In SABnzbd, mark your block account server as optional so prepaid fill GB are used only when the Priority 0 unlimited misses articles on that NZB. Without optional enabled, SABnzbd may pull bytes from fill during normal downloads or retries and burn balance you meant to keep for true failures. Add the block on Priority 1, enable SSL on port 563, and walk through the full form in the SABnzbd setup guide. Pair with brands from the block accounts hub such as NewsDemon, Usenet.Farm, or ViperNews.
What optional means
Optional servers participate only after higher-priority servers fail to supply needed segments for the current job. Primary unlimited on Priority 0 should deliver most articles. Fill on Priority 1 optional catches the remainder. Equal priorities or missing optional flags defeat the economics of non-expiring blocks described in do blocks expire.
Article retry behaviour
SABnzbd retries missing pieces according to server order and optional flags. Misconfigured servers can cause duplicate work or premature fill usage. After changes, queue one known problematic NZB and watch the server column in history to confirm fill triggered only after primary failure. Read fill accounts for backbone pairing rules: never Highwinds twins as fill for Newshosting.
Saving prepaid GB
Disable fill servers during large test queues unless you intend to measure fill directly. Keep connection counts moderate on optional servers to avoid parallel segment fetches that consume GB without improving completion. Size accounts using block size once you have realistic optional usage metrics.
Debug tips
If fill never triggers, verify priority numbers, optional checkbox, and that the NZB actually fails on primary. If fill triggers constantly, verify primary credentials and check whether both servers share a backbone despite different logos on the backbone map. EU users on Eweka follow the same optional rules as US users on Newshosting.
After major SABnzbd upgrades, re-open the Servers tab and confirm optional flags survived the migration. UI defaults occasionally reset advanced toggles when configs move between machines.
Some users add a short server display name in SABnzbd such as Fill-NewsDemon so history logs stay readable when diagnosing which optional server consumed GB on a failed post.
FAQ
- Should optional be on for unlimited servers?
- No. Primary unlimited on Priority 0 should not be optional.
- Can I use multiple optional fills?
- Yes, with ascending priorities, but two well-chosen providers usually suffice.
- Where is block vs unlimited theory?
- See block vs unlimited.