LR catalogue back up to duplicate drive

[Alan Klein]

If you have a good backup plan, you don't need to use the LR backup catalog schema at all. Delete all the old backup's; they are only a backup of your catalog and a robust backup plan backs up that catalog and ALL OTHER data you can't afford to ever lose.
Back up all this data daily, data that has changed.
Back up all this data to multiple drives and locations!
Consider a backup of this data to a cloud (off site).
If you suffer data loss, you have multiple backup's to go back to.
On my side, I have Time Machine (which you can't use on Windows) but do not target LR dedicated disk.
On my side my LR images and all associated files are backed up to a back up drive, every day automatically and unattended.
On my side the same gets backed up to the cloud.
Every few weeks, I rotate a backup from a fireproof safe.
I also have a travel HD clone of the other LR data as well. That means at any time, the last data backed up is only 24 hours old as the oldest. In TWO locations. Two other drives have data that's older but backed up from those older dates.
Absolutely no need for me to futz with LR's backup that only backs up a catalog and zips and keeps em around. 

So now I need a clarification.  What does Catalog backup? What's in the IRCAT file?  If I stop backing up Catalog which I do when shutting down LR if I made any changes (LR asks me if I want to backup), where are those changes located so I know what to backup?

[digitaldog]

So now I need a clarification.  What does Catalog backup? What's in the IRCAT file?  If I stop backing up Catalog which I do when shutting down LR if I made any changes (LR asks me if I want to backup), where are those changes located so I know what to backup?

Catalog backup, backs up your catalog.  That be the good old lrcat file. Changes are always automatically updated to the catalog, there is no 'save' function in LR, never was. You want it to stop asking you to use it's backup on close, you turn it off in catalog preferences of course. You then conduct a through and ideal backup schema using something else/better.

[Alan Klein]

Catalog backup, backs up your catalog.  That be the good old lrcat file. Changes are always automatically updated to the catalog, there is no 'save' function in LR, never was. You want it to stop asking you to use it's backup on close, you turn it off in catalog preferences of course. You then conduct a through and ideal backup schema using something else/better.

But I don't know where Lightroom backs up all the data other than Catalog IRCAT which I do copy to my external backup drive.  So if I stop backing up IRCAT, which are the other files I have to backup and copy to the external drive?

[digitaldog]

But I don't know where Lightroom backs up all the data other than Catalog IRCAT which I do copy to my external backup drive.

Well you need to read about the product you purchase and use.
Since it's your system,I too have zero idea where it resides on YOUR drives.
The location of the catalog is shown to you in the preferences IF you look.

[Alan Klein]

OK Thanks.  Alan

[Jim Pascoe]

Alan, just in case you’re thinking of deleting the lrct folder, don’t!  That is where all the data is kept. What is being suggested is that you don’t need to keep all the Lightroom backups of that file. Instead do your own regular backup of the current lrct folder.

Jim

[Alan Klein]

Alan, just in case you’re thinking of deleting the lrct folder, don’t!  That is where all the data is kept. What is being suggested is that you don’t need to keep all the Lightroom backups of that file. Instead do your own regular backup of the current lrct folder.

Jim

I deleted all the Backup IRCAT files except for the last 4 backups I did freeing up around 11gb. That was in the Backup folder. The single orange arrow. But there are a bunch of files also  in the Lightroom Catalog Backup Ircat folder. Double orange arrow folder. (another 8gb) What are those?

[Alan Klein]

Here's photo of those.

[Alan Klein]

Wait. I just noticed the second folder is IRDATA not IRCAT.  DO I do anything with those?

[digitaldog]

Wait. I just noticed the second folder is IRDATA not IRCAT.  DO I do anything with those?

Yes, you keep them. Or you delete and regenerate them. Or you ask or Google what they actually do.

[Alan Klein]

Here's a good explanation from Scott Kelby on how to deal with IRCAT and IRDATA files.   IRDATA are snapshots of the pictures.  However, I'm not sure why I have 8gb and hundreds of folders of them and wouldn't know which ones to delete.  The IRCATs which are past Catalog saves I deleted except for the last 3 or 4 saves.  That eliminated around 11gb of wasted storage. 

Frankly, I don;t understand all what he's saying.  It seems very confusing to me.  Has anyone else deleted their IRDATA folders or some of them and how did you do it?
https://lightroomkillertips.com/which-files-can-i-delete/

[digitaldog]

Here's a good explanation from Scott Kelby on how to deal with IRCAT and IRDATA files.   IRDATA are snapshots of the pictures.

It's not. Best to stay away from Kelby and get this essential reference:
https://www.lightroomqueen.com/shop/adobe-lightroom-classic-missing-faq/
IRDATA is the previews LR builds for some modules (NOT Develop). Simple. You can delete them, you can regenerate them (which takes time), you can control how large that data gets based on preferences, and how much time you want to wait for previews to be built. ALL explained in the FAQ. Read it.

Frankly, I don;t understand all what he's saying.  It seems very confusing to me.

Here's a good explanation from Scott Kelby on how to deal with IRCAT and IRDATA files

Is it good when you don't understand and are confused by what he's saying?

Has anyone else deleted their IRDATA folders or some of them and how did you do it?

RTFM, it is more effective to the goal of photography and using photo tools you own (pay for), then spending time on politics. Get Victoria's book, read it as questions come up, better use of your time than watching the election returns on Tuesday. 

[Alan Klein]

Well, you're right, I conflicted.  His "good explanation" seemed like a "thorough" explanation.  I thought it was just me who didn't understand it.  Well, in fairness to him, he did say it was complicated.

[digitaldog]

It's not complicated once you read and attempt to comprehend their role. Like anything else outside of partisan politics. 

[Alan Klein]

I waiting for the election to be over so I have more room in my head to process data.  I'm a senior you know, like the candidates. 

[digitaldog]

I waiting for the election to be over so I have more room in my head to process data.  I'm a senior you know, like the candidates. 

”True ignorance is not the absence of knowledge, but the refusal to acquire it.” - Karl Popper

[Alan Klein]

”True ignorance is not the absence of knowledge, but the refusal to acquire it.” - Karl Popper

I'm not refusing.  At 75, my brain doesn't cooperate all the time like it used too. 

[digitaldog]

I'm not refusing.  At 75, my brain doesn't cooperate all the time like it used too. 

I understand. I also recognize it's about priorities. Thankfully now, in these forums, you and others can concentrate on photography and imaging instead of the nonsense that filled the forums in the past that didn't. Again, get Victoria's ebook; spend some time with it assuming you desire to understand how LR actually works. It's a far better use of your time and brain cells than spending time in the Coffee Corner arguing about stuff that has no basis in facts or photography.   

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

If you have a good backup plan, you don't need to use the LR backup catalog schema at all.

Andrew, when I began to learn Lightroom some years ago, it was recommended that in Catalog Settings > General we set Backup to “Every time Lightroom exits” and to check the boxes for testing the catalog integrity before the backup and optimizing the catalog after it.

I’ve been doing it this way from the start, using Carbon Copy Cloner for the catalog and image files every day I work (twice, in fact, to two external drives) and pruning the backups regularly.

If one performs a CCC or similar backup of one’s catalog and image files every day (or however often it’s done), and does not use the "LR backup catalog schema" before the CCC or other backup, then the testing and optimizing don’t, as I understand it, get done. So is there something important or possibly useful lost in not using the built-in backup routine?

[digitaldog]

I don't know exactly what Adobe checks in terms of the integrity of the data nor CCC. I use Cronosync which does do an file validation when backing up. And I do regularly conduct Catalog Optimization.