Jeffrey J. Kosowsky wrote:
> 
> This still is not a solution for all of us. First, I store the backups
> on a consumer-level NAS device that does not easily facilitate adding
> partitions without additional hacking and risks to data integrity.

OK, but when drives are available for around $100/TB these days, how 
much is it worth to deal with the limitations of some inflexible device? 
  And even the consumer-level devices should permit a disk replacement 
with mirror rebuild.

> I really fail to understand the dogged resistance to finding a viable
> solution to a well-known and repeated issue with BackupPC that does
> not rely on filesystem level kludges.

It isn't a matter of resistance.  It is just that no one has shown that 
any other scheme will work any better.  What you have to do is reduce 
the head motion necessary to access each file.  One pass across the raw 
device clearly does that.  A mix of sql and files might or might not. 
Throw in the need to verify/fix out of sync tables and I'd guess not - 
but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

> I could see if this were given
> as a temporary workaround but why should we continue to see this as
> the ideal solution rather than trying to work on a more robust and
> comprehensive solution even if it falls to a long-term roadmap item.

Pushing the de-duping into the block level filesystem so the app doesn't 
have to do anything special is probably the next step but unless that 
filesystem also provides an incremental block-level backup method (like 
zfs send/receive) you still aren't going to like what has to happen in a 
file-oriented copy of what will appear to be 10x the size.  Or maybe 
solid state devices will become cheap enough soon so we won't have to 
think about seek times any more.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell AT gmail DOT com

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