Microsoft and Canonical have teamed up to add systemd support to the Windows Subsystem for Linux, allowing a larger number of compatible apps to be installed.

systemd is a Linux software application that acts as the system and service manager for initializing daemons/services during the bootup of the operating system. Systemd also supports tools that allow Linux admins to easily manage and control these services after they have been started.

As WSL currently uses init as the system and services manager, Linux applications that require systemd, such as Snap, microk8s (Kubernetes), and systemctl, do not work correctly.

WSL now supports systemd
Yesterday, Microsoft and Canonical announced that the latest preview version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 11 Insider builds now supports systemd, allowing you to install applications that require the service manager.

“Supporting systemd required changes to the WSL architecture. As systemd requires PID 1, the WSL init process started within the Linux distribution becomes a child process of the systemd,” explained Microsoft’s Craig Loewen in a new announcement.

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) was an integrated virtual version of Linux within Windows.

A new version of WSL is on the way, and for some people, it’s going to change everything!

Since Linux operates natively within Windows, you can launch a Bash terminal from the start menu, and access your Linux subsystem in a matter of moments.

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) comes with an actual Linux kernel. Previously, Windows created an emulation of what the kernel does, and while it was highly optimized, it still wasn’t as good as the real thing.

The difference the kernel is going to make will be huge. According to Microsoft, there is a 20x increase in speed between WSL 1 and 2. Even if this turns out to be somewhat exaggerated, it will still be an incredible difference.

Practical applications for this include running server solutions like Docker in a native Linux environment. This is a great benefit when developing for a remote Linux server.

WSL 2 will work hand-in-hand with another highly anticipated Microsoft project: the new Windows Terminal.

Designed as a complete reboot of using the command line on windows, Terminal’s design is cross-platform by nature.

As well as running hybrid tasks within a single terminal window, the ability to use Powershell for Windows and Bash for Linux in different tabs of the same terminal

Learn how to install Windows 10 on your Linux machine using the bundled license key on preassembled systems, and get tips on how to reduce the amount of system resources Windows uses.

Microsoft’s open-source tool should make it easier to run distros on Windows 10′s Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Microsoft and Canonical’s relationship is getting closer besides Ubuntu for Windows. Azure will soon be offering more customized Ubuntu containers with a MS optimized kernel. Uname -r will show 4.11.0-1011-azure for Ubuntu cloud based 16.04 LTS. If you want the non MS kernel you can still use it on Azure by typing:
$ sudo apt install linux-virtual linux-cloud-tools-virtual
$ sudo apt purge linux*azure
$ sudo reboot

Canonical & Microsoft make Azure-tailored Linux kernel
https://www.neowin.net/news/canonical–microsoft-make-azure-tailored-linux-kernel

With a growing number of cyber-attacks and the frequent news headlines on database breaches, spyware and ransomware, quality security products have become a commodity in every business organization. Consequently a lot of thought is being invested in devising an appropriate information security strategy to combat these breaches and providing the best solutions possible.

We have recently found a new and alarming method that allows any known malware to bypass even the most common security solutions, such as next generation anti-viruses, inspection tools, and anti-ransomware. This technique, dubbed Bashware, leverages a new Windows 10 feature called Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which recently exited Beta and is now a fully supported Windows feature.

This feature makes the popular bash terminal available for Windows OS users, and in so doing, enables users to natively run Linux operating system executables on the Windows operating system.

Existing security solutions are still not adapted to monitor processes of Linux executables running on Windows OS, a hybrid concept which allows a combination of Linux and Windows systems to run at the same time. This may open a door for cyber criminals wishing to run their malicious code undetected, and allow them to use the features provided by WSL to hide from security products that have not yet integrated the proper detection mechanisms

Ubuntu is now available for download on the Windows Store
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/10/15949096/ubuntu-windows-10-store-linux-distro-sandbox-available-now

Microsoft announced at its Build 2017 developer conference earlier this year that Ubuntu would be heading to the Windows Store, and now the popular Linux distro is available to download.

Ubuntu — like SUSE Linux and Fedora, the other two forthcoming Linux distros heading to the store — runs in a sandbox alongside Windows 10, and offers regular command-line utilities as a standalone installation, with shared access to files and hardware with Windows 10.

In order to install Ubuntu, users will have to navigate to Control Panel (not the newer Windows 10 Settings app) and select the “Turn Windows features on or off” menu. There, you’ll be able to select the “Windows Subsystem for Linux,” which will allow Ubuntu to work following a reboot.

Ubuntu
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/p/ubuntu/9nblggh4msv6?ranMID=24542&ranEAID=TnL5HPStwNw&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-zJSg_iUTo7C1oYAdUQxfVw&tduid=(f494d488cb302b13dd2f44552eca92b0)(256380)(2459594)(TnL5HPStwNw-zJSg_iUTo7C1oYAdUQxfVw)()

Ubuntu on Windows allows one to use Ubuntu Terminal and run Ubuntu command line utilities including bash, ssh, git, apt and many more. To use this feature, one first needs to use “Turn Windows features on or off” and select “Windows Subsystem for Linux”, click OK, reboot, and use this app.