With WSL2's Mirror Network Mode, Services on the Windows Host are Inaccessible, but the Reverse is Possible

[MosZhang7]

Windows Version

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.22631.4602]

WSL Version

2.3.26.0

Are you using WSL 1 or WSL 2?

• WSL 2
• WSL 1

Kernel Version

5.15.167.4-1

Distro Version

Debian 12

Other Software

No response

Repro Steps

1. The content of .wslconfig is as follows, with other options set to default::

• [wsl2]
• networkingMode=mirrored

2. On Windows host: Run command python -m http.server 8000 in a directory only containing an index.html file:
3. in WSL2: run command wget 127.0.0.1:8000
4. Result: Connecting to 127.0.0.1:8000...

---

I tested all available network modes in WSL2. I was able to access the host service using both NAT and virtioProxy, but mirror mode (using 127.0.0.1) did not work.

However, when I run the command python3 -m http.server 8100 in the WSL2 distro and then run wget 127.0.0.1:8100 in PowerShell, it works fine.

Interestingly, on another laptop with the same WSL2 and Windows version, the setup works as expected. I'm confident the issue lies with some misconfiguration, but despite trying various approaches, I haven't been able to resolve it.

Expected Behavior

in WSL2: run command wget 127.0.0.1:8000 it works fine.

Actual Behavior

Connecting to 127.0.0.1:8000...

Diagnostic Logs

_No responseWslLogs-2024-12-21_12-17-00.zip
WslNetworkingLogs-2024-12-21_12-18-20.zip
_

[github-actions]

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How to collect WSL logs

Download and execute collect-wsl-logs.ps1 in an administrative powershell prompt:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/WSL/master/diagnostics/collect-wsl-logs.ps1" -OutFile collect-wsl-logs.ps1
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
.\collect-wsl-logs.ps1

The script will output the path of the log file once done.

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View similar issues

Please view the issues below to see if they solve your problem, and if the issue describes your problem please consider closing this one and thumbs upping the other issue to help us prioritize it!

Open similar issues:

• Networking mirrored, WSL2 and the host machine are unable to access each other's services bidirectionally. (#11600), similarity score: 0.81
• mirrored networking mode doesn't allow host to use IP to reach the service in WSL (#11034), similarity score: 0.81
• Windows programs unable to communicate on localhost, maybe due to mirrored mode wsl bug. (#11417), similarity score: 0.81

Closed similar issues:

• Networking mirrored can't work on WSL2 (#10632), similarity score: 0.82
• WSL2 http.Server not accessible from Windows11 [experimental] networkingMode=mirrored (#10785), similarity score: 0.82

Note: You can give me feedback by thumbs upping or thumbs downing this comment.

[github-actions]

Diagnostic information

Issue was edited and new log file was found: https://github.com/user-attachments/files/18217159/WslLogs-2024-12-21_12-17-00.zip
Multiple log files found, using: https://github.com/user-attachments/files/18217159/WslLogs-2024-12-21_12-17-00.zip
.wslconfig found
Detected appx version: 2.3.26.0

[MosZhang7]

I have looked at similar issues in this project and found a solution: enabling the WiFi hotspot on my laptop. I'm curious why this works.