xelatex hangs or fails to run

[DCRichards]

• Latest Docker Image
• Mac OSX 10.14.6

Reproduction Steps:

1. Run Docker image.
2. Create a very simple tex file in Docker image

\documentclass{book}
\begin{document}
  Hello world!!
\end{document}

2. Run xelatex file.tex
3. xelatex either hangs entirely or errors with the following logs.

Logs

/miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/initexmf.log

2020-01-06 11:32:41,998Z INFO  initexmf - starting: MiKTeX Configuration Utility 2.9.6975 (MiKTeX 2.9.6980)
2020-01-06 11:32:41,998Z INFO  initexmf - Operating on the private (per-user) MiKTeX setup
2020-01-06 11:32:41,999Z INFO  initexmf - starting with command line: initexmf --dump-by-name=xelatex --engine=xetex
2020-01-06 11:32:41,999Z INFO  initexmf - running: miktex-makefmt --engine=xetex --dest-name=xelatex --no-dump xelatex.ini --miktex-disable-maintenance
2020-01-06 11:32:42,387Z ERROR initexmf - sub-process error output has been saved to '/miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/miktex-makefmt_2020-01-06-113242.out'
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - The executed process did not succeed.
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - Info: exitCode="1", fileName="/usr/bin/miktex-makefmt"
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - Source:
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - Line: 0

/miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/xelatex.log

2020-01-06 11:32:41,998Z INFO  initexmf - starting: MiKTeX Configuration Utility 2.9.6975 (MiKTeX 2.9.6980)
2020-01-06 11:32:41,998Z INFO  initexmf - Operating on the private (per-user) MiKTeX setup
2020-01-06 11:32:41,999Z INFO  initexmf - starting with command line: initexmf --dump-by-name=xelatex --engine=xetex
2020-01-06 11:32:41,999Z INFO  initexmf - running: miktex-makefmt --engine=xetex --dest-name=xelatex --no-dump xelatex.ini --miktex-disable-maintenance
2020-01-06 11:32:42,387Z ERROR initexmf - sub-process error output has been saved to '/miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/miktex-makefmt_2020-01-06-113242.out'
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - The executed process did not succeed.
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - Info: exitCode="1", fileName="/usr/bin/miktex-makefmt"
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - Source:
2020-01-06 11:32:42,404Z FATAL initexmf - Line: 0
root@8677107112f9:/miktex/work# cat  /miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/xelatex.log
2020-01-06 11:32:41,523Z INFO  xelatex - starting with command line: xelatex helloword.tex
2020-01-06 11:32:41,523Z WARN  xelatex - running with administrator privileges
2020-01-06 11:32:41,524Z INFO  xelatex - allowing known shell commands
2020-01-06 11:32:41,524Z INFO  xelatex - enabling input (output) from (to) processes
2020-01-06 11:32:41,528Z INFO  xelatex - going to create file: xelatex.fmt
2020-01-06 11:32:42,419Z ERROR xelatex - /usr/bin/initexmf did not succeed; exitCode: 1
2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z ERROR xelatex - output:
2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z ERROR xelatex - initexmf: warning: Option --admin should be specified when running this program with administrator privileges

Sorry, but "MiKTeX Configuration Utility" did not succeed.

The log file hopefully contains the information to get MiKTeX going again:

  /miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/initexmf.log

2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z FATAL xelatex - The memory dump file could not be found.
2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z FATAL xelatex - Info: fileName="xelatex.fmt"
2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z FATAL xelatex - Source: Libraries/MiKTeX/TeXAndFriends/texmfapp.cpp
2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z FATAL xelatex - Line: 689
2020-01-06 11:32:42,420Z INFO  xelatex - finishing with exit code 1

[stale[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.

[DCRichards]

@edocevoli any thoughts on this?

[tburba]

You didn't include another log file referenced in initexmf.log:

2020-01-06 11:32:42,387Z ERROR initexmf - sub-process error output has been saved to '/miktex/.miktex/texmfs/data/miktex/log/miktex-makefmt_2020-01-06-113242.out'

I recently began seeing similar hangups (though not with xelatex). Basically, some file is not found and a subprocess is asking for an alternative name but the prompt is not seen. Pressing Enter helps to fail earlier.

[stale[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed if no further activity occurs. Thank you for your contributions.