Preview Release Notice: This is a Preview Release of CompleteFTP for Linux. It includes all Enterprise MFT features and is suitable for evaluation and integration use. The production release is due in September, 2025.

Enabling Linux Services on WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

Introduction

To run services like systemd on WSL, you need to ensure that your WSL environment is correctly configured. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for enabling Linux services on WSL.

Prerequisites

Windows 10 (version 2004 and higher) or Windows 11
WSL 2 installed and set as the default version
Administrative privileges to update WSL and edit configuration files

Step 1: Update WSL

Ensure your WSL installation is up to date to enable full systemd support.

Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as Administrator.
Run the following command to update WSL:
```
wsl --update
```

Step 2: Verify WSL Version

Ensure that your Linux distribution is using WSL 2, as systemd support is only available in WSL 2.

Check the version of your WSL distributions:
```
wsl --list --verbose
```
If your distribution is not using WSL 2, upgrade it:
```
wsl --set-version <DistroName> 2
```
Replace <DistroName> with the name of your Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu).

Step 3: Enable Systemd

Enable systemd to manage Linux services within WSL.

Open your Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu) in WSL.
Edit the WSL configuration file:
```
sudo nano /etc/wsl.conf
```
Add the following lines:
```
[boot]
systemd=true
```
Save and close the file (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X).
Restart WSL to apply the changes:
```
wsl --shutdown
```
Then reopen your Linux distribution.

Step 4: Verify Systemd is Enabled

Confirm that systemd is active in your WSL distribution.

Run the following command to check the status of systemd:
```
systemctl --version
```
If the command outputs the systemd version, it is successfully enabled.

Troubleshooting

Error: `systemctl: command not found`

Ensure you have edited the /etc/wsl.conf file correctly and added the [boot] section with systemd=true.
Restart WSL with:
```
wsl --shutdown
```