[rdiff-backup-users] Missing rdiff-backup functionality?

[Jonathan Kamens]

Greetings,

I've recently begun using rdiff-backup 0.12.7 to back up my Linux
machine.  There seems to be one feature missing that I'd like to ask
about -- perhaps I'm missing it.

I'd like there to be a way to completely purge a file or directory
from the backup.  That is, remove the current version if and any
previous versions that might have existed at some point in the past.
This is useful, e.g., if you've been backing up a big partition for a
week and then you realize that there's a directory within that
partition that changes a lot that you have no need to back up.

As far as I can tell, there's no supported way to do this, and it's
not save to simply delete the mirror directory -- that'll confuse
rdiff-backup the next time it runs.

Am I wrong about this being supported?  That is, is there a supported
way to purge a directory or file from the backup?

Thanks,

  Jonathan Kamens