If you want to run the latest Fedora distribution on WSL2 but you also want to make sure you are using the absolute newest rolling mainstream Linux kernel for development purposes, you will need to compile it manually. I move around and browse around the web for long time, and usually I will look at WSL2 MS repository here. MS itself only use stable kernel not the mainstream or rolling kernel, and some of the new kernel feature aren’t available yet in the WSL2 officially.

Then one day, I stumbled upon one repository, from a community, that provide that image prebuild and publish it in github repository using GH-CI. The repo itself is WSL2-Linux-Kernel-Rolling. I began rushing to download the kernel, from the release page then attach it directly to my .wslconfig. It’s the first time ever I have rolling kernel in my WSL2 Fedora. I just feel happy about it.

The step itself is very straight forward, download the bzImage-x86_64, open WSL config/setting, go to developer, then custom kernel, and fill with full path of the kernel you just download into the input. See the image below.

Save any work you has in the WSL, then after that, just open win+r (or run), put wsl to shutdown `wsl –shutdown`. After shutting down, try to boot up once more, and check `uname -a`. It should present you with latest kernel you just map to the WSL2. Very simple, and straight forward. I also seen latest version 7.1.1 now include ZFS when being built (here).

It’s useful to have rolling release in hand, where MS build still in 6.18 LTS. LTS is good, but more option make it great. Are you running into any dependency errors while launching Fedora with this kernel? What specific features in the latest rolling Linux kernel made you want to upgrade your WSL2 environment? Drop your use case in the comments!