Enterprise Linux enthusiasts and developers alike have something exciting to look forward to: Red Hat officially joins Microsoft’s Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) family.
In the coming months, RHEL will become an official WSL distribution, making it easier for users to install and discover through commands like wsl --list --online and wsl --install.
Moreover, Red Hat’s upcoming release will be delivered using a brand-new tar-based WSL distro architecture. This new approach, which allows distributions to be packaged and installed without needing to write Windows-specific code, has been developed with substantial feedback from the Red Hat team.
As Ron Pacheco, Senior Director of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Ecosystem, explained,
Red Hat is committed to driving greater choice and flexibility for developers, which is why we’re working closely with the Microsoft team to bring RHEL, the largest commercially available open-source Linux distribution, to all WSL users.
The new tar-based architecture aims to simplify the process of creating WSL distributions. Previously, developers had to package a .tar file into an .appxbundle and write Windows-specific code to set up users and distribute via the Microsoft Store.
Now, the process is much more streamlinedโyou start with the “.tar” file (which could even be an exported Linux container) and add an “/etc/wsl-distribution.conf” file. This configuration file can contain options like default distro names, icons, and commands for the out-of-box experience.
Furthermore, the new format also opens up the possibility of Linux-based or even Windows-based OOBE configurations, allowing end users to customize their systems greatly.
So, what does this mean for WSL users? The new architecture brings some exciting features that developers and enterprise users eagerly await. One key advantage is automating the WSL distro setup more easily, enabling commands to run before user creation.
Moreover, error messages have been improved for clearer troubleshooting, and users can now set the WSL distro name and install location directly, even installing onto separate hard drives with new options like wsl --install --name and --location.
However, while the new tar-based architecture will soon become the default experience, Microsoft has no immediate plans to deprecate the appx-based setup. Existing users will not be forced to migrate, and current distributions will continue to be supported.
Lastly, Microsoft has also taken steps to improve the user experience for newcomers to WSL. Based on feedback from users unfamiliar with Linux, the new WSL release features an enhanced getting-started experience.
In light of this, when users run their first WSL distribution, they will now see the terminal window and a friendly introduction to WSL, complete with feature overviews and helpful links to deeper documentation.
For more information on all new WSL features, refer to Microsoft’s announcement. Red Hat’s one is here.
