> what can I safely exclude from a bacula backup of a Linux server and still
be able to fully recover (bare metal) from a disaster?

I would think with bare metal recovery you couldn't afford to exclude
anything. As for myself, I tend to replace the failed part and install from
scratch, then restore the applications and settings. Installing from scratch
lets me know the condition of the hardware. It should install smoothly and
with no crashes/freezes/unexplained occurrences. 

The purpose of each server can determine what directories gets backed up.
For my Ubuntu Server running Bacula, using caja/nautilus I actually looked
through the directories  and found all I want are these:

File = /boot/grub
File = /etc
File = /home
File = /root
File = /sbin
File = /opt
File = /var/crash
File = /var/log

Btw, if you have bacula spooling to /var while you're trying to back it up,
expect unexplained occurrences.  


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