WSLInstall

Install any GNU/Linux distribution userspace in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with compressed RootFS tarballs 📦 (tar.gz) or with Docker containers 🐳 or with ISO files 💿

Build

Clone this GitHub repository with this link https://github.com/Biswa96/WSLInstall.git . Use MSBuild (or mingw-w64) to make executable file from project file(.vcxproj). Or use the makefile in WslFunctions folder. The project file only provides x64-Release version.

How to use

WslInstall: Installs GNU/Linux distributions

First make a folder where you want to install that distribution, that may be any partition of internal drives only. External drives are not supported now.
Place both WslInstall.exe and {distribution}.tar.gz files in that same folder.
Open command prompt in that folder and type the command like this: WslInstall.exe <distro_name> <distribution.tar.gz>. Always put a space between the two command arguments like between <distro_name> and <distribution.tar.gz>.
After some seconds, that distribution will be installed. Confirm it with wslconfig.exe /list /all command. Also you may see a rootfs folder in that directory where you want to install.

WsAttrb: Add NTFS extended attributes

With WslAttrb you can add DRVFS metadata without mounting Windows partitions in WSL. Also it tries to fix if you accidentally edit/move Linux root files from Windows. You have to use absolute file path. For example, if you installed distro in C:\foo\bar and you want to fix /bin/bash then you have to use this command: WslAttrb.exe -s C:\foo\bar\rootfs\bin\bash.

The command options are:

Usage: WslAttrb.exe [-] [option] [filepath]
Configure LXSS attributes in WSL with user permission
Options:
-a: <path>                    add DRVFS metadata i.e. UID, GID, MODE. 
-c: <source> <destination>    copy attributes from <source> to <destination>. 
-g: <path>                    get attributes. 
-s: <path>                    set attributes or fix the file.

How does it work

WslInstall: In the source code, the main function imports the WslRegisterDistribution function from wslapi.dll file. Then it passes the provided two commandline arguments in distroName and in tarGzFilename string parameters of that function respectively and the imported function installs that distribution. See details of WSL Functions and WSL_DISTRIBUTION_FLAGS.
WslAttrb: This adds LXATTRB extended attribute to fix the WSL files to be visible in Linux world. Also this configures three other DRVFS extended attributes viz. $LXUID, $LXGID and $LXMOD simultaneously.

This is only for testing purposes. See list of distributions that can be added in WSL and how to make RootFS tar.gz for further details. More features will come in future 😉

Other repositories

License

This project is licensed under GNU General Public License v3 or higher. See LICENSE for more details. You are free to study, change, modify the source code and make your own version and publish that.

Licanux / WSLInstall