Bug#915830: busybox: cp: failed to access '/var/tmp/mkinitramfs_h8da2B//usr/bin/busybox': Too many levels of symbolic links

[Chris Lamb <lamby@debian.org>]

Package: busybox
Version: 1:1.27.2-3
Severity: important

Hi,

Since a few days ago I am getting:

  $ sudo update-initramfs -u -k all -v                   
  Available versions: 4.18.0-2-amd64
  Execute: /usr/sbin/update-initramfs -u -k "4.18.0-2-amd64" -b /boot -v
  Keeping /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-2-amd64.dpkg-bak
  update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-2-amd64
  Copying module directory kernel/drivers/usb/host
  (excluding hwa-hc.ko sl811_cs.ko sl811-hcd.ko u132-hcd.ko whci-hcd.ko)
  Adding module /lib/modules/4.18.0-2-amd64/kernel/drivers/usb/common/usb-common.ko
  Adding module /lib/modules/4.18.0-2-amd64/kernel/drivers/usb/core/usbcore.ko
  […]
  Calling hook udev
  Adding binary /lib/systemd/systemd-udevd
  Adding library-link /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libkmod.so.2
  Adding library /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libkmod.so.2.3.3
  Adding library-link /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libacl.so.1
  Adding library /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libacl.so.1.1.0
  Adding library-link /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libattr.so.1
  Adding library /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libattr.so.1.1.0
  Adding binary /bin/udevadm
  Adding binary /lib/udev/ata_id
  Adding binary /lib/udev/scsi_id
  Adding binary /sbin/blkid
  Calling hook zz-busybox
  Adding binary-link /bin/busybox
  Adding binary /usr/bin/busybox
  cp: failed to access '/var/tmp/mkinitramfs_mSMoqa//usr/bin/busybox': Too many levels of symbolic links
  E: /usr/share/initramfs-tools/hooks/zz-busybox failed with return 1.
  Removing /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-2-amd64.dpkg-bak
  update-initramfs: failed for /boot/initrd.img-4.18.0-2-amd64 with 1.

Adding a few debugging statements shows that:

  /var/tmp/mkinitramfs_mSMoqa/usr/bin/busybox -> busybox

If it helps:
  
  $ ls -l /usr/bin | grep busybox     
  -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root       654,048 2018-07-13 05:19 busybox

  $ ls -l /bin | grep busybox                        
  lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root      16 2018-11-26 17:23 busybox -> /usr/bin/busybox

Any ideas? Sounds very usrmerge related...  Setting severity to
"important" as I'm a little worried to reboot. :)


Best wishes,

-- 
      ,''`.
     : :'  :     Chris Lamb
     `. `'`      lamby@debian.org / chris-lamb.co.uk
       `-