Item 26: Add a new directive to bacula-dir.conf which permits inclusion of all subconfiguration files in a given directory
Date:   18 October 2008
Origin: Database, Lda. Maputo, Mozambique
Contact:Cameron Smith / cameron.ord AT database.co DOT mz 
Status: New request

What: A directive something like "IncludeConf  = /etc/bacula/subconfs"
      Every time Bacula Director restarts or reloads, it will walk the given directory (non-recursively) and include the contents of any files therein, as though they were appended to bacula-dir.conf

Why: Permits simplified and safer configuration for larger installations with many client PCs.  
      Currently, through judicious use of JobDefs and similar directives, it is possible to reduce the client-specific part of a configuration to a minimum.
      The client-specific directives can be prepared according to a standard template and dropped into a known directory.  However it is still necessary to 
      add a line to the "master" (bacula-dir.conf) referencing each new file.  
      This exposes the master to unnecessary risk of accidental mistakes and makes automation of adding new client-confs, more difficult 
      (it is easier to automate dropping a file into a dir, than rewriting an existing file).
      Ken has previously made a convincing argument for NOT including Bacula's core configuration in an RDBMS, but I believe that the present request is a reasonable
      extension to the current "flat-file-based" configuration philosophy.
 
Notes: There is NO need for any special syntax to these files.  
       They should contain standard directives which are  simply "inlined" to the parent file as already happens when you explicitly reference an external file.