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Windows GPU visibility does not establish Linux access; identify where the process runs and verify each environment boundary.
Do not treat vLLM as a native Windows application. Its documented Windows route uses a Linux environment, such as a compatible WSL setup. A working GPU in Windows Device Manager does not establish availability inside Linux. Check the accelerator, dependencies, model and local API in sequence.
A workstation with WSL can support an experiment, while its practical schedule still depends on sleep, updates and the owner’s normal work.
Identify where the process runs
Windows Terminal can open PowerShell, a command prompt or a WSL shell. Similar-looking windows can install packages into different environments. Record the actual interpreter and working folder before installation.
vLLM’s GPU guidance does not make an arbitrary Linux command a native Windows build when pasted into PowerShell. A third-party port should not automatically be equated with the official release or its supported features.
Verify the GPU inside WSL
Run diagnostics in the Linux environment intended for the engine. Compare device identity and available memory with Windows observations, then check the documented driver and package combination.
NVIDIA’s CUDA on WSL guide explains the environment’s driver arrangement. Do not install an arbitrary second guest driver merely because a guide for a separate Linux server does so. Resolve this layer before downloading a large artifact.
| Boundary | Required evidence |
|---|---|
| Windows host | Intended GPU and driver |
| WSL environment | Device available to Linux |
| Package | Supported execution backend |
| Model server | Ready engine and correct identifier |
| Windows client | Successful local request |
Place files deliberately
Weights, cache and temporary artifacts can reside in different filesystems. Record actual paths, permissions and free space. Moving between a Windows folder and a Linux filesystem may alter file-access behaviour; measure it as a separate condition.
Check persistence after a normal restart. An old interactive shell with manual adjustments is not a reproducible operating procedure. Save the environment record without credentials or private model-access tokens.
Test the API from the inside out
First call the API inside WSL. After that succeeds, test the Windows client. If only the latter fails, investigate address, interface binding and network rules instead of reinstalling the model runtime.
Keep the initial route local rather than publishing a port externally merely for a same-computer test. Confirm the model identifier from the API and repeat after restarting.
Include owner-use constraints so the discussion can distinguish a useful scheduled pilot from an unsupported promise of continuous service.
Continue with Install vLLM: Check GPU, Driver and Package Compatibility and vLLM served-model-name: Fix a Missing API Model.