apt upgrade fails with an error

[Antropoceno Silva]

Running now lubuntu 20.04 daily image.

While doing sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade this error encountered.
----------------
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic
cp: cannot create regular file '/var/tmp/mkinitramfs_y1HXSr/usr/share/plymouth/themes/spinner/watermark.png': No such file or directory
E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/plymouth failed with return 1.
update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic with 1.
dpkg: error processing package initramfs-tools (--configure):
 installed initramfs-tools package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 initramfs-tools
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
-------------

This happened yesterday and today.

Please look into this error.

[Antropoceno Silva (user392)]

It also happens here.

user@laptop:/$ sudo apt upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Setting up initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic
cp: cannot create regular file '/var/tmp/mkinitramfs_fmVQNe/usr/share/plymouth/themes/spinner/watermark.png': No such file or directory
E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/plymouth failed with return 1.
update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic with 1.
dpkg: error processing package initramfs-tools (--configure):
 installed initramfs-tools package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 initramfs-tools
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
user@laptop:/$

[Matthew Miller (matt-dwg05)]

Same issue on kubuntu 20.04 updating from yesterday's daily image:

Hit:1 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal InRelease
Hit:2 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-security InRelease
Hit:3 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-updates InRelease
Hit:4 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu focal-backports InRelease
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
All packages are up to date.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
Setting up initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic
cp: cannot create regular file '/var/tmp/mkinitramfs_6cNpmB/usr/share/plymouth/themes/spinner/watermark.png': No such file or directory
E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/plymouth failed with return 1.
update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic with 1.
dpkg: error processing package initramfs-tools (--configure):
 installed initramfs-tools package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 initramfs-tools
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[Chris Guiver (guiverc)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please execute the following command only once, as it will automatically gather debugging information, in a terminal:

apport-collect 1866425

When reporting bugs in the future please use apport by using 'ubuntu-bug' and the name of the package affected. You can learn more about this functionality at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs.

(This can only be performed by original poster to this bug).

I tried to replicate this using [2020-03-05 16:52:57 ISO] Lubuntu 20.04 daily and was unable to. I also tried installed systems (QA-test installs using said ISO] and didn't have the issue. Because `ubuntu-bug` wasn't used to file bug, I cannot see the ISO you used in your testing (which may have differed, apport-collect will gather that information).

[Antropoceno Silva (user392)]

I applied a workaround mentioned in bug #1866377, and this fixed the problem:

user@laptop:/$ sudo apt purge --reinstall plymouth
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  libplymouth5 shimmer-themes xubuntu-wallpapers
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  lightdm* plymouth* plymouth-label* plymouth-theme-ubuntu-text* plymouth-theme-xubuntu-logo* plymouth-theme-xubuntu-text* xubuntu-artwork* xubuntu-core* xubuntu-default-settings*
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 9 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
1 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 2.450 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
(Reading database ... 242908 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing xubuntu-core (2.233) ...
Removing lightdm (1.30.0-0ubuntu3.1) ...
Removing xubuntu-default-settings (20.04) ...
Removing xubuntu-artwork (20.04) ...
update-alternatives: using /etc/newt/palette.ubuntu to provide /etc/newt/palette (newt-palette) in auto mode
Removing plymouth-theme-xubuntu-text (20.04) ...
update-alternatives: using /usr/share/plymouth/themes/ubuntu-text/ubuntu-text.plymouth to provide /usr/share/plymouth/themes/text.plymouth (text.plymouth) in auto mode
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Removing plymouth-theme-xubuntu-logo (20.04) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Removing plymouth-label (0.9.4git20200109-0ubuntu6) ...
Removing plymouth-theme-ubuntu-text (0.9.4git20200109-0ubuntu6) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Removing plymouth (0.9.4git20200109-0ubuntu6) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Setting up initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: deferring update (trigger activated)
Processing triggers for libglib2.0-0:i386 (2.64.0-1) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.9.1-1) ...
Processing triggers for libglib2.0-0:amd64 (2.64.0-1) ...
(Reading database ... 242603 files and directories currently installed.)
Purging configuration files for xubuntu-artwork (20.04) ...
Purging configuration files for plymouth (0.9.4git20200109-0ubuntu6) ...
Purging configuration files for plymouth-theme-ubuntu-text (0.9.4git20200109-0ubuntu6) ...
Purging configuration files for xubuntu-default-settings (20.04) ...
Purging configuration files for lightdm (1.30.0-0ubuntu3.1) ...
dpkg: warning: while removing lightdm, directory '/var/lib/lightdm-data' not empty so not removed
Processing triggers for systemd (244.3-1ubuntu1) ...
Processing triggers for dbus (1.12.16-2ubuntu2) ...
Processing triggers for initramfs-tools (0.136ubuntu1) ...
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-5.4.0-14-generic
I: The initramfs will attempt to resume from /dev/dm-2
I: (/dev/mapper/vgxubuntu-swap_1)
I: Set the RESUME variable to override this.
user@laptop:/$

[Muhammed Hussein Karimi (mhkarimi1383)]

I do some work on it and it was a problem in mounting root fs that was in log and now I think we need to fix some files or reinstall update. or something didn't installed correctly.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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