This document discusses Snap packages, which are self-contained application bundles that run on Linux distributions without modification. It outlines some challenges of running Snap packages on WSL2, such as Snapd requiring Systemd which is not started by WSL2 by default. It provides steps to install Systemd as the PID1 process to address this. Additional sections cover enabling strict confinement, finding and installing Snap packages, and building your own Snap packages.

1. Snap Packages
The App Store for Linux

2. Obligatory “Who am I?” slide
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• https://snapcraft.ninja/
• https://bowlhat.net/

3. What are Snap
Packages?
Snaps are self-
contained
application
bundles run by
millions of users
daily
Snaps run on
many different
Linux
distributions
without
modification
Snaps are
sandboxed by
default
Snaps have a
rich permissions
system
mediating their
view and
access to your
system
There are, as of the 10th of September,
2020 nearly 6000 publicly accessible
Snap Packages in the Snap Store,
which have millions of installations.

4. Challenges running Snaps on WSL2
SNAPD REQUIRES SYSTEMD SYSTEMD IS NOT STARTED BY
WSL2, SO WE NEED TO START IT
OURSELVES
SYSTEMD WILL NOT START UNLESS
IT IS PROCESS ID 1, WHICH IS
TAKEN BY THE WSL2 INIT PROCESS

5. Getting Systemd running as PID1
Install
Install GIT on your distro
Clone
Clone the latest code from my
GitHub repository:
$ git clone
https://github.com/diddlesnaps/ch
sh-variant-wsl2-systemd
Run
Run the installation script:
$ cd chsh-variant-wsl2-system
$ ./install-system.sh
Done
After a short wait, you will be
returned to your shell with
Systemd running as PID1

6. Enabling “Strict
Confinement”
capability
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• https://github.com/diddlesnaps/WSL2-
Linux-Kernel/wiki/Installation-and-Automatic-updater
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7. Testing Snap Packages
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8. Finding, installing, and
running Snap Packages
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9. Bonus Points:
Building your own
Snap packages –
Part 1
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10. Bonus Points:
Building your
own Snap
packages – Part
2
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• https://github.com/Lin-Buo-Ren/hello-snap
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11. Where to go for
more information
and help
• https://snapcraft.io/
• https://docs.snapcraft.io/
• https://forum.snapcraft.io/
• @diddledan
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Snapcraft.ninja