package man-db 2.8.3-2 failed to install/upgrade: triggers looping, abandoned

[Erik Olsen]

Install from Ubuntu 16.04 to 18.04 failed

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: man-db 2.8.3-2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-33.36-generic 4.15.18
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-33-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.2
Architecture: amd64
Date: Tue Aug 28 10:14:47 2018
ErrorMessage: triggers looping, abandoned
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-04-18 (496 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.2 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20170215.2)
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.6, Python 3.6.5, python3-minimal, 3.6.5-3ubuntu1
PythonDetails: /usr/bin/python2.7, Python 2.7.15rc1, python-minimal, 2.7.15~rc1-1
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.0.5ubuntu2
 apt 1.6.3ubuntu0.1
SourcePackage: man-db
Title: package man-db 2.8.3-2 failed to install/upgrade: triggers looping, abandoned
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to bionic on 2018-08-28 (0 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

dpkg: cycle found while processing triggers:
 chain of packages whose triggers are or may be responsible:
  libglib2.0-0:amd64 -> libglib2.0-0:i386
 packages' pending triggers which are or may be unresolvable:
  man-db: /usr/share/man
  libglib2.0-0:i386: /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas
  libglib2.0-0:amd64: /usr/share/glib-2.0/schemas

man-db is only tangentially involved here, so I think the bug-reporting machinery picked the wrong package. This is probably a bug in dpkg.