Microsoft has released a major update to the Windows subsystem for Linux. WSL 2.0.0 will include a completely new network option that mirrors Windows settings and supports IPv6. It is also possible to free up disk space automatically from now on.

WSL 2.0.0 It is one of the biggest updates to the Windows subsystem for Linux to date. The September update is now available to all users. It is still in the pre-release stage, Microsoft writes in the release documentation.

One of the innovations in WSL 2.0.0 is Network mode is mirrored. This should replace the traditional NAT architecture that existed in the old WSL. With the new mirroring mode, WSL connects directly to the LAN or from a localhost address. IPv6 and multicast are supported and VPN stability is improved. WSL will have the option to inherit firewall rules and proxy information from Windows, and users can indicate how WSL handles DNS requests.

Another important plus is disk space and memory. Users can now automatically shrink virtual hard drives when they are no longer needed. The same can be set to memory cache. WSL then looks at CPU usage to check if users are no longer active. In this case, the cache is automatically cleared.