CI: setup-test-env job takes too much time if a tested commit reference is absent in the gitlab-test repository

Summary

During development GitLab developers may add commits to the gitlab-org/gitlab-test repository (who has appropriate permissions) and add appropriate reference into spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb file. A community developer may fork gitlab-org/gitlab-test repository and add new commits there but if he will forget to up-to-date its fork with the gitlab-org/gitlab-test then CI step setup-test-env goes into an infinite loop whith the messages like

==> Setting up Gitaly...
    Gitaly setup in 0.000163683 seconds...
remote: warning: refname '1942eed5cc108b19c7405106e81fa96125d0be22' is ambiguous.        
remote: Git normally never creates a ref that ends with 40 hex characters        
remote: because it will be ignored when you just specify 40-hex. These refs        
remote: may be created by mistake. For example,        
remote: 
remote:   git checkout -b $br $(git rev-parse ...)        
remote: 
remote: where "$br" is somehow empty and a 40-hex ref is created. Please        
remote: examine these refs and maybe delete them. Turn this message off by        
remote: running "git config advice.objectNameWarning false"        
fatal: update refs/heads/2-mb-file: invalid <newvalue>: bf12d25
fatal: update refs/heads/2-mb-file: invalid <newvalue>: bf12d25
...

Until

/usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1438:in `join': stack level too deep (SystemStackError)
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1126:in `path'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1341:in `block in remove_file'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1346:in `platform_support'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1340:in `remove_file'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1329:in `remove'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:689:in `block in remove_entry'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1379:in `block (2 levels) in postorder_traverse'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1379:in `block (2 levels) in postorder_traverse'
	 ... 10272 levels...
	from /builds/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb:231:in `setup_repo'
	from /builds/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb:213:in `setup_factory_repo'
	from /builds/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb:93:in `init'
	from -e:1:in `<main>'

So, setup-test-env step takes too much time to execute.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Add an inexistent reference to spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb file.
  2. Run rspec spec/lib/gitlab/git/commit_spec.rb, for example. Tests will be run for a long time and finally will fail with the error
/usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1438:in `join': stack level too deep (SystemStackError)
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1126:in `path'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1341:in `block in remove_file'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1346:in `platform_support'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1340:in `remove_file'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1329:in `remove'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:689:in `block in remove_entry'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1379:in `block (2 levels) in postorder_traverse'
	from /usr/local/lib/ruby/2.4.0/fileutils.rb:1379:in `block (2 levels) in postorder_traverse'
	 ... 10272 levels...
	from /builds/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb:231:in `setup_repo'
	from /builds/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb:213:in `setup_factory_repo'
	from /builds/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/spec/support/helpers/test_env.rb:93:in `init'
	from -e:1:in `<main>'

Example Project

Pipeline https://gitlab.com/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/pipelines/27297315. Job https://gitlab.com/ashumkin/gitlab-ce/-/jobs/87256498

What is the current bug behavior?

setup-test-env takes too much time if a tested commit reference is absent in the gitlab-org/gitlab-test repository

What is the expected correct behavior?

setup-test-env takes a reasonable time (with failed tests?) regardless of consistency of gitlab-org/gitlab-test repository

Edited by 🤖 GitLab Bot 🤖