bodyshop/_reference/dockerreadme.md

Setting up External Networking and Static IP for WSL2 using Hyper-V

This guide will walk you through the steps to configure your WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) instance to use an external Hyper-V virtual switch, enabling it to connect directly to your local network. Additionally, you'll learn how to assign a static IP address to your WSL2 instance.

Prerequisites

1. Windows 10/11 with WSL2 installed.
2. Hyper-V enabled on your system. If not, follow these steps to enable it:

• Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

  dism.exe /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V
  

• Restart your computer.

3. A basic understanding of networking and WSL2 configuration.

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Step 1: Create an External Hyper-V Switch

1. Open Hyper-V Manager:

• Press Windows Key + X, select Hyper-V Manager.

2. Create a Virtual Switch:

• In the right-hand pane, click Virtual Switch Manager.
• Choose External and click Create Virtual Switch.
• Select your external network adapter (this is usually your Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter).
• Give the switch a name (e.g., WSL External Switch), then click Apply and OK.

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Step 2: Configure WSL2 to Use the External Hyper-V Switch

Now that you've created the external virtual switch, follow these steps to configure your WSL2 instance to use this switch.

1. Set WSL2 to Use the External Switch:

• By default, WSL2 uses NAT to connect to your local network. You need to configure WSL2 to use the external Hyper-V switch instead.

2. Check WSL2 Networking:

• Inside WSL, run:

  ip a
  

• You should see an IP address in the range of your local network (e.g., 192.168.x.x).

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Step 3: Configure a Static IP Address for WSL2

Once WSL2 is connected to the external network, you can assign a static IP address to your WSL2 instance.

1. Open WSL2 and Edit the Network Configuration:

• Depending on your Linux distribution, the file paths may vary, but typically for Ubuntu-based systems:

  sudo nano /etc/netplan/01-netcfg.yaml
  

• If this file doesn’t exist, create a new file or use the correct configuration file path.

2. Configure Static IP:

• Add or update the following configuration:

  network:
    version: 2
    renderer: networkd
    ethernets:
      eth0:
        dhcp4: no
        addresses:
          - 192.168.1.100/24  # Choose an IP address in your network range
        gateway4: 192.168.1.1  # Your router's IP address
        nameservers:
          addresses:
            - 8.8.8.8
            - 8.8.4.4
  

• Adjust the values according to your local network settings:
  • addresses: This is the static IP you want to assign.
  • gateway4: This should be the IP address of your router.
  • nameservers: These are DNS servers, you can use Google's public DNS or any other DNS provider.

3. Apply the Changes:

• Run the following command to apply the network configuration:

  sudo netplan apply
  

4. Verify the Static IP:

• Check if the static IP is correctly set by running:

  ip a
  

• You should see the static IP you configured (e.g., 192.168.1.100) on the appropriate network interface (usually eth0).

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Step 4: Restart WSL2 to Apply Changes

To ensure the changes are fully applied, restart WSL2:

1. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

   wsl --shutdown
   

2. Then, start your WSL2 instance again.

Step 5: Verify Connectivity

1. Check Internet and Local Network Connectivity:
   • Run a ping command from within WSL to verify that it can reach the internet: ping 8.8.8.8
2. Test Access from other Devices:
   • If you're running services inside WSL (e.g., a web server), ensure they are accessible from other devices on your local network using the static IP address you configured (e.g., http://192.168.1.100:4000).

Step 6: Configuring vm.overcommit_memory in sysctl for WSL2

To prevent memory overcommitment issues and optimize performance, you can configure the vm.overcommit_memory setting in WSL2. This is particularly useful when running Redis or other memory-intensive services inside WSL2, as it helps control how the Linux kernel handles memory allocation.

1. Open the sysctl Configuration File:

To set the vm.overcommit_memory value, you'll need to edit the sysctl configuration file. Inside your WSL2 instance, run the following command to open the sysctl.conf file for editing:

   sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

2. Add the Overcommit Memory Setting:

Add the following line at the end of the file to allow memory overcommitment:

vm.overcommit_memory = 1

This setting tells the Linux kernel to always allow memory allocation, regardless of how much memory is available, which can prevent out-of-memory errors when running certain applications.

3. Apply the Changes:

After editing the file, save it and then apply the new sysctl configuration by running:

sudo sysctl -p