> 
> I just have cron on the amanda server call a script rather 
> than amdump 
> directly.  That script and passwordless ssh do all the 
> twiddles to the 
> clients I need done, runs amdump, and then untwiddles everything.
> 
> The disadvantage is that you shut down stuff for the entirety of the 
> amdump run, not just while that client is being dumped.  But 
> it's a heck 
> of a lot easier...
> 

You could mitigate this by splitting your backups into multiple
configurations (easy if you have multiple drives or a changer), and making
the mail server a separate backup. (If you're in the Undisclosed Summons of
America, you might not want to keep your e-mail backups as long as you keep
your other backups anyway.)