# Windows (WSL 2)
{% hint style="success" %}
**Updating RL Swarm to the CodeZero Environment**
Run `git pull`, then restart your swarm.
1. **Docker users:** Run `docker-compose run --rm --build -Pit swarm-cpu` or `docker-compose run --rm --build -Pit swarm-gpu`
2. **Script users:** Rebuild your venv by running: `rm -rf .venv && python -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate`
{% endhint %}
## Overview
This guide walks you through setting up RL Swarm on Windows using WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux).
This allows you to run a native Linux environment compatible with Docker and Python, ensuring consistent results across platforms.
### Prerequisites
Make sure your system meets the minimum requirements and that you also have any additional dependencies installed.
* A WSL 2 environment
* A 64-bit arm64 or x86 CPU with at least 32 GB RAM, or an officially supported NVIDIA GPU (3090, 4090, 5090, A100, H100)
* Python 3.10+
* [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) installed and configured
* Stable internet connection
* [Git](https://git-scm.com/install/) installed
### Installing WSL 2
1. Open **PowerShell** as Administrator.
2. Install WSL using the following command:
```bash
wsl --install
```
3. Restart your computer when prompted.
4. After reboot, open the Microsoft Store and install Ubuntu.
5. Launch Ubuntu and set up a username and password when prompted.
### Installing Dependencies
Once your Ubuntu environment is installed and open, install the required system dependencies.
Run the following commands one at a time to install Python, Docker, Git, and supporting packages:
```bash
sudo apt update
```
```bash
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-venv python3-pip curl wget git docker.io build-essential
```
#### Docker
Make sure you have Docker installed and the Docker daemon is running on your machine. To do that, follow [these instructions](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/get-docker/) according to your OS. Make sure you allot sufficient memory to the Docker containers.
For example, if you are using Docker Desktop, this can be done by going to **Docker Desktop Settings > Resources > Advanced > Memory Limit**, and increasing it to the *maximum* possible value.
If you installed Docker via the command line, you can start it and spin up containers by running:
```bash
sudo service docker start
```
#### Clone the RL Swarm Repository
1. Navigate to your home directory in your WSL 2 environment and clone the RL Swarm GitHub repository using this command:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/gensyn-ai/rl-swarm.git
```
2. Then move into the project folder:
```bash
cd rl-swarm
```
{% hint style="info" %}
WSL paths differ from Windows (e.g., /home/user vs C:\Users\\). Make sure to double-check all filepaths if you're not copy-pasting from this guide.
{% endhint %}
#### Run RL Swarm
Depending on your hardware, you can run RL Swarm in either **CPU** or **GPU** mode.
{% tabs %}
{% tab title="CPU-Only" %}
For CPU-only setup (the default on most Windows machines):
```bash
docker compose run –rm –build -Pit swarm-cpu
```
{% endtab %}
{% tab title="GPU-Only" %}
For GPU-enabled setup (requires WSL and an NVIDIA GPU):
```bash
docker compose run –rm –build -Pit swarm-gpu
```
{% hint style="warning" %}
GPU support requires NVIDIA drivers and WSL integration enabled in Docker Desktop.
{% endhint %}
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}
{% hint style="warning" %}
If you encounter an error saying “`docker-compose: command not found`”, use “`docker compose`” (without the hyphen) instead.
{% endhint %}
#### Log into RL Swarm
When you start RL Swarm, it will open a browser window automatically pointing to `http://localhost:3000.`
{% hint style="info" %}
If the browser does not open automatically, navigate to that address manually.
{% endhint %}
You will see the RL Swarm login screen powered by Alchemy. From here, you can log in using your preferred method such as Google or email.
After login, a `swarm.pem` file will be created in your repository folder. This identifies your peer on the Gensyn Testnet.
***
### Joining the new RL-Swarm Environment (CodeZero)
#### Updating via git pull
First, start by running `git pull` to fetch the latest changes to RL Swarm.
#### Launching after Updating
There are two launch paths.
1. **Launching with Docker:** If you are using Docker, you can restart your swarm after updating via `git pull` by using one of the two following commands:
```bash
docker-compose run --rm --build -Pit swarm-cpu
docker-compose run --rm --build -Pit swarm-gpu
```
2. **Launching with Shell Script:** If you are using the `run_rl_swarm.sh` script, you must remove your old virtual environment and create a fresh one:
```bash
rm -rf .venv
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
/run_rl_swarm.sh
```
{% hint style="success" %}
In both cases, restart your swarm after updating.
{% endhint %}
***
#### Huggingface
If you would like to upload your model to Hugging Face, enter your Hugging Face access token when prompted. You can generate one from your Hugging Face account, under [Access Tokens](https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/security-tokens).
#### Verify your Node
Once you are logged in, your node will begin training automatically.
You can verify that your peer has successfully connected by visiting the [Gensyn Testnet Dashboard.](https://dashboard.gensyn.ai/) Your peer should appear in the active swarm list, and you can monitor training progress in real time.
#### Optional: Experimental Mode (No Docker)
If you want to experiment with the [GenRL](https://github.com/gensyn-ai/genrl) library or the [configurable parameters](https://github.com/gensyn-ai/rl-swarm/blob/main/rgym_exp/config/rg-swarm.yaml), we recommend you run RL Swarm via shell script:
```
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
./run_rl_swarm.sh
```
{% hint style="info" %}
This method gives you access to GenRL’s configuration parameters and experimental features.
{% endhint %}
To learn more about experimental mode, check out our [getting started guide](https://github.com/gensyn-ai/genrl/blob/main/getting_started.ipynb) on Github.
### Troubleshooting
Refer to the multi-platform [RL Swarm Troubleshooting guide](/testnet/rl-swarm/troubleshooting.md) for unblocking information and fixes to common set-up issues.
{% hint style="success" %}
If you need additional support, you can [open a ticket](https://github.com/gensyn-ai/rl-swarm/issues) or [visit our Discord.](https://discord.com/invite/gensyn)
{% endhint %}
---
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