Use qt installer framework in a windows docker container

apalomer

I am trying to build a container that has qt 5.15.1 and qt installer framework 4.1.1 installed. For this I have the following docker file:

# Use a machine from 
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/runtime:4.8-windowsservercore-ltsc2019

# Set label
LABEL maintainer="myemail@mydomain.com"

# Add Qt5.15.1
ADD http://download.qt.io/development_releases/online_installers/qt-unified-windows-x86-4.0.0_beta-online.exe C:/qt-unified-windows-x86-4.0.0_beta-online.exe
RUN qt-unified-windows-x86-4.0.0_beta-online.exe install qt.qt5.5151.win64_msvc2019_64 --email myemail@mydomain.com --pw mypass --accept-licenses --accept-obligations --auto-answer telemetry-question=No,AssociateCommonFiletypes=Yes --confirm-command --no-default-installations

# Qt installer framework
ADD https://download.qt.io/official_releases/qt-installer-framework/4.1.1/QtInstallerFramework-windows-x86-4.1.1.exe C:/QtInstallerFramework-windows-x86-4.1.1.exe
RUN C:/QtInstallerFramework-windows-x86-4.1.1.exe in --al -c

# Clean
RUN del /Q "C:/QtInstallerFramework-windows-x86-4.1.1.exe"

You can generate the docker usin docker build -f Dockerfile -t apalomer/qt:windows . Be aware that to generate the image you need to change the email and password of the RUN qt-unified-windows... command bysomething valid.

This docker is build without a problem. However, when I start the container with docker run -it apalomer/qt:windows and try to run binarycrator, nothing happens. In the docker I run C:\Qt\QtIFW-4.1.1\bin\binarycreator.exe which results with an exit code of -1073741515 (checked using echo %errorlevel% in the same terminal just after the binarycreator call). The same two commands run in a cmd of my computer (not inside the docker) show the help for the binarycreator and the error level is 1.

Any idea on why can't I run binarycreator in the docker container?

ps: the docker container is being pushed to dockerhub if you want to try the container.

apalomer

I have solved the issue myself. Although I do not understand why, everything works if I use FROM mcr.microsoft.com/windows:20H2 instead of FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/runtime:4.8-windowsservercore-ltsc2019.

SGaist

Hi,

Just an educated guess but it looks like a full Windows VS a minimal version for server use.

apalomer

Yes, but shouldn't I get an error or something during installation if there is some important dependency from qt installer framework that is missing?

SGaist

The thing that might be missing is the GUI part but it does not mean that it is something that can be detected easily. You might also want to use the offscreen backend so it might still be a viable solution.

apalomer

I don't know, and have not been able to find, anyting relating offscreen backend neither for server core nor for QTIFW. Could you please point something out about this so I can try to digg deeper into it?
Thanks!

SGaist

I meant the Qt QPA backend named offscreen.

Siriusval

Exit code

When you execute one of QT IFW binaries in your servercore container, you can get the exit code in powershell.

Let's take repogen for example.

> .\repogen.exe
> $LastExitCode
-1073741515

It exits with code -1073741515.
The Microsoft Error Lookup Tool output STATUS_DLL_NOT_FOUND.

Get missing dll

Thanks to DUMPBIN (that comes with MSVC Build Tools), you can see the DLLs needed for qt ifw binaries.

Mine was located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC\bin\dumpbin.exe.

dumpbin /DEPENDENTS C:\Qt\QtIFW-4.1.1\bin\repogen.exe

Note the results, you can then search for each DLL on your OS with this powershell cmd.

Get-ChildItem -Path C:\Windows\ -Filter dcomp.dll -Recurse -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Force

I found out that dcomp.dll was missing.
Indeed, we know Windows servercore is lacking GUI DLLs.

Resolve

As it doesn't come in a package, you can copy it directly in your container.
Be careful to get a dll from Windows Server version matching your container (here 1809).

Here the host was Windows Server 2019 Standard (1809).
Container was mcr.microsoft.com/windows/servercore:1809

docker stop <image_name>
docker cp C:\Windows\SysWOW64\dcomp.dll <image_name>:C:\Windows\SysWOW64\dcomp.dll

Now repogen is working.
Others QT IFW binaries seem to work fine too.

Much better than the +10Go from a Windows 10 image. 😁

mrjj

Hi

So how much space did it end up using ?

Just tried a Win 11 in a VM and it was 45 GB so if that is any indication, dockers
seems like more fun than WMs in some years.

Siriusval

@mrjj Our custom Win10 docker image uses 19Go, but there's multiple MSVC installs and softwares we need in our stack.
As the Windows ServerCore is only 6Go, you could probably end up with something in between :)

mrjj

@Siriusval
Hi
19GB with multiple VS installed seems pretty good as normally I would hit
around 100 GB in a Vm.
What do you use for the GUI apps ? VNC or remote desktop ?
Or its ONLY compilers and ssh and commanline ?

Siriusval

Hello @mrjj,

This image is only used for CI.
It's only command line, no GUI.
Even if you wanted to use VNC or remote desktop, I'm not sure you could.
The official windows/servercore docker image comes without the "Desktop Experience", so there's no GUI at all.
Hence our problem of missing graphic .DLLs like dcomp.

Hope this helps 😁.

rodrigoleao

@apalomer said in Use qt installer framework in a windows docker container:

I have solved the issue myself. Although I do not understand why, everything works if I use FROM mcr.microsoft.com/windows:20H2 instead of FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/runtime:4.8-windowsservercore-ltsc2019.

I tried that but got this error: (8007052E The user name or password is incorrect)