2026-06-15 (Monday): LFX mentorship

[AkihiroSuda]

How to join

• Date: 2026-06-15 (Monday) 07:30 UTC
• Link: https://zoom-lfx.platform.linuxfoundation.org/meetings/lima
  • Zoom, Video recording, and AI-generated meeting note

The meetings are open to anyone, not just for maintainers and contributors.

Attendees

@AkihiroSuda @unsuman @mie313

Agenda

Note taker: @AkihiroSuda

LFX Mentorship

• Support for Windows guests #4852

✅ Work done on 13th-14th June:

• Modify waitForRequirements to verify VM status
  • Since sshocker's ExecuteScript does not support Windows, I defined a function in pkg/hostagent/requirements.go by copying from sshocker's ExecuteScript
• Modify limactl shell command to run limactl shell windows.
• Add a property to enable TPM emulation.
• Add virtio-win.iso
• Setup randomized password

🎯 Goals for tomorrow:

• Modify unit tests and integration tests on CI.
• Raise an Issue on a potential bug in pkg/iso9660util/joliet.go.

🗣️ Feeling etc.

• I noticed that two things:
  a. Windows Server 2025 is only for amd64.
  b. Windows Server 2025 ISO file can be downloaded automatically.

https://cloud-native.slack.com/archives/C0B1S09N04E/p1781480844782709
https://github.com/mie313/lima/commits/support_for_windows_guest/

• The first pull request doesn't need to implement the entire features. Just --plain mode should be enough.
  Just the single arch (Intel) is fine.
  The first PR doesn't need integration tests either.
• How to cite other candidates' work
  • Co-authored-by: NAME <email@example.com> in the commit message https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/committing-changes-to-your-project/creating-and-editing-commits/creating-a-commit-with-multiple-authors
  • Also mention @GITHUB_HANDLE in PR
• Prioritize supporting ARM64 or filesystem mounts? → ARM64
• @AkihiroSuda suggested disabling auto-logon for consistency with macOS, but auto-logon seems necessary to run the initialization script
  • It is ok to keep enabling auto-logon. It just has to be documented.
• Demonstration
  • Currently tested with QEMU running inside WSL2 → Could be tested with Windows-native QEMU to avoid nested virtualization? (Not urgent)
  • PowerShell seems slow. The default shell should be cmd.exe?

Next meeting

• Regular monthly meeting: 2026-06-18 (Thursday) #4976
• LFX weekly meeting: 2026-06-22 (Monday), 07:30 UTC (same time)

[AkihiroSuda]

AI-generated meeting note

Quick Recap

The meeting focused on discussing Mie's progress on implementing Windows virtual machine support for Lima. Akihiro and Ansuman provided guidance on prioritizing features, suggesting that file system mounting and port forwarding could be deferred to future pull requests while focusing on basic Windows machine functionality first. They discussed CI testing requirements, agreeing that setting up comprehensive CI tests could be deferred to later pull requests to avoid unnecessary complexity. Mie demonstrated her current implementation using WSL on a Windows host, though they noted performance issues with PowerShell due to nested virtualization. The team also discussed documentation needs, particularly around autologon behavior differences between Windows and macOS, and agreed to create OS-specific configuration options to handle platform-specific settings like shell preferences. Mie confirmed she would join the upcoming monthly meeting to introduce herself and share her progress with other mentors.

Next Steps

• Mie: Modify unit tests and raise a pull request (PR) for the current Windows VM feature, excluding file mount and port forward features for now.
• Mie: Document the current behavior and limitations (e.g., autologon enabled, only x86_64 support for now) in the documentation, clarifying differences from macOS.
• Mie: Raise an issue to track the feature of allowing users to choose the shell (e.g., cmd.exe or PowerShell) for Windows guests.
• Mie: Try running Lima with Windows VM directly on Windows host (without WSL/nested virtualization) and report results.
• Mie: Attend the monthly meeting on Thursday and briefly introduce herself and current progress to the team.
• Akihiro: Share example or further clarification about OS-specific ops opts configuration structure for Mie's reference.

Summary

Lima Windows Feature Implementation Progress:
Mie reported progress on implementing the Lima Windows butter machine feature, confirming basic functionality works locally but noted that file mount and port forwarding features will be deferred to a separate pull request. Akihiro agreed with this approach, suggesting to focus the initial implementation on basic Windows machine functionality. Mie mentioned the need to modify test code to raise appeal, though the specific context was not fully clear from the transcript.

Test Modifications and CI Discussion:
Mie discussed completing test modifications before raising a pull request (PL PR), while Akihiro and Ansuman debated whether CI tests were necessary for the Windows guest implementation. Ansuman suggested deferring CI setup to later pull requests to avoid delays, and Akihiro agreed that initial progress didn't require CI tests. Mie confirmed she needs to modify unit tests first, and at the end of the discussion, she asked about the proper way to cite other candidates when raising the appeal.

TPM Emulation and Code Citing:
Mie discussed implementing a TPM emulation feature and sought guidance on how to properly cite another person's work in the code. Akihiro advised Mie to use the "co-authored by" option and mention the GitHub handle in the pull request, suggesting it was acceptable to reference other candidates' work.

ARM64 Architecture Support Challenges:
Mie discussed challenges with combining OAT (?) and ATTEND files for AMD64 and ARM64 architectures, noting that Windows Server 2025 ISO is not supported for ARM64. Mie explained that ARM64 support would be implemented when other operating systems like Windows 11 are supported. At the end of the discussion, Mie asked Akihiro for guidance on prioritizing between supporting ARM64 architecture or implementing a file mounting feature after completing an appeal regarding current progress.

Interparture (?) Machine macOS Challenges Discussion:
Akihiro and Mie discussed challenges with running interparture machine on macOS and addressed Mie's question about disabling autologon for PowerShell scripts. They agreed that while the behavior would be different from macOS, it would be acceptable as long as proper documentation is provided to clarify the difference.

Windows VM Setup Discussion:
Mie and Akihiro discussed keeping autologon enabled but agreed to clarify this in a document later. Ansuman requested Mick (Mie) to demonstrate recent work, which involved creating Windows virtual machines using WSL on a Windows host due to performance concerns with nested virtualization. The conversation ended with Ansuman asking if Mie was stuck on any specific issue.

Virtual Machine Shell Configuration Discussion:
The team discussed using a virtual machine on Linux and identified that PowerShell is slow, possibly due to nested virtualization. They agreed to keep cmd.exe as the default shell and introduce OS-specific options, allowing users to choose between different shells like CMD, PowerShell for Windows guests, and Bash or ZSH for other guests. Ansuman suggested creating an issue to track this implementation.

Windows Application Development Discussion:
Ansuman suggested running the application directly on Windows and recommended Mie try building Lima City (limactl) on a Windows VM. Akihiro explained the need for a specific OS Ops Opts structure to support Windows configurations, which Mie understood after the clarification. No other topics were discussed.

Meeting Participation and Scheduling:
Mie asked about her participation requirements for the upcoming monthly meeting on Thursday and was invited by Akihiro to join and share her current progress and introduce herself to others. Akihiro also mentioned the LFX weekly meeting scheduled for the following Monday. The conversation ended after confirming Mie's availability for the Monday meeting.