Windows Subsystem for Linux Debian

[Richmond]

I have Debian 11 on Windows Subsystem for Linux, but it is using a
version 4 kernel. (I have established that it is debian 11 by looking in
/etc/issue, and /etc/apt/sources). The Kernel says it is Microsoft:

4.4.0-19041-Microsoft #2311-Microsoft

So I guess this is not really a kernel? as the version is a Windows
version number, although I am on Windows 19045.2604.

Who supports Debian 11 for WSL? It is in the Microsoft Store. Why is it
on version 4 kernel?

[John Hasler]

Richmond writes:
> Who supports Debian 11 for WSL? It is in the Microsoft Store. Why is
> it on version 4 kernel?

No one here knows what changes Microsoft made in the process of
producing WSL or why they made them. Ask Microsoft.
--
John Hasler
jo...@sugarbit.com
Elmwood, WI USA

[didier gaumet]

Hello,

Warning: I do not use WSL1/WSL2
but I would say that your Debian was installed as a WSL1 distro
(typical 4.4 pseudo linux kernel (translator, sort of)) and you could
migrate it to WSL2 (5.15 kernel presently, in a Hyper-V VM).
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/compare-versions
https://superuser.com/questions/1628023/check-wsl-version-1-or-2-inside-the-linux-installation
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/kernel-release-notes

[Andrew M.A. Cater]

The kernel version *is* provided by Microsoft - it has been engineered by them
to work with Windows.

Having just updated a Windows 10 laptop - there was a wsl.exe update to
install.

The WSL version I had installed was from the Microsoft store as version 1.0
After the latest update today 20230307: wsl.exe --version reports

WSL version: 1.1.3.0
Kernel version: 5.15.90.1
WSLg version: 1.0.49
MSRDC version: 1.2.3770
Direct3D version: 1.608.2-61064218
DXCore version: 10.0.25131.1002-220531-1700.rs-onecore-base2-hyp
Windows version: 10.0.19045.2546

Essentially, as you do your updates so updated kernels get posted as part
of Windows Update from Microsoft.

Hope this helps,

Andy Cater

[Richmond]

It seems I had not upgraded to WSL2. I thought I had. Now I have done
that I am on the right kernel.

5.15.90.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2 #1