Comment 9 for bug 1702823

# Before upgrade
./test.sh
              accounts-daemon.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                          atd.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         cron.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         dbus.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                       iscsid.service : Tasks: 2 (limit: 4915)
                       polkit.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                      rsyslog.service : Tasks: 4 (limit: 4915)
                        snapd.service : Tasks: 9 (limit: 4915)
                          ssh.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-journald.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
               systemd-logind.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-resolved.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
              accounts-daemon.service :
                          atd.service :
                         cron.service :
                         dbus.service :
                       iscsid.service :
                       polkit.service :
                      rsyslog.service :
                        snapd.service :
                          ssh.service :
             systemd-journald.service :
               systemd-logind.service :
             systemd-resolved.service :
              accounts-daemon.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                          atd.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         cron.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         dbus.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                       iscsid.service : Tasks: 2 (limit: 4915)
                       polkit.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                      rsyslog.service : Tasks: 4 (limit: 4915)
                        snapd.service : Tasks: 9 (limit: 4915)
                          ssh.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-journald.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
               systemd-logind.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-resolved.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)

# Confirmed still failing

# Upgrade install
root@zesty-test:~# vim /etc/apt/sources.list
root@zesty-test:~# apt update
Hit:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty InRelease
Hit:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-updates InRelease
Hit:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-backports InRelease
Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed InRelease [240 kB]
Hit:5 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-security InRelease
Get:6 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/universe Sources [15.7 kB]
Get:7 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main Sources [12.4 kB]
Get:8 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main amd64 Packages [22.2 kB]
Get:9 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main Translation-en [13.7 kB]
Get:10 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/universe amd64 Packages [27.4 kB]
Get:11 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/universe Translation-en [16.8 kB]
Fetched 349 kB in 0s (565 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
29 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.
root@zesty-test:~# apt upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
  apt apt-transport-https apt-utils base-files cloud-init libapt-inst2.0 libapt-pkg5.0 libgnutls-openssl27 libgnutls28-dev libgnutls30
  libgnutlsxx28 libnss-resolve libpam-systemd libpq-dev libpq5 libsystemd0 libudev-dev libudev1 linux-libc-dev openssh-client openssh-server
  openssh-sftp-server python3-update-manager snapd systemd systemd-sysv udev unattended-upgrades update-manager-core
29 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 17.7 MB of archives.
After this operation, 43.0 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] n
Abort.
root@zesty-test:~# apt install systemd systemd-sysv
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  libnss-resolve libpam-systemd libsystemd0
Suggested packages:
  systemd-ui systemd-container
The following packages will be upgraded:
  libnss-resolve libpam-systemd libsystemd0 systemd systemd-sysv
5 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 24 not upgraded.
Need to get 2816 kB of archives.
After this operation, 4096 B of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Get:1 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main amd64 libnss-resolve amd64 232-21ubuntu6 [114 kB]
Get:2 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main amd64 systemd-sysv amd64 232-21ubuntu6 [13.1 kB]
Get:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main amd64 libpam-systemd amd64 232-21ubuntu6 [116 kB]
Get:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main amd64 systemd amd64 232-21ubuntu6 [2363 kB]
Get:5 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu zesty-proposed/main amd64 libsystemd0 amd64 232-21ubuntu6 [211 kB]
Fetched 2816 kB in 1s (2576 kB/s)
(Reading database ... 54213 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../libnss-resolve_232-21ubuntu6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libnss-resolve:amd64 (232-21ubuntu6) over (232-21ubuntu5) ...
Preparing to unpack .../systemd-sysv_232-21ubuntu6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking systemd-sysv (232-21ubuntu6) over (232-21ubuntu5) ...
Preparing to unpack .../libpam-systemd_232-21ubuntu6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libpam-systemd:amd64 (232-21ubuntu6) over (232-21ubuntu5) ...
Preparing to unpack .../systemd_232-21ubuntu6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking systemd (232-21ubuntu6) over (232-21ubuntu5) ...
Preparing to unpack .../libsystemd0_232-21ubuntu6_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking libsystemd0:amd64 (232-21ubuntu6) over (232-21ubuntu5) ...
Setting up libsystemd0:amd64 (232-21ubuntu6) ...
Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-19) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.24-9ubuntu2.2) ...
Setting up systemd (232-21ubuntu6) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/systemd/resolved.conf ...
addgroup: The group `systemd-journal' already exists as a system group. Exiting.
Setting up libnss-resolve:amd64 (232-21ubuntu6) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.7.6.1-2) ...
Processing triggers for dbus (1.10.10-1ubuntu2) ...
Setting up systemd-sysv (232-21ubuntu6) ...
Setting up libpam-systemd:amd64 (232-21ubuntu6) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.24-9ubuntu2.2) ...

# Good after Upgrade
root@zesty-test:~# ./test.sh
              accounts-daemon.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                          atd.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         cron.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         dbus.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                       iscsid.service : Tasks: 2 (limit: 4915)
                       polkit.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                      rsyslog.service : Tasks: 4 (limit: 4915)
                        snapd.service : Tasks: 9 (limit: 4915)
                          ssh.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-journald.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
               systemd-logind.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-resolved.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
              accounts-daemon.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                          atd.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         cron.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         dbus.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                       iscsid.service : Tasks: 2 (limit: 4915)
                       polkit.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                      rsyslog.service : Tasks: 4 (limit: 4915)
                        snapd.service : Tasks: 9 (limit: 4915)
                          ssh.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-journald.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
               systemd-logind.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-resolved.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
              accounts-daemon.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                          atd.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         cron.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                         dbus.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
                       iscsid.service : Tasks: 2 (limit: 4915)
                       polkit.service : Tasks: 3 (limit: 4915)
                      rsyslog.service : Tasks: 4 (limit: 4915)
                        snapd.service : Tasks: 9 (limit: 4915)
                          ssh.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-journald.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
               systemd-logind.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)
             systemd-resolved.service : Tasks: 1 (limit: 4915)

Thanks for your work xnox!
Seems to work well now.