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/djfdyuruiry/6720faa3f9fc59bfdf6284ee1f41f950/raw/46085955818d83b483fd62c65383a7f8dda84f5f/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

install-sg.sh

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

GENIE_VERSION="1.23" # update if you need
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 fixDebDependencies() {
  # repackage systemd-genie to require dotnet 3.1 instead of 3.0
  rm -rf "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}"
  mkdir -p "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}"

  dpkg-deb -x "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}" "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}"

  pushd "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}"

  dpkg-deb -e "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}"

  popd

  sed -i 's/dotnet-runtime-3[.]0/dotnet-runtime-3.1/g' "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}/DEBIAN/control"

  rm -f "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}"

  pushd /tmp

  dpkg-deb -b "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}" 

  popd

  rm -rf "${GENIE_DIR_PATH}"
}

function downloadDebPackage() {
  rm -f "${GENIE_FILE_PATH}"

  pushd /tmp

  wget --content-disposition \
    "https://packagecloud.io/arkane-systems/wsl-translinux/packages/debian/bookworm/${GENIE_FILE}.deb/download.deb"

  popd
}

function installDependencies() {
  # install systemd-genie dependencies
  sudo apt-get update

  wget --content-disposition \
    "https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/20.04/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-3.1

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

function main() {
  installDependencies

  downloadDebPackage

  fixDebDependencies

  installDebPackage
}

main