test(multichain-testing): stir for no AVA timeout in long awaits

[michaelfig]

refs: #9934

Description

Reviewing the fact that AVA's "default timeout is 10 seconds", if no assertions are made during that timeout, AVA fails the test. The multichain-testing tests encounter this timeout when performing long synchronous calls (such as execFileSync) or awaits (notably during sleeps or during waiting for retry conditions that may take a long time).

Rather than attempting to solve this flake by trial-and-error moving AVA's timeout setting until the tests pass, this PR replaces execFileSync with execFileAsync, and allows the long "safe" awaits (execFileAsync, sleep, delay, retryUntilCondition, etc.) to "stir". That is, the test itself can specify a callback that will be invoked periodically when in a long safe await (that is, it already uses its own timeout/retry system). In those cases, the AVA assertion timeout gets in the way. If the stir callback contains a trivial AVA assertion, that will reset AVA's internal assertion clock to postpone failure by AVA timeout.

Security Considerations

n/a

Scaling Considerations

n/a

Documentation Considerations

n/a

Testing Considerations

A simple test of stirring while sleeping past the AVA timeout shows that this feature works. If this also helps avoid #9934, we should see fewer reports of flaky multichain-e2e tests.

Upgrade Considerations

n/a

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[michaelfig]

Withdrawing. The approach was completely flawed. There is no way to programmatically extend the overall AVA timeout set in config or command line argument.