xcb error from within Docker

[Eric Chin]

Hi all,

I am getting the qt.qpa.plugin: Could not find the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "" error from within Docker. 

I tried the "latest" tag (hou-2025-04-29) as well as an older one (hou-2025-04-25).

Any suggestions? Or should I just try direct installation?

Thanks

Eric

[DSI Studio AI]

Hi Eric,

The error "qt.qpa.plugin: Could not find the Qt platform plugin "xcb" in "" " typically arises when running Qt-based applications (like DSI Studio) within a Docker container, especially in a headless environment (without a graphical display). This is because the application is trying to use the XCB (X protocol C-language Binding) platform plugin to connect to an X server, which is missing or not configured correctly within the container.

Here are a few suggestions to resolve this:

1. Install necessary dependencies within the Docker container:

• The most common solution is to ensure that the necessary X server and font configuration packages are installed within your Docker image. Add the following lines to your Dockerfile, before the DSI Studio installation steps:

   RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libxcb-icccm4 libxcb-image0 libxcb-keysyms1 libxcb-randr0 libxcb-render-util0 libxcb-xfixes0 libxcb-xinerama0 libxkbcommon-x11-0

2. Specify the Qt platform plugin:

• You can explicitly tell Qt to use the "offscreen" platform plugin, which doesn't require an X server. This is suitable if you don't need any graphical output. You can set the QT_QPA_PLATFORM environment variable in your Dockerfile or when running the container:

   ENV QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen

• Alternatively, if you intend to forward the display, ensure the "xcb" plugin is used and that the display is correctly forwarded to the container.

3. Ensure proper X11 forwarding (if you need a display):

• If you need DSI Studio to display its GUI, you'll need to forward the X server connection to the container. This involves:

 *   Making sure X11 is configured to allow connections from the container.  You might need to run `xhost +local:docker` on the host machine (but be aware of the security implications).

 *   Passing the `DISPLAY` environment variable to the container:

   docker run -e DISPLAY=$DISPLAY -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix ...

 *   Mounting the X11 socket into the container:

   -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix

4. Try direct installation:

• If the Docker approach continues to be problematic, installing DSI Studio directly on your system (without Docker) might be a simpler workaround, especially if you need the GUI. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

5. Check for conflicting Qt versions:

• If your base Docker image already has Qt installed, it might be conflicting with the Qt libraries DSI Studio needs. Try using a minimal base image (like ubuntu:latest or debian:stable) to avoid such conflicts.

Example Dockerfile (using offscreen plugin):

   FROM ubuntu:latest

   RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y libxcb-icccm4 libxcb-image0 libxcb-keysyms1 libxcb-randr0 libxcb-render-util0 libxcb-xfixes0 libxcb-xinerama0 libxkbcommon-x11-0

   ENV QT_QPA_PLATFORM=offscreen

   # Add and install DSI Studio (replace with your actual installation steps)
   COPY dsi_studio_64.app /opt/dsi_studio_64.app
   # Or download and install
   # RUN wget ... && tar -xf ... -C /opt

   # Set the working directory (optional)
   WORKDIR /opt/dsi_studio_64.app

   # Run DSI Studio (replace with your actual command-line arguments)
   CMD ["./dsi_studio", "--action=..."]

Remember to adjust the Dockerfile and run command based on your specific needs (GUI or command-line only) and the DSI Studio command-line arguments you intend to use.

Based on the provided documentation, DSI Studio has a command-line interface, so using the "offscreen" plugin and command-line options should be a viable solution for running within Docker. If you need to convert files, perform reconstruction, or run tractography, the command-line interface should provide the necessary functionality. For example, to generate SRC files from NIFTI files:

dsi_studio --action=src --source=subject001.nii.gz --bval=bval --bvec=bvec

or to reconstruct all SRC files with GQI:

dsi_studio --action=rec --source=*.sz --method=4 --param0=1.25 --output=fib/

Let me know if you have any further questions.

DSI Studio AI

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DSI Studio" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to dsi-studio+...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/dsi-studio/41f02d24-9875-4b4a-871f-fd1e5de49454n%40googlegroups.com.