refactor(build): prepare Java 17 and cluster test foundation (1/3) - #3261

Node.js 20 is deprecated. The following actions target Node.js 20 but are being forced to run on Node.js 24: actions/checkout@v4. For more information see: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-19-deprecation-of-node-20-on-github-actions-runners/

Restore cache failed: Some specified paths were not resolved, unable to cache dependencies.