Add Windows support for WSL symlinks
- Dominant language
- C++
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- Avg merge
- 3d 17h
- Merged PRs (30d)
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Description
### Windows Version
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.5011]
### WSL Version
2.3.24.0
### Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?
- [x] WSL 2
- [ ] WSL 1
### Kernel Version
5.15.153.1-2
### Distro Version
_No response_
### Other Software
Docker Desktop (Windows), version 4.35.1
### Repro Steps
Is there ongoing work to add Windows support for WSL symlinks? https://blog.trailofbits.com/2024/02/12/why-windows-cant-follow-wsl-symlinks/ describes the problem but I could not find an existing GitHub issue related to this.
1. Create a symlink from a Docker linux container.
2. Symlinked files work fine from within WSL.
3. Windows Terminal and file explorer cannot follow these symlinks, returning "The file cannot be accessed by the system."
4. `junction ` returns:
```
Junction v1.07 - Creates and lists directory links
Copyright (C) 2005-2016 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
C:\Users\Gili\Documents\licensed-app\deployment\certbot\config\live\gili.licensed.app\fullchain.pem: UNKNOWN MICROSOFT REPARSE POINT
```
### Expected Behavior
Ability to read the contents of symlinked files from within Windows Terminal
### Actual Behavior
> The file cannot be accessed by the system.
### Diagnostic Logs
_No response_
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start with the reported Docker Desktop and WSL 2 reproduction steps, then read the linked Trail of Bits explanation of WSL symlinks. Confirm how the reparse point is created and why Windows Terminal and File Explorer reject it. Done means Windows can read files created as symlinks from a Linux container.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- docker
- Domain
- operating-systems
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 25/100