Dependency Updates and Release Preparation

[cin]

This PR updates core dependencies and addresses several issues to prepare for the next release.

🔄 Dependency Updates

• Go: Updated to Go 1.24.0 with toolchain 1.24.3
• Redis: Updated Redis version in Node Dockerfile
• Go modules: Updated various Go dependencies in go.mod/go.sum
• GitHub Actions: Added Dependabot configuration for automated dependency management

🏗️ Build & CI Improvements

• Makefile: Fixed architecture handling for multi-platform builds
• Docker: Updated Dockerfiles for metrics, node, and operator components
• GitHub Actions:
  • Updated workflow versions and configurations
  • Fixed e2e test issues by correcting Helm chart paths
  • Added proper Helm setup steps in CI

🧪 Testing & Code Quality

• E2E Tests: Fixed test failures by updating Kind version and adding buildx platform support
• Linting: Resolved various linting issues across the codebase
• Plugin: Updated kubectl-rc plugin functionality
• Code generation: Updated generated CRD and deepcopy files

🔧 Bug Fixes

• Fixed image references in preparation for release
• Resolved warnings in e2e tests
• Fixed potential release workflow issues
• Addressed controller requeue logic issues

📋 Files Changed

• GitHub Actions workflows and Dependabot config
• All Dockerfiles updated
• Core Go modules and dependencies
• Helm charts and CRDs
• kubectl plugin and testing framework
• Controller and Redis management logic

This update brings the project up to current dependency versions while maintaining compatibility and fixing several outstanding issues.