package update-notifier-common 3.168.4 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1

[Alexey]

I tried to upgrade my system on Ubuntu 16.04.2 with `aptitude full-apgrade`, but it returned error exit status:

    § sudo aptitude full-upgrade
    [sudo] password for alexey:
    The following packages will be upgraded:
      chromium-browser chromium-browser-l10n chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra
      libmysqlclient20 libmysqlclient20:i386 mysql-common
      python3-update-manager update-manager update-manager-core update-notifier
      update-notifier-common
    11 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
    Need to get 70,5 MB of archives. After unpacking 22,2 MB will be used.
    Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?]
    Get: 1 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64 chromium-browser-l10n all 57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276 [3 387 kB]
    Get: 2 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64 chromium-browser amd64 57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276 [63,7 MB]
    Get: 3 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/universe amd64 chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra amd64 57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276 [993 kB]
    Get: 4 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 update-notifier amd64 3.168.4 [48,0 kB]
    Get: 5 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 update-manager all 1:16.04.6 [543 kB]
    Get: 6 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 update-manager-core all 1:16.04.6 [5 332 B]
    Get: 7 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 python3-update-manager all 1:16.04.6 [31,7 kB]
    Get: 8 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 update-notifier-common all 3.168.4 [165 kB]
    Get: 9 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 mysql-common all 5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 [15,7 kB]
    Get: 10 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main i386 libmysqlclient20 i386 5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 [795 kB]
    Get: 11 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 libmysqlclient20 amd64 5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2 [811 kB]
    Fetched 70,5 MB in 37s (1 903 kB/s)
    (Reading database ... 340004 files and directories currently installed.)
    Preparing to unpack .../chromium-browser-l10n_57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276_all.deb ...
    Unpacking chromium-browser-l10n (57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276) over (56.0.2924.76-0ubuntu0.16.04.1268) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../chromium-browser_57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276_amd64.deb ...
    Unpacking chromium-browser (57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276) over (56.0.2924.76-0ubuntu0.16.04.1268) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra_57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276_amd64.deb ...
    Unpacking chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra (57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276) over (56.0.2924.76-0ubuntu0.16.04.1268) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../update-notifier_3.168.4_amd64.deb ...
    Unpacking update-notifier (3.168.4) over (3.168.3) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../update-manager_1%3a16.04.6_all.deb ...
    Unpacking update-manager (1:16.04.6) over (1:16.04.5) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../update-manager-core_1%3a16.04.6_all.deb ...
    Unpacking update-manager-core (1:16.04.6) over (1:16.04.5) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../python3-update-manager_1%3a16.04.6_all.deb ...
    Unpacking python3-update-manager (1:16.04.6) over (1:16.04.5) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../update-notifier-common_3.168.4_all.deb ...
    Unpacking update-notifier-common (3.168.4) over (3.168.3) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../mysql-common_5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2_all.deb ...
    Unpacking mysql-common (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) over (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.1) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../libmysqlclient20_5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2_i386.deb ...
    De-configuring libmysqlclient20:amd64 (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.1) ...
    Unpacking libmysqlclient20:i386 (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) over (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.1) ...
    Preparing to unpack .../libmysqlclient20_5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2_amd64.deb ...
    Unpacking libmysqlclient20:amd64 (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) over (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.1) ...
    Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils (0.22-1ubuntu5.1) ...
    Processing triggers for gnome-menus (3.13.3-6ubuntu3.1) ...
    Processing triggers for mime-support (3.59ubuntu1) ...
    Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.5-1) ...
    Processing triggers for hicolor-icon-theme (0.15-0ubuntu1) ...
    Processing triggers for libglib2.0-0:i386 (2.48.2-0ubuntu1) ...
    Processing triggers for libglib2.0-0:amd64 (2.48.2-0ubuntu1) ...
    Processing triggers for gconf2 (3.2.6-3ubuntu6) ...
    Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.23-0ubuntu7) ...
    Setting up chromium-codecs-ffmpeg-extra (57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276) ...
    Setting up chromium-browser (57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276) ...
    Setting up chromium-browser-l10n (57.0.2987.98-0ubuntu0.16.04.1276) ...
    Setting up python3-update-manager (1:16.04.6) ...
    Setting up update-manager-core (1:16.04.6) ...
    Setting up update-notifier-common (3.168.4) ...
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "/usr/lib/update-notifier/package-data-downloader", line 24, in <module>
        import debian.deb822
      File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/debian/deb822.py", line 47, in <module>
        import six
    ImportError: No module named 'six'
    dpkg: error processing package update-notifier-common (--configure):
     subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
    dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of update-notifier:
     update-notifier depends on update-notifier-common (= 3.168.4); however:
      Package update-notifier-common is not configured yet.

    dpkg: error processing package update-notifier (--configure):
     dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
    dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of update-manager:
     update-manager depends on update-notifier; however:
      Package update-notifier is not configured yet.

    dpkg: error processing package update-manager (--configure):
     dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
    Setting up mysql-common (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) ...
    No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                              No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
                                                        Setting up libmysqlclient20:amd64 (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) ...
    Setting up libmysqlclient20:i386 (5.7.17-0ubuntu0.16.04.2) ...
    Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.23-0ubuntu7) ...
    Errors were encountered while processing:
     update-notifier-common
     update-notifier
     update-manager
    E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
    Failed to perform requested operation on package. Trying to recover:
    Setting up update-notifier-common (3.168.4) ...
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "/usr/lib/update-notifier/package-data-downloader", line 24, in <module>
        import debian.deb822
      File "/usr/lib/python3/dist-packages/debian/deb822.py", line 47, in <module>
        import six
    ImportError: No module named 'six'
    dpkg: error processing package update-notifier-common (--configure):
     subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
    dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of update-notifier:
     update-notifier depends on update-notifier-common (= 3.168.4); however:
      Package update-notifier-common is not configured yet.

    dpkg: error processing package update-notifier (--configure):
     dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
    dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of update-manager:
     update-manager depends on update-notifier; however:
      Package update-notifier is not configured yet.

    dpkg: error processing package update-manager (--configure):
     dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
    Errors were encountered while processing:
     update-notifier-common
     update-notifier
     update-manager

    Current status: 0 (-11) upgradable.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: update-notifier-common 3.168.4
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.8.0-46.49~16.04.1-generic 4.8.17
Uname: Linux 4.8.0-46-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.5
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Apr 6 10:31:01 2017
ErrorMessage: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-02-17 (47 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 16.04.1 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160720)
PackageArchitecture: all
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.1
 apt 1.2.19
SourcePackage: update-notifier
Title: package update-notifier-common 3.168.4 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Alexey (alexey-muranov)]

The problem seems resolved after i manually installed Python 3 `six` package with

    sudo -H pip3 install six

I find it strange that i had to do it manually.

[Alexey (alexey-muranov)]

I recall now that i had had some problem with some Python package before and i did

    sudo rm -r /usr/local/lib/python3.5

So maybe this issue is not valid...

[fuhrysteve (fuhrysteve)]

Slightly different way of going about the same thing as comment #2:

    sudo -H python3.5 -m pip install -U six

I needed to call python3.5 explicitly since I have a newer version of python (3.6) installed, however update-notifier seems to be using the system-level install of python3.5.