Windows Subsystem for Linux now supports USB devices
USB passthrough is strictly for developers only, for now
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The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) compatibility layer onWindows 11now supports several developer-oriented USB scenarios, enabling developers to use WSL to interact with devices connected via USB.
The WSL compatibility layer is designed for developers to enable them to useLinuxbinaries without leaving the comfort of theirWindows workstations.
Microsoftexplains that the new USB functionality takes advantage of the USB/IP protocol to forward USB traffic over the virtual network interface between Windows and WSL. While the Linux kernel has supported USB/IP since 2009, several recent changes have made it easier to use it in WSL.
Smoke and mirrors
Explaining the development, Ben McMorran, Senior Software Engineer, in the C++ Team at Microsoft wrote that building tooling forVisual StudioandVisual Studio Codeto support C++ embedded device development required them to connect devices over USB.
However, they couldn’t test their tools on WSL, since USB devices weren’t supported by WSL.
“While this functionality is still not natively available in WSL, I’m excited to announce that our summer intern, Nelson Daniel Troncoso Aldas, contributed changes to theopen-sourceusbipd-win project to enable common developer USB scenarios like flashing anArduinoor accessing a smartcard reader,”sharedMcMorran.
McMorran hasn’t said whether the existing solution can be extended to enable USB passthrough for general users. However, as McMorran notes, the ability to use USB devices via WSL is a highly requested feature, so it shouldn’t be long before the functionality lands in WSL.
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With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
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