WSL FAQ

This guide covers common WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) issues and their solutions for the Data Engineering Zoomcamp.

Table of contents

1. Docker-Related Issues
   1. WSL Docker directory permissions error with initdb
2. System & Resource Issues
   1. WSL integration error with exit code 1
   2. Insufficient system resources error
3. SSH & Networking Issues
   1. WSL SSH permissions too open
   2. Could not resolve host name error

Docker-Related Issues

WSL Docker directory permissions error with initdb

Problem: Permission conflicts when running Docker containers with databases like PostgreSQL.

Root Cause: WSL and Windows manage permissions differently, causing conflicts when using the Windows file system rather than the WSL file system.

Solution: Use Docker volumes instead of bind mounts. This approach:

• Stores persistent data properly without file transfer conflicts
• Eliminates permission issues between WSL and Windows
• Provides better volume management
• Note: The user: parameter is not necessary when using Docker volumes, but is required for local drive mounts

Example docker-compose.yaml:

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: postgres
    user: "0:0"
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
      - POSTGRES_DB=ny_taxi
    volumes:
      - "pg-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data"
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"
    networks:
      - pg-network

  pgadmin:
    image: dpage/pgadmin4
    container_name: pgadmin
    user: "${UID}:${GID}"
    environment:
      - PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL=email@some-site.com
      - PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD=pgadmin
    volumes:
      - "pg-admin:/var/lib/pgadmin"
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    networks:
      - pg-network

networks:
  pg-network:
    name: pg-network

volumes:
  pg-data:
    name: ingest_pgdata
  pg-admin:
    name: ingest_pgadmin

System & Resource Issues

WSL integration error with exit code 1

Problem: “WSL integration with distro Ubuntu unexpectedly stopped with exit code 1” appears after system restart.

Solutions:

Option 1: Fix DNS Issue

1. Disable DNS cache service:

   reg add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache" /v "Start" /t REG_DWORD /d "4" /f
   

2. Restart your computer
3. Re-enable DNS cache service:

   reg add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Dnscache" /v "Start" /t REG_DWORD /d "2" /f
   

4. Restart your system again

Option 2: Switch Docker Container Mode

• Right-click on the Docker Desktop icon (system tray)
• Select “Switch to Linux containers”

Insufficient system resources error

Problem: “Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service” error in WSL.

Root Cause: Outdated system components.

Solution:

Update Windows Terminal:

1. Open Microsoft Store
2. Go to your library of installed apps
3. Find and update Windows Terminal
4. Restart your system

Update Windows Security:

1. Go to Windows Update settings
2. Check for pending updates, especially security updates
3. Install all available updates
4. Restart your system after installation completes

SSH & Networking Issues

WSL SSH permissions too open

Problem: SSH key permissions errors when connecting to GCP VM through WSL2.

Root Cause: WSL2 may not be looking for SSH keys in the correct directory or permissions are not set properly.

Solutions:

Option 1: Use sudo

sudo ssh -i gcp [username]@[external-ip]

Option 2: Fix key permissions

chmod 600 gcp

Option 3: Copy SSH configuration to WSL2

cd ~
mkdir .ssh
cp -r /mnt/c/Users/YourUsername/.ssh/* ~/.ssh/
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/*

Could not resolve host name error

Problem: SSH cannot resolve hostnames when connecting from WSL2.

Root Cause: WSL2 is not referencing the correct SSH config path from Windows.

Solution:

1. Create SSH directory in WSL2 home:

   cd ~
   mkdir .ssh
   

2. Create SSH config file:

   nano ~/.ssh/config
   

3. Add the following configuration:

   Host your-vm-name
       HostName [GCP-VM-external-IP]
       User [username]
       IdentityFile ~/.ssh/[private-key-filename]
   

4. Set proper permissions:

   chmod 600 ~/.ssh/config
   chmod 600 ~/.ssh/[private-key-filename]