package php7.0-common 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 128

[Gavin Fleming]

This error occurred during an automatic update by the software updater. Afterwards, when I ran apt-get update and upgrade via cli, it worked fine.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: php7.0-common 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-31.50-generic 4.4.13
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-31-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Aug 3 09:39:53 2016
DpkgHistoryLog:
 Start-Date: 2016-08-03 09:39:42
 Commandline: aptdaemon role='role-commit-packages' sender=':1.295'
 Upgrade: php7.0-cli:amd64 (7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2), php7.0-opcache:amd64 (7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2), php7.0-common:amd64 (7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2), atom:amd64 (1.8.0-1~webupd8~0, 1.9.0-1~webupd8~0), php7.0-json:amd64 (7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2), php7.0-readline:amd64 (7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2), php7.0-xml:amd64 (7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.1, 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2)
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 128
InstallationDate: Installed on 2012-09-18 (1414 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Release amd64 (20120823.1)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.1
 apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1
SourcePackage: php7.0
Title: package php7.0-common 7.0.8-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 128
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-05-06 (88 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Nish Aravamudan (nacc)]

Thank you for reporting this bug. It is similar to other bugs we've received along the upgrade path. I need to try and reproduce this, but we suspect it's something with one of the various debconf frontends not handling the GUI properly (as the underlying error seems to be essentially debconf saying it received no input).

I'm glad running the cli tools resolved the issue for you, that is probably an appropriate workaround for now, until someone is able to reliably reproduce the issue.