On Tue, Aug 23, 2005 at 09:16:03AM +0100, Dave Ewart wrote: > On Monday, 22.08.2005 at 22:53 -0400, Jason 'XenoPhage' Frisvold wrote: > > > [ ... some are new mail messages coming in ... ] > > I've often wondered about this. I back up the mail spools in /var/mail > of the appropriate server and occasionally get a 'STRANGE' from it > because one of the spools changes during the course of the backup job. > > What is considered the Correct Way to handle backing up files which are > so dynamic? Our mail spools are pretty quiet at the time the backup > runs, but some of you out there must have more traffic than us ... > > My thoughts: > > 1. Just put up with it: spools that are changing will result in a backup > which is probably not of any use once in a while. This is probably > fine, unless there is a large amount of mail coming in at the time the > backup runs;
Just one point on this. I don't think you get a backup that is useless. It is my understanding that the "backup" is still ok; the problem is that specific files within the backup are questionable. -- Jon H. LaBadie [EMAIL PROTECTED] JG Computing 4455 Province Line Road (609) 252-0159 Princeton, NJ 08540-4322 (609) 683-7220 (fax)