test: investigate flaky test-child-process-stdio-big-write-end

[refack]

• Version: master
• Platform: arm
• Subsystem: test

1528	parallel/test-child-process-stdio-big-write-end	
duration_ms	120.161
severity	fail
stack	timeout

https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10256/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/

[Trott]

Also, just to make it clear this isn't a one-time fluke:

https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10251/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/console

not ok 1516 parallel/test-child-process-stdio-big-write-end
  ---
  duration_ms: 120.600
  severity: fail
  stack: |-
    timeout

[refack]

And another https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10263/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/tapResults/

[Trott]

Looks to me like this corresponds precisely with switching from mininodes to packetnet (in the hostname for the test server), but I don't know the first thing about when/why/how that happened or what the implications are or if there are significant differences in memory/CPU/etc. /cc @nodejs/build

[Trott]

Given the big in the test name and looking at the test, it sure seems like it could fail if the test runner is insufficiently provisioned, but unlike a lot of tests like that, it doesn't do a check for memory or anything before running and I don't think we've ever had a problem on Raspberry Pi.

Which makes me wonder if it's all about network or something like that?

Also makes me wonder if it belongs in pummel but it sure runs nice and fast on my MacBook, so probably not?

[tniessen]

Another: https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10264/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/console

[Trott]

And all four runs since then too:

• https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10265/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/console
• https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10266/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/console
• https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10267/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/console
• https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10268/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/console

@nodejs/platform-arm

[Trott]

I think this is officially a broken test/platform and not merely flaky/unreliable...

[refack]

Tried to bisect, but even 8.0.0 fails:
https://ci.nodejs.org/job/node-test-commit-arm/10270/nodes=ubuntu1604-arm64/