Server specific categories option is scheduled to be removed in the next release of SABnzbd

[evalf]

I just upgraded to 2.2.0 and was greeted by the warning "Server specific categories option is scheduled to be removed in the next release of SABnzbd". I'm sure there is a good reason to get rid of that option, however it was very useful to me so I'm wondering if there is another way to achieve the same results once the option is removed.

Here's the way I use the option. Most of my downloads are automated and categories fetched from my indexer, and for example for videos which are usually large downloads, I've set up only my primary unlimited server to do the downloads, and not my backup block servers. I have created another "videos block" category that has the same parameters as the standard videos category except this one uses the block servers. This way if I have a video that's incomplete on my main server I can try to find a repost rather that have it automatically eat up all my block server data, and if I can't find a repost I can manually retry the download but this way label it as "video block". I have set up some other categories to use the block servers by default as they are usually much smaller downloads so I'd rather have them use the block server than have to manually try to find a repost.

Once the option is removed, is there some other way I can achieve the same results using an existing or maybe future new functionality?

On that topic, I've always thought that a great feature that would allow doing the same thing I'm doing with even less setup hassle would be to be able to limit server use up to a certain priority for each category, for example in my case I would setup the videos category to only use servers up to priority 10, as all my block servers have priorities above 10. Is there any chance something like this could be implemented?

Thanks for your help!

[safihre]

The reason we want to remove it is because it's a hassle in the backend-code and users use it wrongly, which causes some downloads not to start. Then they go to Reddit/forum/etc and complain that SABnzbd is not starting their downloads, while it was their own setup-error.

For your use-case, why do missing jobs eat up your blocks? Nowadays posts are either 99-100% complete or 0% due to DCMA takedown. SABnzbd requesting for the articles from your block servers will not eat your block, since nothing is being downloaded, only headers.
If you later find a repost and download that with your blocks anyway, how does this spare your blocks?

[evalf]

I've run into the situation where a download had already been DMCA'd on my main server but not on one of my blocks. So before I did that category specific setup I've had my blocks used in cases where there was a repost available on a more obscure group that hadn't been DMCA'd on my main. Now that I've set things up that way I find myself able to find a repost most of the time and my block usage has gone down.

[XxUnkn0wnxX]

? I still don't understand what option or section of the config this is effecting?

is something going to break here?


because I use the priority config....

or is it this page?


I need this for sickrage as you can see....

[safihre]

On the servers page, click on a server to edit it and then click advanced.
There you can limit a server to only specific categories.
Why do you need it for sickrage? Because the priority and post processing options are unrelated to this.

[XxUnkn0wnxX]

On the servers page, click on a server to edit it and then click advanced.
There you can limit a server to only specific categories.
Why do you need it for sickrage? Because the priority and post processing options are unrelated to this.

ah I see, I thought you where completely removing categories section or where not allowing multiple server sections in future update..