ci: download SQL Server media before installing Windows features (#2504)

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Signed-off-by: Jan-Otto Kröpke <mail@jkroepke.de>

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -355,6 +355,12 @@ jobs:
           key: sql-server-2025-express-fa7e1fabc9a2-${{ runner.os }}
 
       # Steps that do not register services run in the background while Windows features install.
+      - name: Download SQL Server media
+        id: download-mssql
+        background: true
+        shell: powershell
+        run: ./tools/setup-sql-server.ps1 -DownloadOnly
+
       - name: Install FreeRDP client
         id: install-freerdp
         background: true
@@ -528,6 +534,10 @@ jobs:
           )
           Set-Content -Path $installer -Value $installerContent -Encoding utf8
 
+      # Downloads stall once the DNS Server role is installed, so finish them first.
+      - name: Wait for downloads
+        wait: [download-mssql, install-freerdp, download-container-prereqs]
+
       # Install every Windows feature in one foreground step. Steps that register
       # services, such as SQL Server setup, New-Cluster, and containerd, start only
       # afterwards: changing service configuration during the install aborts its
@@ -617,9 +627,6 @@ jobs:
           Get-ClusterNode | Format-Table Name, State, NodeWeight, DynamicWeight
           Get-ClusterNetwork | Format-Table Name, State, Role, Address
 
-      - name: Wait for container prerequisites
-        wait: [download-container-prereqs]
-
       - name: Prepare container runtime
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
@@ -899,9 +906,6 @@ jobs:
               throw "Static pods did not reach Running state"
           }
 
-      - name: Wait for FreeRDP client
-        wait: [install-freerdp]
-
       - parallel:
           - name: Setup local RDP session
             shell: powershell

tools/setup-sql-server.ps1

@@ -1,6 +1,22 @@
 # Install a real Database Engine instance; LocalDB does not expose server counters.
+# CI runs -DownloadOnly before installing the DNS Server role, which breaks
+# downloads, and the installation after all Windows features are installed.
+param([switch]$DownloadOnly)
+
 $ErrorActionPreference = "Stop"
 
+# Run an installer and fail instead of hanging when it does not finish in time.
+function Invoke-Installer([string]$FilePath, [string[]]$ArgumentList, [int]$TimeoutMinutes) {
+    $process = Start-Process $FilePath -ArgumentList $ArgumentList -PassThru
+    # Windows PowerShell only reports ExitCode if the handle was read before exit.
+    $null = $process.Handle
+    if (-not $process.WaitForExit($TimeoutMinutes * 60 * 1000)) {
+        Stop-Process -Id $process.Id -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        throw "$(Split-Path $FilePath -Leaf) did not finish within $TimeoutMinutes minutes"
+    }
+    return $process.ExitCode
+}
+
 $mediaDir = Join-Path $env:RUNNER_TEMP "sql-server"
 New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $mediaDir | Out-Null
 $setupDir = Join-Path $mediaDir "setup"
@@ -18,20 +34,20 @@ if (-not (Test-Path (Join-Path $setupDir "setup.exe"))) {
 
     $media = Join-Path $mediaDir "SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe"
     foreach ($attempt in 1..3) {
-        $download = Start-Process $installer -Wait -PassThru `
+        $exitCode = Invoke-Installer $installer -TimeoutMinutes 10 `
             -ArgumentList "/ACTION=Download", "/MEDIATYPE=Core", "/QUIET", "/MEDIAPATH=$mediaDir"
-        if ($download.ExitCode -eq 0 -and (Test-Path $media)) { break }
-        if ($attempt -eq 3) { throw "SQL Server media download failed: $($download.ExitCode)" }
-        Write-Warning "SQL Server media download attempt $attempt failed: $($download.ExitCode)"
+        if ($exitCode -eq 0 -and (Test-Path $media)) { break }
+        if ($attempt -eq 3) { throw "SQL Server media download failed: $exitCode" }
+        Write-Warning "SQL Server media download attempt $attempt failed: $exitCode"
         Start-Sleep -Seconds 10
     }
 
-    $extract = Start-Process $media -Wait -PassThru `
-        -ArgumentList "/Q", "/X:$setupDir"
-    if ($extract.ExitCode -ne 0) {
-        throw "SQL Server media extraction failed: $($extract.ExitCode)"
+    $exitCode = Invoke-Installer $media -ArgumentList "/Q", "/X:$setupDir" -TimeoutMinutes 10
+    if ($exitCode -ne 0) {
+        throw "SQL Server media extraction failed: $exitCode"
     }
 }
+if ($DownloadOnly) { return }
 
 # Azure runners can expose sectors larger than SQL Server's supported 4 KB.
 # Keep every instance file on a disk with a known, compatible sector size.