SSH to CAEN Linux Timeout on WSL with off-campus VPN #240
Description
WSL virtual machines get a private IP from the host OS (I think it's in the 172.16.0.0/12 range). The umich VPN gives the host an IP on the umich network that conflicts. The result is a timeout when SSH'ing into CAEN Linux from WSL while on the umich VPN.
The best solution is for upstream (ITS) to avoid using the same private IPs that WSL uses. This is in the works according to Prof. Paoletti.
Here's more from Prof. Paoletti:
I got help from Joel VanLaven, but basically it comes down to ITS provisioning their own machines with an address that conflicts with a particular WSL configuration. When you install the WSL it picks a local address. When the conflict occurs, the student's attempt to connect to CAEN times out.
I had trouble attaching the files. Gmail doesn't want to attach a .BAT file. When I tried to hide it inside of a tarball, it then rejected the entire tarball! So rename WSL-FIX.TXT to WSL-FIX.BAT.
The fix is to run the attached WSL-FIX.BAT batch file as Administrator. It will prompt them to shut down the WSL. Then they should choose option 1 to back up their current configuration (just in case), choose option 2 to import our file, then quit and reboot. Start the VPN client, run the WSL, and connecting to CAEN should work. It will tell them that, after rebooting, they may get an error message the first time they start the WSL (which is normal).