microsoft/nanoserver docker image fails to start java.exe, while microsoft/windowsservercore succeeds

Question

I'm trying to create a Windows docker image with java from microsoft/nanoserver image.

System info

> docker version
Client:
 Version:      17.06.0-ce
 API version:  1.30
 Go version:   go1.8.3
 Git commit:   02c1d87
 Built:        Fri Jun 23 21:30:30 2017
 OS/Arch:      windows/amd64

Server:
 Version:      17.06.0-ce
 API version:  1.30 (minimum version 1.24)
 Go version:   go1.8.3
 Git commit:   02c1d87
 Built:        Fri Jun 23 22:19:00 2017
 OS/Arch:      windows/amd64
 Experimental: true

> docker info
Containers: 2
 Running: 0
 Paused: 0
 Stopped: 2
Images: 22
Server Version: 17.06.0-ce
Storage Driver: windowsfilter
 Windows:
Logging Driver: json-file
Plugins:
 Volume: local
 Network: l2bridge l2tunnel nat null overlay transparent
 Log: awslogs etwlogs fluentd json-file logentries splunk syslog
Swarm: inactive
Default Isolation: hyperv
Kernel Version: 10.0 15063 (15063.0.amd64fre.rs2_release.170317-1834)
Operating System: Windows 10 Enterprise
OSType: windows
Architecture: x86_64
CPUs: 1
Total Memory: 5.999GiB
Name: MYSERVER
ID: RKVO:G6SF:7OPN:RR5Y:4DGX:DSZG:MCGO:FTNS:YLWY:2LKH:TRZE:JU76
Docker Root Dir: C:\ProgramData\Docker
Debug Mode (client): false
Debug Mode (server): true
 File Descriptors: -1
 Goroutines: 86
 System Time: 2017-08-09T09:36:17.8905051-07:00
 EventsListeners: 0
Registry: https://index.docker.io/v1/
Experimental: true
Insecure Registries:
 127.0.0.0/8
Live Restore Enabled: false

Dockerfile

Dockerfile is a slightly modified version from this article, section 4: https://alexandrnikitin.github.io/blog/running-java-inside-windows-container-on-windows-server/

FROM microsoft/nanoserver

RUN powershell -Command iwr 'http://javadl.oracle.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=210185' -Outfile 'C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe'
RUN powershell start-process -filepath C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe -passthru -wait -argumentlist "/s,INSTALLDIR=c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91,/L,install64.log"
RUN del C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe

CMD [ "c:\\Java\\jre1.8.0_91\\bin\\java.exe", "-version"]

Build image

> docker build -t java-nano:jre1.8.0_91 .
Sending build context to Docker daemon  2.048kB
Step 1/5 : FROM microsoft/nanoserver
 ---> 9473d5d31d36
Step 2/5 : RUN powershell -Command iwr 'http://javadl.oracle.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=210185' -Outfile 'C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe'
 ---> Running in 33ec7e07b8ef
 ---> c2002718022c
Removing intermediate container 33ec7e07b8ef
Step 3/5 : RUN powershell start-process -filepath C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe -passthru -wait -argumentlist "/s,INSTALLDIR=c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91,/L,install64.log"
 ---> Running in 6694b9e2d6cf

Handles  NPM(K)    PM(K)      WS(K)     CPU(s)     Id  SI ProcessName
-------  ------    -----      -----     ------     --  -- -----------
              3      460       1468              1424   1 jre-8u91-windows-x64


 ---> 751796f146a7
Removing intermediate container 6694b9e2d6cf
Step 4/5 : RUN del C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe
 ---> Running in 8bac610ca925
 ---> 1d953ec09391
Removing intermediate container 8bac610ca925
Step 5/5 : CMD c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91\bin\java.exe -version
 ---> Running in 8f9aecd8aa6b
 ---> 865e2c4a3b5c
Removing intermediate container 8f9aecd8aa6b
Successfully built 865e2c4a3b5c
Successfully tagged java-nano:jre1.8.0_91

Run it

> docker run -it java-nano:jre1.8.0_91
C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Resources\bin\docker.exe: Error response from daemon: container 55868b76113bbb1231e1b59e26bf2301b7d1a80a7cb1617efed862a5d4516401 encountered an error during CreateProcess: failure in a Windows system call: The system cannot find the file sp
ecified. (0x2) extra info: {"ApplicationName":"","CommandLine":"c:\\Java\\jre1.8.0_91\\bin\\java.exe -version","User":"","WorkingDirectory":"C:\\","Environment":{},"EmulateConsole":true,"CreateStdInPipe":true,"CreateStdOutPipe":true,"CreateStdErrPipe":false,"ConsoleSize"
:[48,164]}.

