WSLg uses Remote Desktop Connections?

[davidshen84]

Hi,

I found this strange correlated behaviour between WSLg applications and the mstsc.exe process.

• When I start up my Windows 11, there's a mstsc.exe process started automatically and I cannot kill it.
• If I start a WSLg application, like Emacs GUI, the Remote Desktop Connection disappeared from the Processes tab in the task manager, but there's still a mstsc.exe process in the Details tab.
• If I kill the mstsc.exe process, my WSLg application got force restart as well.

Another strange observation is about Docker Desktop. If I start Docker Desktop, there are 3 mstsc.exe processes started automatically and cannot be killed.

All these ghost mstsc processes disappear after I disable WSLg on my system.

Is it true that WSLg uses the mstsc processes?

[Biswa96]

Is it true that WSLg uses the mstsc processes?

Yes. More details can be found in source code, see https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/blob/main/WSLGd/main.cpp. /mnt/c/Windows/System32/mstsc.exe is executed with LaunchProcess function.

If I kill the mstsc.exe process, my WSLg application got force restart as well.

Do not kill the mstsc process abruptly. It may cause issue with running WSL instance. In the https://github.com/microsoft/wslg/blob/main/WSLGd/ProcessMonitor.cpp file, LaunchProcess is called in a loop. Hence, that mstsc process is restarted automatically.

[hello-smile6]

Would mstsc work for remote access?

[Biswa96]

Theoretically it is possible. There are some discussion about that here #470

[idg10]

The huge problem with the 3 that Docker starts is that they frequently get into a state where they steal the desktop focus every couple of minutes.

[idg10]

Ah... but I have since discovered that installed 2H22 of Windows 11 doesn't appear to bring all parts of WSL2 up to date. After going to https://aka.ms/wslstorepage and installing the latest bits from there, all the focus stealing issues seem to have stopped.

[GF-Huang]

Yes, I updated it. But it lag my keyboard typing, and start msrdc.exe repeatlly.

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