One of the biggest signs of Microsoft's “love” for Linux is Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), the technology that allows the use of Open Source system distributions within Windows 10. Although at first, it focused on the execution of console programs, has evolved to support graphics applications and the DirectX 12 API.
Beyond the debates and reluctance that WSL arouses, the reality is that it is one of Microsoft's biggest bets for developers, especially since Linux shows great strength in areas such as servers and Artificial Intelligence. This has translated into a constant improvement of WSL, which in Windows Insider Preview Build 20150 has included GPU computing support in Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA and has facilitated its installation and update.
On GPU computing, the latest WSL update for Windows Insider Preview incorporates support for CUDA, NVIDIA's popular parallel computing platform. In addition, WSL "will also support DirectML (a low-level API for Machine Learning supported by DirectX 12), allowing students and beginners to use hardware acceleration on all Windows hardware on AMD, Intel, and GPUs. NVIDIA ”. Having the latest previous version of Insider (counting from the date of this entry), the updated Linux kernel and the correct driver installed are requirements to be able to use the GPU computing capabilities of Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Microsoft is working to make WSL easier to use. Windows Insider Preview Build 20150 users will be able to install it with the following command, which is new: 'wsl.exe –install'. This possibility will only be available on computers "that do not have the optional component 'Windows Subsystem for Linux' enabled. In this initial release, this command will enable the optional component of Windows Subsystem for Linux, as well as the optional component of the virtual machine platform, and will ask the host machine to be restarted. ”The company plans to add support for installing distributions using the same command, and distributions that support WSL 2 will be the default in any new WSL installation.
“The Linux kernel used by the WSL 2 distributions is now delivered through Microsoft Update. For almost all WSL users, this means that your Linux kernel will be kept up to date automatically like any other component on your machine. These updates can be seen within the 'Windows Update' page in Windows Settings. ” In addition, Microsoft offers the command 'wsl.exe –update' more precise control of the versions of the Linux kernel used within WSL, with the possibility of reverting to previous versions with 'wsl.exe –update –rollback'.
Windows Subsystem for Linux is a component mainly focused on developers who implement or deploy what they develop on Linux systems, needing the Open Source system to cover some areas. Microsoft's intention with this technology is to retain developers who use Windows as a platform.
 adds GPU computing and makes it easy to install and upgrade){kind=link}
0 Comments