`ubuntu-desktop-installer` snap in Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS on WSL2

Project Discussion WSL
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1

Hi,

I run Ubuntu in WSL2 on Windows 11 Pro.

WSL2 and Windows 11 are the latest versions with all patches installed.

Ubuntu version is 24.04.3 LTS according to the /etc/issue file.

I think originally a much older version was installed from MS Store, but then I don’t recall how exactly it got upgraded.

My question is related to the two ubuntu-desktop-installer entries I see in the process table:

/bin/bash /snap/ubuntu-desktop-installer/1286/bin/subiquity-server

/snap/ubuntu-desktop-installer/1286/usr/bin/python3.10 -m subiquity.cmd.server --use-os-prober --storage-version=2 --postinst-hooks-dir=/snap/ubuntu-desktop-installer/1286/etc/subiquity/postinst.d

The snap they come from:

$ snap info ubuntu-desktop-installer

name:      ubuntu-desktop-installer
summary:   Ubuntu Desktop Installer
publisher: Canonical✓
store-url: https://snapcraft.io/ubuntu-desktop-installer
contact:   https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu-desktop-installer
license:   unset
description: |
  This project is a modern implementation of the Ubuntu Desktop installer,
  using subiquity as a backend and Flutter for the UI.
commands:
  - ubuntu-desktop-installer.os-prober
  - ubuntu-desktop-installer.probert
  - ubuntu-desktop-installer.subiquity-loadkeys
  - ubuntu-desktop-installer
services:
  ubuntu-desktop-installer.subiquity-server: simple, enabled, active
snap-id:      rQm0TtMOYOtEslvEXgxQDhgy1JNn38Wz
tracking:     latest/edge
refresh-date: 2024-03-07
channels:
  latest/stable:    0+git.0057491b 2024-03-28 (1286) 138MB classic
  latest/candidate: 0+git.0057491b 2024-03-06 (1286) 138MB classic
  latest/beta:      ↑
  latest/edge:      ↑
installed:          0+git.0057491b            (1286) 138MB classic

The two processes I mentioned seem to be parts of the installer.

Should they run 24/7 after the installation is complete?

2

Considering ubuntu-desktop-installer is just a graphical frontend for subiquity, I’m not sure what use it would have on WSL. subiquity has its own text (curses)-based frontend.

That said, the installation method for WSL is so vastly different than desktop or server that it really doesn’t need either; it’s basically a preinstalled image that gets unloaded.

3

That’s what I was thinking, too! I removed the ubuntu-desktop-installer snap and will see what happens!

4

Nothing bad should happen. There was an adventurous time when we experimented with an installer-like thing built on top of subiquity specifically for WSL, but that’s been phased out and removed a while ago. There shouldn’t be part of your 24.04 system.

I wonder why subiquity was still running on that system. With the current versions of the WSL images we can no longer reproduce your particular state unfortunately.