Installation on Windows with WSL2

The goal of this project is to exemplify my research on digital twins. All concepts presented and formalized in the paper:

XLaunch for Windows

This step is required if you do not want to use xhost on WSL2

Download the VcXsrv X Server for Windows. Start the application with following configuration:

  1. First Screen: Multiple Windows
  2. Second Screen: Start no client
  3. Third Screen: Deactivate “Native opengl”
  4. Fourth Screen: Start

Build new Windows WSL2 Kernel

WSL2 Kernel can be found on the official WSL2 Linux Kernel GitHub page.

uname -r

# Possible Output: 
5.10.102.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2


sudo apt install -y wget unzip build-essential flex bison libssl-dev libelf-dev dwarves xorg i2c-tools git curl

wget https://github.com/microsoft/WSL2-Linux-Kernel/releases/tag/linux-msft-wsl-5.10.102.1.zip
unzip linux-msft-wsl-5.10.102.1.zip

cp ./Microsoft/config-wsl .config

# ALTERNATIVE 1 (activate the modules via GUI):
make menuconfig

# ALTERNATIVE 2 (write the modules to file):
echo CONFIG_GPIOLIB=y >> .config
echo CONFIG_GPIO_SYSFS=y >> .config 
echo CONFIG_GPIO_CDEV=y >> .config
echo CONFIG_GPIO_CDEV_V1=y >> .config
echo CONFIG_GPIO_MOCKUP=m >> .config   
echo CONFIG_I2C_CHARDEV=m >> .config
echo CONFIG_I2C_STUB=m >> .config


make KCONFIG_CONFIG=.config -j $NumberOfCores# if you have 4 cores, just type 4 (the more the better)

Activate new WSL2 Kernel:

Create a folder where you will copy the Kernel from the WSL2 VM to Windows, for example C:\WSLKernel. Then go back to your Linux console and copy the bzImage and shutdown the WSL2 VM:

# IN WSL:
cp arch/x86/boot/bzImage /mnt/c/WSLKernel

# SHUTDOWN WSL2 VIA POWERSHELL
wsl --shutdown

Back on Windows you know have to copy the bzImage to the kernel folder C:\Windows\System32\lxss\tools Then rename the kernel file to kernel.old, do not delete it! If something went wrong, you can just restore the old working kernel.

After you copied the bzImage into the folder, rename bzImage to kernel. Afterwards, start Ubuntu again and go into the WSL2 Kernel folder from the privious steps and install the modules via:

make modules_install

If you built and installed the new kernel properly, you should now be able to activate GPIO and I2C.