> One suggestion is to stop assuming that what you do is correct.
I am until proven otherwise!  :)

> Here is another possible one.  Maybe your directory, even minus what
Please! I know my $HOME ...

        $ ls -la /home/blom |head -1
        total 221696
        $


Its a bug! I have found it, and even a lame ass like me can prove it to you.
( so sharpen up and keep in mind that im not a native english speaker )


The bug is that the excludefile never reaches gtar. So what you write in
it doesnt make any difference.  And its proven by reading the logfiles
written in /tmp/amanda and the gnutar manual.

There is two sendsize-debug files. In this particulary example i will show
you they are:
  sendsize.20030521025626.debug
  sendsize._home_blom.20030521025626.exclude


Characteristics....
  $ wc sendsize*20030521025626*
  2414   21404  220537 sendsize.20030521025626.debug
     1       1      52 sendsize._home_blom.20030521025626.exclude
  2415   21405  220589 total
  $

The sendsize._home_blom.20030521025626.exclude contains this:

  $ cat sendsize*20030521025626*exclude
  /usr/local/amanda/etc/normal/exclude-file_home_blom
  $


And the relevant entry in sendsize.20030521025626.debug looks like this:

  $ head sendsize*20030521025626*debug |grep "argument list:"
  sendsize[24646]: argument list: /bin/gtar --create --file /dev/null \
  --directory /home/blom --one-file-system --listed-incremental \
  /usr/local/amanda/var/amanda/gnutar-lists/bergelmer.thn.htu.se\
  _home_blom_0.new --sparse --ignore-failed-read --totals \
  --exclude-from /tmp/amanda/sendsize._home_blom.20030521025626.exclude .
  $


And the gnutar-manual (chapter 6.4, third paragraph) says:

        --exclude-from=file
        -X file
          Causes tar to ignore files that match patterns listed in file

** And finally the proof! **
As you can see in the --exclude-from option above, the file sent to tar is
containing the _filename_ that have the desired patterns. Not the file _with_
the patterns.


Am i understood now?
//Mats