Skip to main content

Prerequisites & System Overview

Before diving into the hands-on exercises, let's ensure your environment is properly set up and understand the system architecture we'll be working with.

Software Prerequisites​

✅ Required Software​

  1. Docker Desktop (Latest version - 4.46.0)

    • Windows: Docker Desktop for Windows
    • macOS: Docker Desktop for Mac
    • Linux: Docker Engine + Docker Compose

  2. Git (for cloning repositories)

  3. Web Browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

🔧 Verification Commands​

Run these commands to verify your setup:

# Check Docker version
docker --version

# Check Docker Compose version
docker compose version

# Verify Docker is running
docker ps

# Check available system resources
docker system info

Enable Docker Model Runner​

Open Docker Desktop Settings > AI > “Docker Model Runner” is enabled.

Download AI models​

docker model pull ai/llama3.2:1B-Q8_0
docker model pull ai/mistral:7B-Q4_0
docker model pull hf.co/menlo/lucy-gguf:q8_0
docker model pull hf.co/menlo/jan-nano-gguf:q4_k_m

API Requirements​

Cerebras API Setup​

  1. Create Account: Visit https://cloud.cerebras.ai/
  2. Get API Key: Navigate to API section and generate a key
  3. Verify Access: Test API connectivity (we'll do this together)

Note: Cerebras offers a generous free tier for testing and learning. You won't need to provide payment information for this workshop.

Pre-flight Checklist​

Before proceeding to the next section, ensure you have:

  • Docker Desktop installed and running
  • Cerebras API account created and key obtained
  • At least 16GB RAM available
  • Stable internet connection
  • Basic understanding of Docker concepts
  • Terminal/command prompt access

Next Steps​

Great! Now that you have verified your prerequisites, you're ready to start building. In the next section, you'll clone the repository and begin the deployment process.

The exciting hands-on work begins now! 🚀