Run windows containers from WSL2 ?

[rreilly-edr]

Environment

Windows build number: [run `cmd.exe /c ver`]
**Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19042.804]**
Your Distribution version: [On Debian or Ubuntu run `lsb_release -r` in WSL]
**Release:        20.04**
Whether the issue is on WSL 2 and/or WSL 1: [run `cat /proc/version` in WSL]
**WSL2**

Steps to reproduce

I will apologize for asking this question in the form of a bug report but i have spent the better part of a day trying to find a solution with no luck, all the articles i have found are about running linux containers.

I am attempting to run windows based containers from wsl2, I am doing both linux and windows development but i prefer to work in WSL. I can run linux containers from windows and WSL2 but I want to test a chef cookbook on windows from WSL.
I have tried switching to windows containers and If i remove the WSL2 integration i get
docker not found

if i enable the WSL2 integration i get

docker pull mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:10.0.19042.867-amd64
10.0.19042.867-amd64: Pulling from windows/servercore
18ae6bebe21d: Pulling fs layer
b67d61f938f3: Pulling fs layer
image operating system "windows" cannot be used on this platform

docker does not seem available to WSL via the network i.e tcp://localhost:2375 ( i have enabled that via docker desktop).
also from test-kitchen if i try to start the windows machine i get

---- Begin output of docker -H npipe:////./pipe/docker_engine build -f Dockerfile-kitchen20210331-14863-1a6c3mm . ----
STDOUT:
STDERR: protocol not available
---- End output of docker -H npipe:////./pipe/docker_engine build -f Dockerfile-kitchen20210331-14863-1a6c3mm . ----
Ran docker -H npipe:////./pipe/docker_engine build -f Dockerfile-kitchen20210331-14863-1a6c3mm . returned 1] on default-windows

TIA

[shawnz]

As a workaround, what if you use docker.exe instead?

It won't work to access the docker socket at "tcp://localhost" because the WSL2 environment has a different IP address than Windows. You can get the IP of the Windows host using a method like this: #4619 (comment) That might allow you to access the docker socket over the network like that.

[rreilly-edr]

I have tried using the ip of windows and 2375 is not available

telnet 172.25.208.1 2375
Trying 172.25.208.1...
telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused

[shawnz]

Is the problem perhaps that its being firewalled?

[rreilly-edr]

I added a firewall rule for 2375, all nets, all interfaces, on windows I can connect to localhost:2375 but not the wsl ip because it is only being shared on localhost

[rreilly-edr]

adding this port forward

netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenaddress=172.25.208.1 listenport=2375 connectaddress=127.0.0.1 connectport=2375

allows me to switch to windows containers and start them from WSL2 when specifying the -H tcp://172.25.208.1:2375

[therealkenc]

I haven't reproduced, but this is in all likelihood #5211. Docker is a TCP service running on the Windows side in this scenario. If you are unblocked, please close and subscribe #5211. There is also docker forum discussion here.