Retry transient fake Frame package downloads

docs/evidence/fakeframe-package-retry-2026-10-26.md

@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Fake Frame package download retry, 26 October 2026
+
+The ARM64 fake Frame container sometimes fails before project tests start.
+Valve's `holo-packages.steamos.cloud` returned package responses with **164
+bytes missing** during the `pacman -Syu` layer in
+`tests/fakeframe/Containerfile`:
+
+| Run | Package and outcome |
+| --- | --- |
+| [v0.4.44 candidate checks](https://github.com/saphid/frame-control/actions/runs/40296431563) | `iptables` download truncated; a failed-only rerun passed on the unchanged PR head. |
+| [PR #316 checks](https://github.com/saphid/frame-control/actions/runs/40298316496) | `c-ares` download truncated before e2e tests. |
+| [PR #318 checks](https://github.com/saphid/frame-control/actions/runs/40301478955) | First attempt truncated `iptables`; failed-only rerun on the unchanged documentation head truncated `rsync`. The six other jobs passed. |
+
+The fake Frame image now retries that package transaction at most five times,
+with a two-second delay after each failed attempt except the last. A fifth
+failure still fails the build. The end-to-end tests and their assertions are
+unchanged. This retry affects only the fake Frame test image; it does not
+change a real headset or the released application.
+
+Exact-head hosted CI must pass before this change is merged. A successful
+container build would show that at least one package attempt completed; it
+would not establish that Valve's package service is permanently healthy.

tests/fakeframe/Containerfile

@@ -10,8 +10,13 @@ ARG BASE=archlinux:base
 FROM ${BASE}
 
 RUN (pacman-key --init && pacman-key --populate) >/dev/null 2>&1; \
-    pacman -Syu --noconfirm --needed openssh rsync python nodejs curl iproute2 procps-ng util-linux \
-    && pacman -Scc --noconfirm
+    attempts=0; \
+    until pacman -Syu --noconfirm --needed openssh rsync python nodejs curl iproute2 procps-ng util-linux; do \
+      attempts=$((attempts + 1)); \
+      [ "$attempts" -lt 5 ] || exit 1; \
+      sleep 2; \
+    done; \
+    pacman -Scc --noconfirm
 
 # The Frame's user is steamos (docs/ssh.md). Its password stands in for the
 # Developer Mode password.