package spamassassin 3.4.2-1 failed to install/upgrade: triggers looping, abandoned

[Mathieu]

Upgrade error during update to Ubuntu 19.04

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 19.04
Package: spamassassin 3.4.2-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.18.0-17.18-generic 4.18.20
Uname: Linux 4.18.0-17-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair
ApportVersion: 2.20.10-0ubuntu27
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Apr 21 11:11:07 2019
ErrorMessage: triggers looping, abandoned
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-09-29 (568 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 17.04 "Zesty Zapus" - Release amd64 (20170412)
PackageArchitecture: all
Python3Details: /usr/bin/python3.7, Python 3.7.3, python3-minimal, 3.7.3-1
PythonDetails: /usr/bin/python2.7, Python 2.7.16, python-minimal, 2.7.16-1
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.19.6ubuntu1
 apt 1.8.0
SourcePackage: spamassassin
Title: package spamassassin 3.4.2-1 failed to install/upgrade: triggers looping, abandoned
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to disco on 2019-04-21 (0 days ago)

Setting up update-notifier-common (3.192.18) ...
dpkg: cycle found while processing triggers:
 chain of packages whose triggers are or may be responsible:
  libgtk2.0-0:amd64 -> libc-bin
 packages' pending triggers which are or may be unresolvable:
  spamassassin: perl-major-upgrade
  dovecot-core: register-dovecot-plugin
  install-info: /usr/share/info
  sgml-base: /usr/share/xml: /usr/share/sgml: update-sgmlcatalog: /etc/sgml
  linux-image-5.0.0-13-generic: linux-update-5.0.0-13-generic
  udev: /lib/udev/hwdb.d
  shared-mime-info: /usr/share/mime/packages
  dbus: /etc/dbus-1/system.d
  ca-certificates: update-ca-certificates
  ureadahead: /etc/init.d: /etc/init
  resolvconf: resolvconf-enable-updates
  systemd: /etc/init.d
  libc-bin: ldconfig
  libgtk2.0-0:amd64: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gtk-2.0/2.10.0/immodules
  dictionaries-common: update-default-ispell: update-default-wordlist: aspell-autobuildhash
  sa-compile: perl-major-upgrade
  hicolor-icon-theme: /usr/share/icons/hicolor
  initramfs-tools: update-initramfs
  mime-support: /usr/share/applications: /usr/lib/mime/packages
  bamfdaemon: gmenucache: /usr/share/applications
dpkg: error processing package spamassassin (--configure):
 triggers looping, abandoned

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

This was not actually a fault in spamassassin but rather dpkg had gotten stuck in a dependency loop, and spamassassin was just the first thing to trip. This was likely fixed by 1828639, I will dupe it up.