The XFS file system has extended attributes by default. Are these used by Beagle as well?
Joe: If they use the standard xattr interface, yes. (I can't say for sure because I don't use it, but I think probably they do)
What happens if you enable extended attributes *after* you already have beagle up and running? Is enabling them enough for beagle to take advantage of them, or do you have to reinstall beagle/remove index files etc?
