Windows Quarto Build Container

This directory contains the Windows Server 2022 container configuration for building the MLSysBook with Quarto.

🐳 Container Features

• Base Image: Windows Server 2022 LTSC
• PowerShell: 7.4.1 (ZIP install, container-safe)
• Quarto: 1.9.27 (Scoop)
• Python: 3.13.1 + production dependencies
• TeX Live: 2025 snapshot with required packages
• R: 4.5.2 + R Markdown packages
• Graphics: Ghostscript + Inkscape (via Chocolatey)

🔧 Key Fixes Applied

1. PowerShell 7 Path Issues

• Problem: Using pwsh shorthand can fail in containers
• Fix: Use full path C:\Program Files\PowerShell\7\pwsh.exe

2. TeX Live Installation

• Problem: Start-Process without -NoNewWindow can hang
• Fix: Added -NoNewWindow flag for container compatibility
• Problem: Comments in tl_packages file
• Fix: Filter out comment lines when installing packages

3. TikZ Test Document

• Problem: Complex here-string with backticks
• Fix: Simplified to standard multi-line string

4. Package Installation

• Problem: Silent failures in package installation
• Fix: Added verbose output and better error handling

🚀 Building the Container

Prerequisites

• Windows Docker Desktop or Windows Server with Docker
• At least 8GB RAM available for Docker
• 20GB+ free disk space

Local Build

To build the Windows container locally, run the following command from the repository root:

docker build -f docker/windows/Dockerfile -t mlsysbook-windows .

Testing

To test the Dockerfile before building, you can use the provided PowerShell script:

./docker/windows/test_dockerfile.ps1

Workflow

The container is built and pushed to the GitHub Container Registry via the .github/workflows/build-windows-container.yml workflow. This workflow is triggered manually or on a weekly schedule.

Notes

• Building the Windows container can take a significant amount of time (often over 2 hours).
• The image is large due to the comprehensive set of pre-installed dependencies.

📋 Build Phases

1. Base Setup: Directories, environment variables
2. PowerShell 7: ZIP installation (container-safe)
3. Chocolatey: Package manager installation
4. Dependencies: Copy required files
5. Quarto: ZIP installation with PATH setup
6. Python: 3.13.1 + production requirements
7. Graphics: Ghostscript + Inkscape
8. TeX Live: 2025 snapshot + packages
9. R: 4.5.2 + R Markdown packages
10. Cleanup: Remove temporary files

🔍 Verification Steps

The container includes comprehensive verification:

• PowerShell 7: Version check
• Quarto: Version and command availability
• Python: Version and pip functionality
• TeX Live: Package verification with kpsewhich
• Fonts: Helvetica font files verification
• TikZ: Smoke test with PDF generation
• R: Package installation verification

⚠️ Common Issues & Solutions

1. Build Timeouts

• Cause: Large downloads (TeX Live, Python packages)
• Solution: Increased timeout values in Dockerfile

2. PATH Issues

• Cause: Windows PATH not properly updated
• Solution: Explicit PATH manipulation with regex escaping

3. Package Installation Failures

• Cause: Network issues or missing dependencies
• Solution: Added verbose output and error checking

4. Memory Issues

• Cause: TeX Live installation requires significant memory
• Solution: Use scheme-infraonly for minimal installation

🧪 Testing

Run Container

docker run -it mlsysbook-windows pwsh

Test Quarto

quarto --version
quarto check

Test Python

python --version
python -c "import nltk; print('NLTK available')"

Test R

R --version
Rscript -e "library(rmarkdown); print('R Markdown available')"

Test TeX Live

lualatex --version
kpsewhich pgf.sty

📊 Performance Notes

• Build Time: ~45-60 minutes on typical hardware
• Image Size: ~8-12GB (includes TeX Live, R, Python)
• Memory Usage: 4-6GB during build, 2-3GB runtime
• Disk Space: 15-20GB for build cache

🔧 Troubleshooting

Build Fails on TeX Live

# Check available memory
docker system df
docker system prune -f

PowerShell Issues

# Verify PowerShell 7 installation
docker run mlsysbook-windows pwsh -Command "Get-Host"

Package Installation Issues

# Check Chocolatey installation
docker run mlsysbook-windows choco --version

📝 Maintenance

Updating Dependencies

1. Update version numbers in Dockerfile
2. Test with validation script
3. Rebuild and verify all components

Adding New Packages

1. Add to appropriate phase in Dockerfile
2. Update verification steps
3. Test thoroughly

Security Updates

• Regularly update base image
• Monitor for CVE reports
• Update package versions as needed