Mail backup possible with Time Machine?

I've done enough reading here to get that Time Machine does not back up the mail portions of the /var directory. As a matter of principle I configured mail services to use an alternate store location located at the root level of my server boot volume. Time Machine is backing that directory up, but just as it would be in the /var directory, some of the sub-directories are not accessible because of permissions being allowed only to _cyrus That makes it pretty difficult to check whether the contents of those folders are being backed up.
I'm just wondering if changing the permissions of those directories for read-only access for a specific user would allow Time Machine to read them and back them up properly, or if that might cause problems in other aspects with mail service in general??
-Doug

Doug
Seriously mate don't entertain it. All the Apple Trainers I've spoken to don't recommend using TimeMachine at all for backing up anything on OSX Server. I happen to think its fine if the Server is simply a File or Web Server or even presenting Shares as TimeMachine points for workstations. If OD and Mail are involved I would not entertain it. Even if you managed a back-up, the real issues will come when and if disaster strikes and you need to restore. There are far too many posts on here detailing the mayhem caused by restoring a mail or ldap database from a TimeMachine backup.
IMO any effective backup strategy should not involve fire-fighting a restore. However it's your server and only you will really know what's best for it.
My 2p.
Tony

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