How to Install SUSE Enterprise Server in Windows 10

Russell Smith

May 3, 2021

In this article, I’m going to show you how to use WSL to install SUSE Enterprise Server in Windows 10. There are two high-level steps to getting SUSE to run in Windows. The first is to install WSL 2. And secondly, to install the SUSE distribution from the Microsoft Store or command line.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is an optional feature in Windows 10 that allows developers and system administrators to run Linux shells and command-line applications without installing Linux in a virtual machine (VM). WSL provides developers with an integrated experience so they can develop and test Linux apps without ever leaving their Windows desktop. For example, you can open a Linux shell in Windows Terminal or use Visual Studio Code to build, debug, and run Linux code without installing Linux in a VM.

WSL 2 uses a new architecture to provide the benefits of WSL 1 but with better performance and compatibility. WSL 2 uses a full Linux kernel, which is kept up-to-date automatically by Microsoft, to provide full system call compatibility and fast disk performance. WSL 2 runs your chosen Linux distribution in a lightweight managed VM, which doesn’t require any configuration or management on your part.

Install Windows Subsystem for Linux 2

There’s a simplified WSL 2 install procedure coming to Windows 10 in the 21H2 update, which is due in the second half of 2021. But for now, you’ll need to perform several steps to get WSL 2 running in Windows 10.

Open the command prompt with administrator privileges. Type cmd in the search box in the bottom left of the taskbar. Make sure that Command Prompt is highlighted in the results and then click Run as administrator in the list of options in the panel on the right.
Give consent or enter an administrator username and password as prompted.
In the command prompt window, use DISM to install WSL and the Virtual Machine Platform feature.

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Once the installation of both features is complete, restart your PC.

Install the Linux kernel update package

Now that the WSL and Virtual Machine Platform features are installed, download and run the Linux kernel update package. Download the latest x64 version of the package here. ARM64 users can get the package here. Run the installer and follow through the simple steps to install it. You might be required to give consent or provide an administrator username and password to complete the setup process.

Set WSL 2 as the default

Now set WSL 2 as the default version. This will ensure you are using WSL 2 when you install your first Linux distro.

Type cmd in the search box in the bottom left of the taskbar. Click Command Prompt in the list of results.
In the command prompt window, run the command below.

wsl --set-default-version 2

Install SUSE Enterprise Server

Now we’re set to install SUSE in WSL.

Type store in the search box in the bottom left of the taskbar. Click Microsoft Store in the list of results.
In the Store window, type SUSE in the Search box in the top right corner and click SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2 in the list of results. You can click an older or newer version of SUSE if available.
On the SUSE app page, click Get in the top left corner. The install should start automatically after a few seconds. If not, click Install in the top left corner of the Store window.

Once SUSE has installed, click Launch in the top left corner of the Store window.
This will launch the SUSE command console. The first time SUSE launches, you’ll be required to enter and confirm a password for the first user. To click Next in the console window, type N on the keyboard and press ENTER.
To accept the license agreement, use the TAB key to move cursor down to ‘I Agree to the License Terms’. Once highlighted, press ENTER to check the box.

Use the TAB key again to move on to the Next button. Once Next is highlighted, press ENTER to move to the next page.
On the Local User page, enter the details for the root user on your new SUSE server. Fill in each field as required, using the TAB key to move to the next field. Note that the ‘Username’ field cannot contain text with spaces.

Once you’ve entered a username and password for the root user, tab to the Next button and press ENTER.
If you have registration details for SUSE Enterprise Server, you can enter them here on the registration page. If not, tab down to Skip Registration and press ENTER. Then tab to the Next button and press
Now press ENTER to ‘Finish’ setup.

Now you have access to the SUSE Enterprise Server terminal! If you need to launch the SUSE terminal window again, you’ll find SUSE in the list of apps on the Windows Start menu. You can also access the SUSE Enterprise Server shell using Windows Terminal.