Introduction IST creates, maintains, and provides a compliance package to go with the Windows ISO images available on OnTheHub. This article covers which version of Windows is provided, what is included in the package, where to get it, and how to report issues or provide feedback. Applicability This article is available to anyone in the institution, including IT groups. Details Current Version Windows 10 22H2, November 2022 Windows 11 23H2, September 2024 Compliance Package May 2025 (Package-UofA-2025-05-05.exe) Click this link to see details on the compliance package. Microsoft Product Activation Microsoft products which are part of the campus volume license such as operating systems and Office utilize the Microsoft Key Management Service (KMS). KMS allows for volume activation of systems connected to the University of Alberta network. To remain activated, systems must renew their activation by connecting to the KMS at least once every 180 days. By default, systems attempt to renew their activation every seven days. After a system's activation is renewed, the activation validity interval begins again. See here for more information. Where to get them All current ISOs and packages are available through the OnTheHub product page. If you do not have access, please check this article: Purchasing Software Through OnTheHub. Feedback We welcome any and all feedback you may have regarding our custom packages. Issues are handled based on the severity of the problem, the viability of solutions, and the capabilities of the team; suggestions are reviewed and decided on by the team, and any security-relevant changes are reviewed by the CISO's office. You may fill out this Form or call 780-492-9400.

Introduction This KB will explain the basics of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on a Windows machine. Applicability This article applies to anyone installing or supporting WSL on a Windows device. This is meant to be an introductory guide on some of the basics surrounding WSL. Details Table of Contents About WSL Installing WSL Uninstalling a WSL instance Launching WSL Using WSL Command Line Using Linux Apps Setting up a Desktop Environment (GUI) About WSL What is Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)? WSL is essentially a virtualization layer in Windows that allows you to run a variety of different Linux Distributions in a window. This virtualization layer makes it easy to seamlessly run Linux alongside Windows, without the need for messy solutions like dual booting or creating a dedicated VM. WSL has two versions available. Version 1 which was the first iteration of WSL, and version 2 which is the most common version available as of 2025. Version 2 has better compatibility with local resources, is faster than version 1. All things considered, there should be very little reason to be running version 1. Should your workload require version 1, that is out of scope for this KB, and we'll only be focusing on WSL version 2. What are the system requirements for WSL v2? Windows 11 Windows 10 at least version version 1903 Administrative privileges on the system For IST managed devices, EPM should be leveraged with the "High Flex" profile applied. What Distributions are available? As of May 2025, the following are available through Microsoft: AlmaLinux-8 AlmaLinux-9 AlmaLinus-Kitten-10 Debian FedoraLinux-42 SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP5 SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP6 Ubuntu Ubuntu-24.04 archlinux kali-linux openSUSE-Tumbleweed openSUSE-Leap-15.6 Ubuntu-18.04 Ubuntu-20.04 Ubuntu-22.04 OracleLinux_7_9 OracleLinux_8_7 OracleLinux_9_1 **It is possible to provide your own distribution to WSL, but that is out of scope for this KB. What are the advantages/disadvantages of WSL? Advantages: Simplified installation Shares system resources with Windows, no need to carve out dedicated resources as you would with a VM. Seamless integration with Windows, allowing to access files between Windows and Linux. Can out perform a VM in a lot of cases. Great for machine learning Disadvantages: Windows still at the core if you need/want a full Linux environment Not quite as fast as Linux on bare metal. While a Desktop Environment (GUI) is technically available on WSL, it isn't accessed natively, but rather through an RDP session to the WSL instance. Reliability has been inconsistent. What are some nuances to Linux compared to Windows? Linux commands & Files/Folders are case sensitive Pretty much all settings in Linux are stored in text files Instead of C: for the OS, the root of Linux is / Best practice is any user generated files be stored under the home folder (Example: /home/JohnDoe/YourFilesGoHere) Installing WSL To install WSL, open up Terminal in Windows 11, or Powershell in Windows 10, the following commands will be run within Terminal. To view available distributions available: wsl --list --online To install WSL with the default Ubuntu distro: wsl --install To install WSL with a specified distribution: wsl --install --distribution Example: wsl --install --distribution archlinux Upon installing, you'll see something like the screen below where it should ask for a user account and password. Alternatively, you can also install it from the Microsoft Store, as shown below. Uninstalling a WSL instance To list the installed WSL instances wsl -l To remove, run wsl with the unregister parameter wsl --unregister Example: wsl --unregister Ubuntu Alternatively, you can also remove it from the Add/Remove programs list in Windows Launching WSL There are a couple ways to launch WSL 1. From the Start menu: 2. From within Terminal: Note: If you don't see it in the Terminal menu, close Terminal, then re-launch Terminal, and it should now show up. Using WSL Command Line This is not a comprehensive list, but maybe a couple things to help get started. Please note some of these commands will be specific to Debian based distributions such as Ubuntu Elevate permissions using the sudo command (similar to Run As Administrator in Windows). Stands for "Super User Do". sudo To change directory cd Examples: cd / (changes to the root> cd /mnt (changes to the /mnt directory) cd Desktop (assuming your in the /home/JohnDoe folder already, this moves you into the Desktop subfolder) Search the package manager for installable apps apt search Example: apt search neofetch Install app from package manager sudo apt install Example: sudo apt install neofetch Browse the C: of your Windows OS within WSL (change C to your desired Windows drive letter) cd /mnt/c ls or dir (to list directory contents) You can also view the WSL filesystem from within Windows File Explorer To list running processes top To get a nicer looking version of top sudo apt install htop then run: htop To make a directory/folder mkdir Example: mkdir MyNewFolder To copy a file cp Example: cp myfile /home/JohnDoe To move a file mv Example: mv MyFile /home/JohnDoe To remove a file rm Example: rm MyFile To create a blank file touch Example: touch mynewfile To display contents of file without opening it cat Example: cat FileToShow To open a file within a text editor nano Example: nano MyFile Using Linux Apps As long as you have the appropriate video drivers for Windows installed onto your system, and are using a version 2 distro (most should be by default as of May 2025), you should be able to open most Linux apps that have a graphical user interface. **Note, depending on the app, there may be some performance limitations, and some apps make take a little bit to open. In the example shown below, after installing Audacity, typing in Audacity will launch the program, which can then be moved around like any other Windows app. Alternatively, you can also choose to launch the app from the Windows Start menu. In this case, a search of the Start menu brings it up. Setting up a Desktop Environment (GUI) ***Your mileage may vary with setting up a Desktop Environment, as it requires using Remote Desktop to connect into the GUI, which does not offer a native GUI experience.*** It is recommended to use a VM or install directly on your computer if a GUI is required, as this option has shown to not be reliable. Start by checking for new updates for installed packages for the WSL instance sudo apt update Then install the updates sudo apt upgrade -y Then install a tool called TaskSel sudo apt install tasksel -y Run TaskSel sudo tasksel Select the Desktop Environment you want to install (KDE Plasma, and Cinnamon tend to have a Windows like feel, where as Gnome will have more of a Mac feel to it) It all comes down to personal preference. Use the arrow keys move the cursor, and space bar to select/unselect the Desktop Environment (DE) you want to use. **While you can install multiple DEs, it is recommended to only use one.** Next install XRDP package sudo apt install xrdp -y Now you'll need to find the IP address of your WSL instance ip a Most of the time you'll be looking for the eth0 interface, and then the IP address (which is probably going to be a private IP) From Windows, open Remote Desktop, and enter the IP address Enter your WSL username and password,