Base image run

>docker run microsoft/nanoserver
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.14393]
(c) 2016 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Windows Server Core version

Dockerfile

FROM microsoft/windowsservercore

RUN powershell -Command iwr 'http://javadl.oracle.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=210185' -Outfile 'C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe'
RUN powershell start-process -filepath C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe -passthru -wait -argumentlist "/s,INSTALLDIR=c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91,/L,install64.log"
RUN del C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe

CMD [ "c:\\Java\\jre1.8.0_91\\bin\\java.exe", "-version"]

Build image

> docker build -t java-core:jre1.8.0_91 .
Sending build context to Docker daemon  2.048kB
Step 1/5 : FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
 ---> 2c42a1b4dea8
Step 2/5 : RUN powershell -Command iwr 'http://javadl.oracle.com/webapps/download/AutoDL?BundleId=210185' -Outfile 'C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe'
 ---> Running in 8eef04cb451e
 ---> 9f1ad85b2b05
Removing intermediate container 8eef04cb451e
Step 3/5 : RUN powershell start-process -filepath C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe -passthru -wait -argumentlist "/s,INSTALLDIR=c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91,/L,install64.log"
 ---> Running in ef30759baacf

Handles  NPM(K)    PM(K)      WS(K)     CPU(s)     Id  SI ProcessName
-------  ------    -----      -----     ------     --  -- -----------
      0       1      388         68       0.16   2060   1 jre-8u91-windows-x64


 ---> f05ce070cd55
Removing intermediate container ef30759baacf
Step 4/5 : RUN del C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe
 ---> Running in 8dfc09e67472
 ---> ea9f0c6c9f8a
Removing intermediate container 8dfc09e67472
Step 5/5 : CMD c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91\bin\java.exe -version
 ---> Running in c0aa37469049
 ---> c1b7ccca9adc
Removing intermediate container c0aa37469049
Successfully built c1b7ccca9adc
Successfully tagged java-core:jre1.8.0_91

Run it

> docker run -it java-core:jre1.8.0_91
java version "1.8.0_91"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_91-b15)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.91-b15, mixed mode)

Question

How to detect, what's wrong with nanoserver?
Observing C:\ProgramData\Docker\containers\<id> gives nothing - there is no *.log file.

Do one thing run the nano server with powershell and not java `docker run -it java-nano:jre1.8.0_91 powershell` and then go and check if Java actually hot installed properly or not and if the file actually exists or not. — Tarun Lalwani, Aug 10 '17 at 08:37
@TarunLalwani Thank you very much! I entered the container and there is no Java in nano image, but Java is present in a core image. Could you please add this as an answer so I can accept it? — Skyblade, Aug 10 '17 at 09:10

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 10 '17 at 09:27

This mostly appears to be a installation issue. One your step 3

Step 3/5 : RUN powershell start-process -filepath C:\jre-8u91-windows-x64.exe -passthru -wait -argumentlist "/s,INSTALLDIR=c:\Java\jre1.8.0_91,/L,install64.log"

It is running successfully in terms of exit code but may be installer is running into some problems. You should run a shell and check if the installer workd

docker run -it java-nano:jre1.8.0_91 powershell

Also you can try and reinstall and see if there is any error that you get out of the installer. Might be some dependencies not being present

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 18 '20 at 09:01

I zipped the current JRE installation of my laptop (C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_221) into jre1.8.0_221.zip. Then used the dockerfile:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/windows/nanoserver:10.0.14393.1066
COPY jre1.8.0_221.zip c:\\jre1.8.0_221.zip
RUN powershell Expand-Archive -Force c:\jre1.8.0_221.zip c:
ENV JAVA_HOME "C:\jre1.8.0_221"
ENV PATH "C:\jre1.8.0_221\bin"
CMD java -version

It worked for me.

microsoft/nanoserver docker image fails to start java.exe, while microsoft/windowsservercore succeeds

System info

Dockerfile

Build image

Run it

Base image run

Windows Server Core version

Dockerfile

Build image

Run it

Question

2 Answers2