WIX0352 error when creating a bundle on Windows gitlab CI runner

[jtylka]

Hi, I'm trying to build a bundle using WiX 4.0.2 in a .NET Framework 4.8 docker container to package a few .msi files into a single .exe. Specifically, I want to run this build process in a GitLab CI/CD pipeline on a Windows-docker runner.

The docker image I'm using as a build container is this:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/sdk:4.8-windowsservercore-ltsc2019

RUN dotnet tool install --global wix --version 4.0.2
RUN wix extension add --global WixToolset.Bal.wixext

My Product.wxs file is something like this:

<Wix xmlns="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs" xmlns:bal="http://wixtoolset.org/schemas/v4/wxs/bal">
    <Bundle Name="My Bundle" Version="1.0.0.0" Manufacturer="My Org" UpgradeCode="XXX" DisableModify="yes" DisableRemove="no">
        <BootstrapperApplication>
            <bal:WixStandardBootstrapperApplication LicenseUrl="" LogoFile="build\icon.ico" SuppressOptionsUI="yes" Theme="hyperlinkLicense" />
        </BootstrapperApplication>
        <Chain>
            <MsiPackage SourceFile=".\SourceFiles\Input1.msi" />
            <MsiPackage SourceFile=".\SourceFiles\Input2.msi" />
        </Chain>
    </Bundle>
</Wix>

If I run things locally via this docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  wix-toolset-4-ltsc2019:
    container_name: wix-builder
    image: 'wix-toolset-ltsc2019:4.0.2'
    tty: true
    working_dir: C:\builds\bundle-creator
    entrypoint: powershell
    volumes:
      - ./build:C:\builds\bundle-creator\build
      - ./input:C:\builds\bundle-creator\SourceFiles

and these commands:

docker build -t wix-toolset-ltsc2019:4.0.2 .
docker-compose up -d
docker exec -it wix-builder powershell
wix build build/Product.wxs -ext WixToolset.Bal.wixext

everything builds successfully and I get an output Product.exe and Product.wixpdb.
Note: on my local file system, I have the Product.wxs in the .\build folder and my input Input1.msi and Input2.msi files in the .\input folder. Something like this:

└── bundle-creator
    ├── Dockerfile
    ├── docker-compose.yml
    ├── build
    │   ├── Product.wxs
    │   └── icon.ico
    └── input
        ├── Input1.msi
        └── Input2.msi

What's the Problem

The problem is, when I try to run the exact same process on a Windows kernel 1809 / ltsc2019 gitlab-CI runner,
I get the following errors:

C:\builds\bundle-creator\build\Product.wxs(9) : error WIX0352: Unable to read package '.\SourceFiles\Input1.msi'. The system cannot open the device or file specified.
C:\builds\bundle-creator\build\Product.wxs(10) : error WIX0352: Unable to read package '.\SourceFiles\Input2.msi'. The system cannot open the device or file specified.

(Note: a different error is produced when the files are not found at all -- WIX0103: Cannot find the WixBundlePayload file '.\SourceFiles\Input1.msi'. The following paths were checked: .\SourceFiles\Input1.msi)

What I've Tried so Far

I've already tried checking & granting permissions via

icacls .\SourceFiles /t
icacls .\SourceFiles /grant ContainerAdministrator:WRX /t

but no luck. Anyways the files both already have Full access.

I also thought it might be related to this issue, but upgrading to WiX 4.0.2 didn't make a difference.

System Details

• WiX Version 4.0.2
• .NET Framework 4.8
• Windows Kernel 1809 / ltsc2019
• Base Image: mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/framework/sdk:4.8-windowsservercore-ltsc2019

Request

Any ideas what could be the cause of the difference? Why should it work in a local Windows docker container but fail in a Gitlab CI runner? Any tips or suggestions would be much appreciated!