WSL2 - config option to NOT rebuild networking

[luxzg]

Please consider and then reconsider again, a simple option that allows end users to tell Windows to stop reconfiguring / rebuilding WSL2 networking back to factory defaults.

We get it that this helps people that don't know how to use Windows by preventing them to mess everything up, and so and so. So make it optional. Just a simple on/off switch option

Default setting: ON

• Everything keeps working as now

Option: OFF

• When user sets this to OFF, and then does something weird with networking, and reboots PC, everything stays as it was before reboot

I'm not gonna say what it would solve, as it will be promptly set as duplicate and closed. This is not duplicate. It is a feature request. It is NOT feature request to change networking stack. Keep it. This is request to stop recreating adapters after reboot if we choose to ignore the warnings.

Should be simple to implement, just stop the processes that re-do everything.

Of course, if WSL2 is disabled completely (uninstalled) and then turned back on (installed), let the wizard do it's thing as usual. Because that on/off switch will be reset to zero during deinstallation anyway.

EDIT:
Due to possible misunderstanding, I am adding this edit to further explain the proposed functionality.

WSL2 is built on Hyper-V foundation, and as such uses Hyper-V networking stack. During development the Team elected to use one of the many options available under Hyper-V Virtual Networking stack, as a most suitable option for general usage by Windows 10's 1 billion worldwide userbase.

But due to wide range of usage cases of WSL2 not all of it is covered by default network options. Thus, many users would still welcome an option to set different options, to allow their specific usage case.

Range of settings is quite wide, from setting network adapter as External in Hyper-V VSwitch, sharing adapter with other VMs and other WSL2 instances, setting VLAN IDs, and all those other options that are either in Hyper-V networking stack (virtual switch, virtual adapters, and all related settings) or are in general networking stack (IP addresses, IPv6, DHCP, and so on and on).

Current default is highly agressive and literally DESTRUCTIVE towards those settings on each reboot. Any settings at all that are tweaked (in Hyper-V VSwitch, or Windows 10 networking) are destructively erased, and overwritten by factory default settings, which actually causes issues, even though it was meant to fix issues.

So to allow advanced users to set all their desired settings, an OPTIONAL FEATURE should exist that gives option to STOP the automatic factory reset of networking stack on each PC reboot.

As described above, this would be simple 1/0 switch, with one option being default (and system would function as it does currently), while other option would stop the network reset/rebuild, and in turn allow custom settings which would otherwise be overwritten.

[therealkenc]

This is request to stop recreating adapters after reboot if we choose to ignore the warnings.

Due to lack of specificity regarding "mess everything up, and so an so", have to speculate you are suggesting a potential solution to #4467 #4210. Namely: "just stop the processes that re-do everything". Such feedback is always welcome in the those issues.

[luxzg]

This is an option, and even though it would solve mentioned issues, it would also solve dozen more issues. But even more so, it would ENABLE people freedom to use whatever combinations of network settings they like. This is NOT just an issue-workaround. This is a legit OPTION request.

I know you guys like putting everything into same bucket, but this one shouldn't be pushed to an "issue" bucket.

Again this is a feature request for an option to be added.

Microsoft Windows is OS we use because it has options and allows wide user customizations, therefore being flexible and loved by it's users.

To pull an example - if Windows was still locked to 4GB it would be useless. While you can say adding 64GB RAM is a "workaround" for "low memory issue" it is still deemed to be a FEATURE of 64bit OS. Likewise, the above requested FEATURE would solve many issues, but it would still be a FEATURE.

You can mark it as duplicate of #4210 /
#4601 / #4467 / #4150 / #4305 , and even #4821 , and dozen others. But it still is a feature request and not a bug/issue report.

If you want me to edit the initial request with more elaborate description, please say so, I can write a way longer post with pictures and examples when I get back to my PC. Edit: added more info in initial post. If more info is needed please let me know.

[luxzg]

Due to lack of specificity regarding "mess everything up, and so an so"

This sentence was taken out of context. The feature that rebuilds networking was (I am assuming) made to fix non-standard settings that may lead to issues. Kind of like Windows will self-repair broken dlls in system directory. So specifying "mess everything up, and so an so" is not meant as bug report, it was clearly a generalization of "the network rebuild/factory reset" functionality. But let me rephrase...

"We get it that rebuilding faulty networking stack helps some people (that don't know how to use advanced Windows features) by preventing them to set potentially incompatible settings (which can mess everything up for them, with wide range of possible issuew). So make it optional, because some advanced users know how to use advanced Windows features, and thus this option can allow them to choose a different setting from factory default, that is still functional for their specific usage case, and by consciously setting the proposed option, they are essentially confirming that they know what they are doing, and they know that they can always revert back to safe defaults by switching this proposed option back to default setting.

Hope this clarifies "so and so".

[therealkenc]

If you want me to edit the initial request with more elaborate description

No, your suggestion that #4467 can be solved simply by "just stop[ing] the processes that re-do everything" optionally is sufficient. Thank-you for the feedback.

[ghost]

After installing Windows 10 2004 to get WSL2 i see that everything I've done is useless since i cannot bind any IP address.

In the docs you should state in bold that WSL2 have a dynamic IP address, so people wouldn't loose their time.

Thanks anyway, when you resolve this issue would be a great update, meanwhile i go back to WSL 1.