlmaLinux9


This will prompt us to create a user account and set a password for the almalinux user. Choose a strong and unique password.

Phase 2: Moving AlmaLinux 9 to Drive D

By default, WSL distributions are installed on the C: drive. This phase will guide you through moving your AlmaLinux 9 installation to the D: drive, which can be beneficial for managing disk space or for organisational purposes.

Identify the Location of the ext4.vhdx file

Open File Explorer.

Navigate to the following path (ensure you have enabled viewing hidden items):

C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Packages


Replace <YourUsername> with your actual Windows username.

Look for a folder with a name that is related to AlmaLinux. It is highly likely to be named:

AlmaLinuxOSFoundation.AlmaLinux9_<some_unique_string>


For example, you might see a folder named:

AlmaLinuxOSFoundation.AlmaLinux9_dx92scvka9p9g


The part after AlmaLinux9_ is a unique identifier for your installation.

Navigate into this AlmaLinux package folder, then into the LocalState subfolder.

Inside the LocalState folder, you should find the ext4.vhdx file (where VHDX stands for Virtual Hard Disk v2, the file format used by WSL2 to store the Linux file system). This is the virtual hard disk file containing your AlmaLinux 9 installation.

Create a Backup Folder (Optional but Recommended for Backup)

Open PowerShell as Administrator.

Create a folder on your D drive to store a copy of the original ext4.vhdx file as a backup. This also can be used as a template.

PowerShell

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9-Template"

Copy the ext4.vhdx file to the Template Folder

Copy the ext4.vhdx file from its original location to the template folder on your D drive.

PowerShell

Copy-Item "C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Packages\AlmaLinuxOSFoundation.AlmaLinux9_<unique_string>\LocalState\ext4.vhdx" -Destination "D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9-Template\ext4.vhdx"


Replace <unique_string> with the actual unique part of your AlmaLinux package folder name.

Create the Permanent Installation Folder on Drive D

Create the folder where you want the AlmaLinux 9 distribution to reside permanently.

PowerShell

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9"


Shutdown AlmaLinux:

Ensure the AlmaLinux 9 WSL instance is completely shut down before proceeding.

PowerShell

wsl -t AlmaLinux9


Alternatively, shut down all WSL instances:

PowerShell

wsl --shutdown


Unregister the Existing AlmaLinux Distribution:

Unregister the AlmaLinux distribution that was installed in the default location. This is necessary to import it from the new location.

PowerShell

wsl --unregister AlmaLinux9


Import the Distribution from the Moved ext4.vhdx:

Import the distribution using the wsl --import command, specifying the new location on the D drive.

PowerShell (one whole line)

wsl --import AlmaLinux9 D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9 D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9-Template\ext4.vhdx


Where:

  • AlmaLinux9: The name you want to give to the imported distribution.

  • D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9: The directory on your D drive where WSL will create the necessary files and metadata for the distribution.

  • D:\WSL\AlmaLinux9-Template\ext4.vhdx: The path to the copied ext4.vhdx file on your D drive.

Set the Default User (Optional):

Set the default user for the AlmaLinux 9 distribution (likely almalinux).

PowerShell

wsl -d AlmaLinux9 -u almalinux


Launch and Verify:

Launch the newly imported AlmaLinux 9 distribution:

PowerShell

wsl -d AlmaLinux9


Verify that it is working correctly.


Security Considerations

While you have set a password for your AlmaLinux user, it is crucial to further secure your environment. It is highly recommended to enable and configure the firewall within AlmaLinux. You can typically do this by starting and enabling the firewalld service, you may need to install systemd:

PowerShell

wsl -d AlmaLinux9
sudo systemctl start firewalld


sudo systemctl enable firewalld
sudo firewall-cmd --set-default-zone=public


Additionally, if you intend to expose any network services running within AlmaLinux to your Windows host or the network, you may need to configure appropriate rules in the Windows Firewall.

Performance Note: Please be aware that the performance of your AlmaLinux environment may be influenced by the read/write speed of your D drive. Solid State Drives (SSDs) generally offer better performance compared to traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs).

Congratulations! You have successfully installed WSL2 and moved your AlmaLinux 9 distribution to your D drive. Remember to keep your AlmaLinux system updated regularly using sudo dnf update and to stay vigilant about security best practices.

References

https://www.siberoloji.com/install-podman-almalinux/

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/systemd 


https://medium.com/@sharansh.sinha/wsl-2-installation-on-different-drive-3d9f0cc88850

 

The systemd is not enabled by default in WSL2. However, Microsoft has provided a way to enable it. 

HOWTO: Enable systemd in AlmaLinux 9 WSL2 on Windows 11 Pro

This guide outlines the steps to enable the systemd init system within your AlmaLinux 9 WSL2 environment on Windows 11 Pro. This allows you to run applications and services that rely on systemd functionality.

Prerequisites

  • WSL2 Installed: You have already installed WSL2 on your Windows 11 Pro system.

  • AlmaLinux 9 Installed in WSL2: You have successfully installed AlmaLinux 9 as a WSL2 distribution.

  • Sufficient WSL Version: Ensure your WSL version is recent enough to support systemd. Open PowerShell and run:

    • PowerShell

wsl --version

  • The WSL kernel version should be 5.15 or higher. If not, update WSL:

    • PowerShell

wsl --update


  • Also, ensure your Windows installation is up to date.

Steps to Enable systemd

  1. Access Your AlmaLinux 9 WSL Distribution:

    • Open PowerShell and launch your AlmaLinux 9 distribution:

      1. PowerShell

wsl -d AlmaLinux9

  • (Replace AlmaLinux9 with the actual name of your distribution if you named it differently).

  1. Edit the wsl.conf File

    • Inside your AlmaLinux 9 terminal, edit the wsl.conf file. If it doesn't exist, create it. This file configures settings for your WSL distributions.1

      1. Bash

sudo nano /etc/wsl.conf


  1. Add the systemd Boot Option:

    • Add the following lines to the wsl.conf file:

      1. ini, TOML

[boot]

systemd=true


  • This tells WSL to initialise the distribution with systemd as the init process.


  1. Save and Close wsl.conf

    • In nano, press Ctrl+X, then Y to confirm saving, and then Enter.


  1. Completely Shutdown the WSL Instance

    • It's crucial to completely shut down the AlmaLinux 9 WSL instance for the configuration change to take effect. Closing the terminal window is not enough. Open PowerShell and run:

      1. PowerShell

wsl --shutdown


  1. Restart AlmaLinux 9:

    • Launch your AlmaLinux 9 distribution again:

      1. PowerShell

wsl -d AlmaLinux9


  1. Verify systemd is Running:

    • Once AlmaLinux 9 is running, verify that systemd is the init process:

      1. Bash

ps -ef | grep systemd


  • You should see systemd with PID 1.

Important Considerations

  • Resource Usage: Enabling systemd will increase the resource consumption of your WSL2 instance.

  • Potential Compatibility Issues: While generally improving compatibility, there might be specific scenarios where enabling systemd introduces new issues.

  • WSL Updates: Keep your WSL installation updated as Microsoft continues to refine systemd support.

Now that systemd is enabled within your AlmaLinux 9 WSL2 environment, you should be able to install and run applications that depend on it.

For example, to install and run the httpd web server:

Bash

sudo dnf install httpd -y

sudo systemctl start httpd

sudo systemctl enable httpd

sudo systemctl status httpd


You should be able to access the web server on localhost from your Windows browser.

This HOWTO provides the steps to enable systemd within your AlmaLinux 9 WSL2 environment. Remember to monitor resource usage and be aware of potential compatibility nuances.

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