Disabling Side Channel Mitigations in Windows 10 VM with WSL-2 and Workstation (Version 17.0.2 build-21581411)

Enabling WSL-2 on Windows 10 VMWare Workstation (Version 17.0.2 build-21581411) to Run Virtual Machines with Side Channel Mitigations Disabled

Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2 (WSL-2) is a significant improvement over its predecessor, WSL-1. WSL-2 offers better performance, a real Linux kernel, and full system call compatibility. However, enabling WSL-2 on a Windows 10 VMWare Workstation can be a challenge, especially when you want to run virtual machines with side channel mitigations disabled.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that your system meets the following requirements:

• A 64-bit Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition
• VMWare Workstation 17.0.2 build-21581411 or later
• Hyper-V and Containers features enabled

Enabling WSL-2 on Windows 10 VMWare Workstation

To enable WSL-2 on Windows 10 VMWare Workstation, follow these steps:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the following command to enable the WSL-2 optional component:

2. Next, run the following command to enable the Virtual Machine Platform optional component:

3. Set WSL-2 as the default version by running the following command:

Disabling Side Channel Mitigations

To disable side channel mitigations, you need to modify the VMWare Workstation configuration. Follow these steps:

1. Open the VMWare Workstation configuration file (.vmx) in a text editor.
2. Add the following lines to the configuration file:

Creating a WSL-2 VM on VMWare Workstation

After enabling WSL-2 and disabling side channel mitigations, you can create a new VM on VMWare Workstation. Follow these steps:

1. Create a new VM and select the Linux distribution you want to use.
2. On the "Customize Hardware" screen, increase the number of virtual CPUs and the amount of memory to match your host system's resources.
3. On the "Network Adapter" screen, select "Bridged: Connected directly to the physical network" as the network connection type.
4. On the "SCSI Controller" screen, select "LSI Logic SAS" as the SCSI controller type.
5. On the "Virtual Disk" screen, select "Create a new virtual disk" and configure the disk size and storage location.
6. Complete the VM creation process and start the VM.

• Ensure your system meets the prerequisites
• Enable WSL-2 and Virtual Machine Platform optional components
• Disable side channel mitigations in the VMWare Workstation configuration file
• Create a new VM with increased virtual CPU and memory resources
• Configure the network connection type and SCSI controller type
• Create a new virtual disk and complete the VM creation process

References

• VMWare Workstation Documentation:
• Microsoft WSL-2 Documentation: