Linux on Windows......Windows on Linux

WSL 2 turns a Windows PC into a multi-distro Linux workstation—running Ubuntu and Kali Linux side by side—while letting Linux and Windows commands, files, GUI apps, Docker containers, and even GPU access work together. The practical payoff is speed and convenience: install Linux once, then use Linux tooling (including security and networking utilities) without leaving Windows, and still reach Windows drives and apps from the Linux environment.

Getting there starts with requirements. WSL 2 needs a 64-bit processor (x86_64) and supports ARM, with at least 4GB of RAM recommended and 16GB suggested for a smoother experience. Virtualization must be enabled in BIOS/UEFI—Intel systems look for Intel VTX, while AMD systems look for AMD-V—because WSL 2 relies on lightweight virtual machines.

On the Windows side, Windows 11 is positioned as the best match, while Windows 10 remains supported only if it’s on build 19041 or higher. After confirming the Windows version, the install itself is straightforward: open Windows Terminal with admin privileges and run the single command `wsl --install`. That command enables the necessary platform service, installs the default Linux distribution (Ubuntu in this walkthrough), and then prompts a reboot. After restart, Linux asks for a username and password, and the user can enter and exit the environment using the terminal or `wsl -d <distro>`.

Adding more distros is done two ways: from the command line with `wsl --list --online` and `wsl --install <distro>`, or through the Microsoft Store for a smoother experience—especially for Kali Linux. Once both Ubuntu and Kali are running, Kali starts minimal, but `cali-tweaks` can install a curated set of tools (the transcript highlights “top 10 tools”).

A key theme is interoperability. From Linux, Windows commands can be invoked—`ipconfig` runs inside Linux, Windows Notepad can open files via an `.exe` call, and Windows Explorer can be launched with `explorer.exe .` to browse the current Linux directory. The reverse works too: in PowerShell, Windows `ipconfig` output can be piped into Linux commands like `grep` (invoked as `wsl grep ...`), and Linux file tools like `cat` can read files from the Windows side.

The walkthrough also demonstrates real tooling. SpiderFoot, an open-source OSINT tool, is installed and run inside WSL, then served via a local web server on port 5001 and accessed at `localhost:5001`. A scan against a named target returns personal data, underscoring how easily public and brokered information can be aggregated.

Beyond the command line, WSL 2 supports GUI apps through WSLG: installing and launching Wireshark from Ubuntu opens a graphical interface inside Windows. Kali also uses a Windows integration tool (Winex) to run full GUI apps. For development, VS Code connects to WSL directly via the WSL extension, and Docker can run containers inside WSL—either by installing Docker Engine from the terminal or using Docker Desktop configured to use WSL 2.

Finally, the transcript goes deeper into management and configuration. WSL commands can list distros, shut down all instances (`wsl --shutdown`), terminate a specific distro (`wsl --terminate <distro>`), set a default distro, and unregister (remove) a distro. It also shows how to access Windows drives from Linux (`/mnt/c/...`) and how to mirror networking mode by editing WSL config files—switching from NAT to mirrored mode and noting an “eight second rule” for changes to take effect. For portability, WSL instances can be backed up with `wsl --export` to a tar file and restored on another machine with `wsl --import`, including specifying the user on first connection.