> > The one thing that is annoying is that on /var/mail an incremental is
> > essentially the same as a full. Those mail files (one per account) are
> > just like a database file -- add or remove one message and you have to
> > back up the whole file. It would be interesting to write a wrapper to do
> > incremental mail dumps sort of like the sql database programs that do
> > incremental dumps. I wonder if there would be any demand for such a
> > thing. It could get a little messy, and would probably require the
> > Application API. In our case, we have about 1200 accounts/files. It
> > would require reading headers and doing proper locking so as not to
> > collide with the mail programs.

Another advantage of maildir format over mailbox :) Only one message
per file and no need for locking :)
 
OK, I am still using mailbox, but I will change that :)

> > I'm guessing that for those changers where it's all tied up in one scsi
> > address, and/or where there are multiple drives in a library, it might
> > be desirable to have changer handle it. Then my case becomes the special
> > case -- the changer is set up in sgen.conf and has a scsi device
> > address, and the tape drive is set up in st.conf and is /dev/rmt/1 -- so
> > the changer does not know how the drive got set up. This special case
> > might require the changer to look somewhere else, e.g. amanda.conf, to
> > find out. But, then, couldn't it also tell somehow if there had been an
> > override? Or does that get too messy?
> 
> That's basically the answer -- the current changer interface has no
> provision for passing along overrides, and adding one would potentially
> break a lot of custom changer scripts.  You've hit the nail on the head
> as to why changers provide devices to Amanda, rather than leaving her to
> use tapedev.

An idea for the next release of Amanda:

  Add one config parameter that says "use the device povided by the
  tape changer" and that default to YES. So it would not break any
  existing customized changer script.

  When set to NO, use the device explicitely defined by tapedev.

No need to change any script, all the changes are inside Amanda only.

Best regards,

Olivier