WSL2 Support

The only officially supported operating system for the host machine is Ubuntu. MacOS support coming soon.

If you are using Windows exclusively and wish to test KIRA without dedicated hardware, you can utilize the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Please note that all commands suggested in this document are executed at your own risk.

Console Setup

Ensure you install the Git Bash console before proceeding. All commands in this documentation must be executed using Git Bash with administrative privileges.

Initial Setup

Run the following commands to install and configure WSL on your system:

# Install WSL
wsl --install

# Ensure WSL is up to date
wsl --update

# Verify that your WSL version is 1.1.6.0 or higher (required for systemd services)
wsl --version

# Reinstall Ubuntu
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-20.04 && \
  wsl --setdefault Ubuntu-20.04 && \
  wsl --set-version Ubuntu-20.04 2

Updating Ubuntu Image

Follow these steps to update your Ubuntu instance:

Open the Ubuntu OS with the following command (replace <username> with your desired username):
```
wsl -d Ubuntu-20.04 --user <username> --cd ~
```

Configure WSL to use your default user and enable systemd:

sudo tee -a /etc/wsl.conf <<EOF
[user]
default=<username>
[boot]
systemd=true
EOF

Update your Ubuntu instance:
```
sudo apt-get update -y --fix-missing
```
Exit Ubuntu and return to the Git Bash console:
```
exit
```

Creating a Base Image for Recovery

To create a base image of your setup for easy recovery:

Create a directory to save the image:
```
mkdir -p /c/linux
```

Export the base image:

cd /c/linux && wsl --export Ubuntu-20.04 ubuntu-base-20.04.tar

Recovering or Copying a Backup Base Image

To restore or create a new WSL instance from the base image:

Import the base image as a new "kira" VM:

wsl --import kira /c/linux/kira /c/linux/ubuntu-base-20.04.tar

Delete and recreate the "kira" VM if needed:

wsl --terminate kira || echo "WARNING: Could NOT terminate kira VM" && \
  wsl --unregister kira || echo "WARNING: Could NOT unregister kira VM" && \
  rm -rfv /c/linux/kira && \
  wsl --import kira /c/linux/kira /c/linux/ubuntu-base-20.04.tar && \
  echo "success" || echo "failure"

Entering the Virtual Machine

To start and enter the virtual machine:

Stop the VM if it is already running:
```
wsl --terminate kira
```
Start the VM and replace <username> with your default username:
```
wsl -d kira --user <username> --cd ~
```
Once inside the VM, enter sudo mode and navigate to the /tmp folder to start installing KIRA:
```
sudo -s
cd /tmp
```
Exit the VM as needed:
```
exit
```

Console Setup​

Initial Setup​

Updating Ubuntu Image​

Creating a Base Image for Recovery​

Recovering or Copying a Backup Base Image​

Entering the Virtual Machine​