Troubleshooting Serverless Observability Test Failures In Kibana

by StackCamp Team 65 views

Have you ever encountered a frustrating test failure in your Kibana serverless observability setup? You're not alone! These kinds of issues can be tricky, especially when dealing with the complexities of serverless environments. This article will break down a common test failure, walk you through the error message, and provide practical steps to diagnose and resolve the problem. Let's dive in and get those tests passing, guys!

Understanding the TimeoutError

Let's start by taking a closer look at the error message:

TimeoutError: Waiting for element to be located By(css selector, [data-test-subj*="title-update-action"])
Wait timed out after 10035ms
    at /opt/buildkite-agent/builds/bk-agent-prod-gcp-1760607820943253078/elastic/kibana-on-merge/kibana/node_modules/selenium-webdriver/lib/webdriver.js:929:22
    at processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:105:5) {
  remoteStacktrace: ''
}

This TimeoutError indicates that the test was unable to locate a specific element on the page within the allotted time (10035ms in this case). The element it's looking for is identified by the CSS selector [data-test-subj*="title-update-action"]. This selector suggests that the test is trying to interact with an element related to updating the title of a case in the serverless observability UI.

Why is this happening? There could be several reasons:

  • Element Not Loading: The element might not be loading on the page due to a slow network connection, a problem with the serverless function, or a bug in the UI code.
  • Incorrect CSS Selector: The CSS selector itself might be incorrect, meaning the test is looking for an element that doesn't exist or has a different identifier.
  • Timing Issues: The test might be trying to interact with the element before it's fully rendered on the page. This is a common problem in asynchronous web applications.
  • Serverless Function Issues: An issue with a serverless function that populates data for the case view could prevent the title-update element from rendering.

Understanding these potential causes is the first step in effectively troubleshooting the failure. We need to dig deeper to pinpoint the exact reason.

Dissecting the Test Case: Serverless Observability Cases and Rules Functional Tests

The test that failed is specifically located within the x-pack/solutions/observability/test/serverless/functional/test_suites/cases/view_case.ts file. This tells us a few important things:

  • Focus Area: The test focuses on the Cases and Rules functionality within the serverless observability UI.
  • Specific Scenario: It's testing the "Case View" properties, specifically the ability to edit a case title from the case view page. This gives us a very specific area to investigate.
  • Serverless Context: The "serverless" directory in the path highlights that this test is designed to run in a serverless environment, which adds a layer of complexity to the debugging process. We need to consider the unique challenges of serverless architectures, such as cold starts and potential latency issues.

Knowing the exact test case helps us narrow down the scope of the problem. We can now focus our efforts on the code related to editing case titles in the serverless observability UI.

Strategies for Diagnosing the Failure

Okay, guys, let's get practical. We've identified the error and the test case. Now, what steps can we take to diagnose the root cause?

  1. Reproduce the Error Locally: The first and most crucial step is to try and reproduce the error on your local development environment. This allows you to debug the code more easily and isolate the issue. If you can't reproduce it locally, it might be related to the specific environment in the CI/CD pipeline.
  2. Inspect the UI: Manually navigate to the Case View page in your Kibana instance and try to edit the title. Use your browser's developer tools to inspect the elements and verify that the [data-test-subj*="title-update-action"] element exists and is rendered correctly. This will help you rule out UI rendering issues.
  3. Check Network Requests: While inspecting the UI, monitor the network requests in the developer tools. Look for any failed requests or slow responses that might be preventing the element from loading. Pay close attention to requests related to fetching case data or updating case titles.
  4. Examine Kibana Logs: Kibana's logs can provide valuable insights into the server-side behavior. Look for any error messages or warnings that might be related to the test failure. Filter the logs by timestamp to focus on the time when the test failed.
  5. Debug the Test Code: If you're comfortable with TypeScript and the testing framework used in Kibana, step through the test code using a debugger. This will allow you to see exactly what the test is doing and where it's failing. Pay attention to any asynchronous operations or promises that might be causing timing issues.
  6. Review Serverless Function Logs: If the case data is being fetched or updated by a serverless function, check the logs for that function. Look for any errors, exceptions, or performance issues that might be affecting the UI.
  7. Increase Timeout: As a temporary workaround, you could try increasing the timeout value in the test. However, this is just a band-aid solution and doesn't address the underlying problem. It's important to find the root cause and fix it properly.
  8. Check for Recent Code Changes: Review the recent code changes in the x-pack/solutions/observability directory, especially those related to Cases and Rules. It's possible that a recent change introduced a bug that's causing the test failure.

By systematically working through these steps, you'll be well on your way to identifying the root cause of the problem.

Resolving the TimeoutError: Practical Steps

Once you've diagnosed the issue, you can take steps to resolve it. Here are some common solutions for the TimeoutError we're dealing with:

  • Address Timing Issues: If the element isn't loading in time, you might need to add explicit waits in your test code. This involves waiting for a specific condition to be met (e.g., an element to be visible) before interacting with it. Selenium WebDriver provides several methods for implementing waits, such as WebDriverWait and ExpectedConditions.

    const { By, Key, until } = require('selenium-webdriver');
const driver = // your WebDriver instance
const wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10000); // Wait up to 10 seconds

// Wait for the title-update-action element to be present
const titleUpdateElement = await wait.until(
    until.elementLocated(By.css('[data-test-subj*=