Dev note: 20230713 How to release WSL disk space

#dev_note #wsl #virtual_disk #linux

Question

Ubuntu running under Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) popped up error about inefficient memory in virtual disk
I have to expand the memory of virtual disk

Source: How to manage WSL disk space | Microsoft Learn

Procedure

Open Windows Command Prompt with admin privileges and then open the diskpart command
```
diskpart
```
Wait for diskpart awake, using Select vdisk to specify the path to disk, but most of the time, the path to VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) is unknown, so I have to use other prompt to find it.
- I found the resolution as following source: How to manage WSL disk space | Microsoft Learn
```
(Get-ChildItem -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Lxss | Where-Object { $_.GetValue("DistributionName") -eq 'distribution-name' 
```
- However, what is distribution name? -> preciously, it means the name of distro of Linux OS under your subsystem, such as Ubuntu, Arch Linux, et al. So I use following code to find out the name of my distro:
```
wsl -l -v
```
Outputs are following:
```
  NAME            STATE           VERSION
  * Ubuntu-22.04    Stopped         2
```
- It is Ubuntu-22.04. After I replaced it into 'distribution-name', got the path.
```
(Get-ChildItem -Path HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Lxss | Where-Object { $_.GetValue("DistributionName") -eq 'Ubuntu-22.04' 
```
Outputs are following:
```
C:\Users\LI\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.Ubuntu22.04LTS_79rhkp1fndgsc\LocalState\ext4.vhdx
```
- Finally, I could use the prompt to select the virtual disk as:
```
Select vdisk file = "C:\Users\LI\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.Ubuntu22.04LTS_79rhkp1fndgsc\LocalState\ext4.vhdx"
```

Check the detail of virtual disk with prompt:

detail vdisk

Got infos as outputs:

Vendor ID: {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000} (Unknown)
State: Added
Virtual size:  256 GB
Physical size:  240 GB
Filename:     C:\Users\LI\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited.Ubuntu22.04LTS_79rhkp1fndgsc\LocalState\ext4.vhdx
Is Child: No
Parent Filename:
Associated disk#: Not found.

→ Well, 256 GB is not enough, I have already used 95% of them.

Expand the size of the virtual disk and exit with the following prompts:
Notes: the units of the disk size is MB, so I enlarged the size of virtual disk 100% of the original
```
expand vdisk maximum=512000
```
```
exit
```
Not the end. I have to let the subsystem recognize the renewed disk size, after opened the wsl and activate Ubuntu, prompt:
```
sudo mount -t devtmpfs none /dev mount | grep ext4
```
and, with resize2fs (specify the correct path: /dev/sdc as my case, and don't forget the unit symbol M)
```
sudo resize2fs /dev/sdc 512000M
```
Check if it works, with df:

⇾ Congratulation.

#### SOLVED ####