A real Linux kernel and userland running alongside Windows — architecture, integration, and daily use.
How a Windows WSL launcher registers a rootfs, configures distribution identity and default UID, handles first run, invokes WSL APIs, and updates safely.
A forensic WSL migration guide separating Linux root-file-system contents from Windows registration, launcher identity, default user, VHD state, and secrets.
An evidence-first WSL localhost repair path covering Linux listeners, address families, NAT versus mirrored mode, forwarding, firewalls, proxies, and persistence.
A WSL systemd lifecycle guide covering user managers, linger, targets, journal evidence, environment, distro termination, Windows startup, and honest limits.
A reproducible custom-WSL workflow covering trusted rootfs creation, tar ownership, import, users, wsl.conf, systemd, networking, export, and acceptance.
A safe Windows-WSL Git credential setup using GCM's Windows helper, executable interop, helper precedence, path quoting, host scoping, tests, and cleanup.
A supported-boundary SSH workflow that delegates to Windows OpenSSH from WSL, uses the Windows agent, preserves host identity, and avoids private-key copies.
A boundary-focused guide to Hyper-V socket transport in WSL 2, service identifiers, AF_VSOCK and AF_HYPERV sides, framing, identity, lifetime, and testing.
A precise model of WSL 2 NAT and mirrored networking, localhost proxying, listener addresses, IPv4 and IPv6, firewalls, remote LAN access, and diagnosis.
How WSL ext4.vhdx allocation grows, what sparse mode and discard can reclaim, why deletion is not compaction, and how to back up, change, and verify safely.