Deploy with WSL

Deploying DUMB on Windows Setup Guide (Docker/WSL)¶

This guide will walk you through setting up DUMB on a Windows system using a lightweight Docker + WSL2 setup, without relying on Docker Desktop.

WSL Install¶

1. From the Microsoft Store, install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

2. From the Microsoft Store, install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

3. Follow the setup to create your Ubuntu username and password

4. From a Windows Command Prompt, paste the following:

   cd C:\WINDOWS\system32
   

5. Then set Ubuntu 22.04 as the default distro:

   wsl --setdefault Ubuntu-22.04
   

6. From the Windows app menu, start Ubuntu 22.04, then paste the following inside the terminal:

   Note

   This step is only required if sharing the mount outside of the container - e.g., to another media server, etc.

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt upgrade -y
   sudo mount --make-rshared /
   

   Note

   sudo mount --make-rshared / does not persist after reboots. You’ll need to run it each time WSL2 or Windows is restarted.

   Alternatively, see the Ubuntu systemd service guide to automate this at startup.

Docker Install¶

1. Follow the official Docker Engine install guide for Ubuntu

2. Once Docker is installed, you can either:

   • Use the standard Docker CLI to create the container
   • Or follow the Docker Deployment or Portainer Deployment guides for predefined setups

Accessing the Mount on Windows¶

1. From the Ubuntu terminal, open File Explorer in the current directory:

   explorer.exe .
   

2. A new File Explorer window will appear — you’re now inside the Ubuntu file system

3. Navigate to the mount location and copy the full path from the Explorer address bar

4. In another File Explorer window:

   • Click This PC
   • Right-click in the blank space and select Add a network location

5. In the popup:

   • Click Next twice
   • Paste the WSL path you copied

6. Complete the remaining prompts to finalize the mount

Mirrored Mode Networking¶

Starting with Windows 11 22H2, WSL2 supports a new networking mode called mirrored networking, which improves compatibility and unlocks several new features by mirroring Windows' network interfaces into Linux.

Benefits of Mirrored Networking¶

• Full IPv6 support
• Access Windows services from WSL using 127.0.0.1
• Improved VPN support (VPNs work in both Windows and WSL)
• Multicast compatibility
• Reach WSL services through the Windows host's network interfaces

Enabling Mirrored Mode¶

1. Open (or create) the .wslconfig file in your Windows home directory:

   notepad $env:USERPROFILE\.wslconfig
   

2. Add the following sections:

   [wsl2]
   networkingMode=mirrored
   
   [experimental]
   hostAddressLoopback=true
   

   hostAddressLoopback=true allows Windows and WSL to reach each other by an IPv4 address assigned to the Windows host, such as http://<windows-ip>:3005. Without it, localhost still works, but the Windows host's other IPv4 addresses do not loop back into WSL. This setting only applies when networkingMode=mirrored.

3. Save the file, then restart WSL for the changes to take effect:

   wsl --shutdown
   

   Then restart your distro from the Windows menu or run:

   wsl
   

Additional Notes¶

• hostAddressLoopback currently supports only IPv4 host addresses.
• You can combine this with autoProxy=true if you're using a proxy.
• This setting applies globally across all WSL2 instances.
• Windows Firewall and the Hyper-V firewall can still restrict inbound connections. Allow only the DUMB ports and trusted network profiles you intend to expose.

Next, choose whether to publish selected ports or use host networking in Docker Networking and Ports.

Now you’re ready to run DUMB inside WSL2 with full Docker support — no Docker Desktop required!