4.3 Installing ROS Noetic on WSL with Ubuntu 20.04 (for Windows)

This guide will walk you through installing ROS Noetic on WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) with Ubuntu 20.04 on a Windows machine. These steps were tested on Windows 11.

References

Before you start, you can refer to the following webpages for detailed instructions and troubleshooting:

• Install ROS Noetic on WSL
• Connecting USB Devices in WSL

Steps for Installation

1. Install WSL

   • Download and install WSL from this link.

2. Enable WSL in Windows Features

   • Open "Turn Windows features on or off."
   • Ensure that "Windows Subsystem for Linux" and "Virtual Machine Platform" are checked. If they're not, enable them manually.
   • Restart your computer

3. Set Default WSL Version to 2

   • Run the following commands in an elevated (Administrator) PowerShell or Command Prompt:

     wsl --set-default-version 2
     wsl -l -v

   • The output should look something like this (it is okay if Ubuntu is not yet displayed):

     NAME            STATE           VERSION
     * Ubuntu-20.04  Stopped         2
     

4. Install the WSL Update

   • I recommend installing the update from this link.

5. Install Ubuntu 20.04 from Microsoft Store (if it does not appear after wsl -l -v)

   • Go to the Microsoft Store and install Ubuntu 20.04.6.

6. Run Ubuntu

   • You can now run Ubuntu as an application from the Start menu.

   Alternatively, you can run Ubuntu directly through WSL:

   • Open a terminal.
   • Run the following command

     wsl --set-default Ubuntu-20.04

   • You can now run Ubuntu by simply typing wsl in you terminal.

7. Verify Ubuntu Installation

   • In your terminal, running wsl -l -v should now list Ubuntu.

8. Install ROS Noetic

   • Launch your installation of Ubuntu.

   • Run the following commands in your Ubuntu terminal:

     sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.ros.org/ros/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros-latest.list'
     curl -sSL 'http://keyserver.ubuntu.com/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0xC1CF6E31E6BADE8868B172B4F42ED6FBAB17C654' | sudo apt-key add -
     sudo apt update
     sudo apt install -y ros-noetic-desktop python3-rosdep
     sudo rosdep init
     rosdep update

   • I recommend adding ROS setup to your bashrc file:

     echo "source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
     source ~/.bashrc

   • I recommend you install the following packages for ease of use of rosserial:

     sudo apt update
     sudo apt install tmux -y
     sudo apt install git -y
     sudo apt install vim -y
     sudo apt install build-essential -y
     sudo apt install -y ros-noetic-rosserial
     sudo apt install python3-catkin-tools -y
     sudo apt install ros-noetic-rosserial-arduino ros-noetic-rosserial -y
     sudo apt install ros-noetic-sbg-driver -y #allows sensors package to build
     source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash

9. Run VSCode from WSL (optional)

   • Ensure Visual Studio Code is already installed on your Windows machine.
   • Launch VSCode in Windows, then type code in your Ubuntu terminal. VSCode from Windows should launch in your Ubuntu environment.
   • If you want to use your WSL environment in VScode, you will need to install the WSL extension on VScode.
   • If you want to be able to develop your WSL environment, you can follow the tutorial in this link.
   • If you install the WSL extension in VScode, you can navigate to your WSL environment through the following steps:
     • Remote Explorer
     • WSL Targets
     • Ubuntu-20.04

10. Connect USB Devices to WSL

    • Run the following command in a terminal:

      wsl --update

    • Download the .msi from this link and run it to install USB support.

11. List USB Devices

    • Open an elevated terminal and type:

      usbipd list

    • Identify the <busid> of the USB device you want to connect to Ubuntu.

12. Bind USB Device to WSL

    • Run the following command to bind the USB device to WSL:

      usbipd bind --busid <busid>

    • Example:

      usbipd bind --busid 4-4

13. Attach USB Device to WSL

    • To attach the USB device to your WSL instance, use:

      usbipd attach --wsl --busid <busid>

14. Verify USB Connection in Ubuntu

    • In your Ubuntu terminal, type:

      lsusb

    • This command will list the USB devices connected to your Ubuntu environment.

15. Detach USB Device from WSL

    • To disconnect the USB device from Ubuntu, run:

      usbipd detach --busid <busid>

This guide should help you set up ROS Noetic on WSL with Ubuntu 20.04 and connect USB devices seamlessly. If you run into any issues, refer to the linked guides or reach out to your team for support.