Core Requirements
The build system requires the following packages:Pandoc
Universal document converter that transforms Markdown to PDF via LaTeX
TeX Live
Comprehensive TeX distribution for typesetting and PDF generation
XeTeX
TeX engine with advanced font support for Unicode and modern typography
Ubuntu Fonts
Custom font family used for consistent document appearance
Installation
Debian/Ubuntu Systems
Install all required dependencies with a single command:These packages are available in the standard Debian and Ubuntu repositories.
Package Details
Pandoc
Purpose: Converts Markdown files to PDF using LaTeX as an intermediary format. Minimum Version: The build system requires pandoc version 2.0 or higher. Key Features Used:- LaTeX template support (
--template) - Variable substitution (
-V) - Custom PDF engines (
--pdf-engine)
TeX Live Extra Utils
Purpose: Provides additional utilities for TeX document processing. Package:texlive-extra-utils
Included Tools:
- PDF manipulation utilities
- Document conversion helpers
- Font and graphics utilities
XeTeX
Purpose: Modern TeX engine that supports Unicode and system fonts. Package:texlive-xetex
Why XeTeX?
- Native Unicode support for Spanish characters (á, é, í, ó, ú, ñ)
- Direct use of system fonts (Ubuntu font family)
- Better handling of modern typography
Ubuntu Fonts
Purpose: Provides the Ubuntu font family used throughout all generated PDFs. Package:fonts-ubuntu
Font Family:
- Ubuntu Regular
- Ubuntu Bold
- Ubuntu Italic
- Ubuntu Mono (for code blocks)
Git
Purpose: Version control system for managing source materials. Package:git
Use Cases:
- Cloning the ASIR-ISO repository
- Tracking changes to course materials
- Collaborating with other educators
Additional Dependencies for Trivial Generation
The repository includes a “Trivial” quiz generation system with additional requirements:Trivial generation is optional. If you only need to build the main course materials (theory and tasks), the core dependencies are sufficient.
Verification
Verify that all dependencies are installed correctly:System Requirements
Disk Space
- TeX Live: ~500 MB
- Pandoc: ~50 MB
- Fonts: ~5 MB
- Generated PDFs: Varies by unit (~1-5 MB per PDF)
Operating System
The build system is designed for Debian-based Linux distributions:- Ubuntu 18.04 LTS or later (with pandoc upgrade)
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (recommended)
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Debian 10 (Buster) or later
Troubleshooting
Pandoc Too Old
Problem: Ubuntu 18.04’s pandoc is version 1.x Solution: Install from Ubuntu 19.04 repos or download from GitHub:Missing Fonts
Problem: PDF generation fails with font errors Solution: Rebuild font cache:XeTeX Errors
Problem: Unicode characters not rendering correctly Solution: Ensure texlive-xetex is installed and pandoc uses--pdf-engine=xelatex
Next Steps
With dependencies installed, you’re ready to:- Learn the build scripts - Understand how md-to-pdf.sh works
- Generate your first PDF - Run the build system
- Review the Style Guide - Create properly formatted source materials