LR2 backup frustration

[mdijb]

I thought  I had it under control, but apparently not.

I simply want to backup my LR2 images and LRCAT to an external separate drive.  LR makes copies to the second drive as instructed at the import stage.  However, when I delete
the backups from the long list of dated backups, in order to save space,  these images are removed from the second drive.  I have been using a  Synch software to backup everything the second drive and the images and folder structiue are maintained, but I am having some issues even with that software that keeps deleting some images--a separate issue.

The size of the folder containing the LR2 backup is one third the size of the synched backup folder, reflecting the removed images, when the dated backups were removed.

I am very confused.   Why can't the LR people make a backup system that is easy to understand and use???

All I want to do is import my images, organize them, have accesss to them, and backup them up in one step to a second secure drive, and be able to update the primary catalogue, and back up these changes as they occur to the second drive also.

Why does life have to be so difficult???  Can anyone shed some light on this frustrating problem.??

MDIJB

[Schewe]

Can anyone shed some light on this frustrating problem.??

From within Lightroom, the only "backup" Lightroom can do is to backup the Lightroom catalog (other than copies of the import to a second location on import).

So, I think you are making this far more difficult than need be. If you want to "backup" your images, you need to do some other active manner of image backup. I use Retrospect to do nightly disk copies of newly added or changed images to external drives. This backs up the the images.

I do Lightroom backups of the catalog on a regular basis and choose my external disk as the LR backup location (which happens to be the same external drive that the images are copied to). So, those represent two very different activities...

[wolfnowl]

We've been through this question before...  I use Syncback (Windows) to back up everything from the hard drive to the secondary drive every night.  Once a week it checks and deletes from the backup drive everything that's been deleted from the main drive.  That way if I delete something and then decide against it, I have up to a week to get it back.  YMMV.

Mike.

[NikosR]

What Schewe said. I do a similar thing. Has worked so far.

1. Backup my catalogs (from within LR) to the disk(s) where my images are stored.
2. Regularly backup those disks with a good backup program. I use Retrospect and backup to an external RAID-1 array.

I end up having backups of the catalog backups this way, but better safe than sorry.

[Schewe]

I end up having backups of the catalog backups this way, but better safe than sorry.

But, there is no need for a long and extensive list of previous backups...obviously you want (need) to have at least one good non-used "backup" of your current working catalog and that "backup" should also be stored not only in your primary location you've told Lightroom but also on a second, external device. So, in effect you would have your "working copy" of your catalog, your "backup copy" made by Lightroom and a 2nd location backup you have to make using some sort of external utility or application–and hopefully use that same app to make backups of your image folders as well.

If you do a Lightroom "backup" function on a regular basis, one of the steps you should do (and this is only manually at this stage) is to go through your Backup Folder's subfolders to clean out old and out of date previous backups...there is really no value to holding on to those old and out of date previous backups unless you have a compelling reason to really go back in time for some reason (that is not at all obvious to me).

It's really not hard to work out a strategy for backing up Lightroom once you realize what Lightroom can and can not do all by itself. There is a good use case for adding functionality in Lightroom to also mange image backups as well as catalog backups...but at this stage, it can't. Just the catalog backups...

[NikosR]

But, there is no need for a long and extensive list of previous backups...obviously you want (need) to have at least one good non-used "backup" of your current working catalog and that "backup" should also be stored not only in your primary location you've told Lightroom but also on a second, external device. So, in effect you would have your "working copy" of your catalog, your "backup copy" made by Lightroom and a 2nd location backup you have to make using some sort of external utility or application–and hopefully use that same app to make backups of your image folders as well.

I do exactly that. Keep 1 or 2 LR generated backups on the images external drive. Retrospect 'duplicates' doesn't 'backup' these catalog backups to its backup disks. If the catalog backup is deleted then it deletes the duplicate from backup storage. I only run Retrospect manually at the end of the day so I can have control over what I'm doing.

[mdijb]

Retrospect for my MAC seems to be the consensus.  Will Retrospect Express that came with my Maxtor drive be adequate, or is the full version necessary??

Will Retrospect backup the folder structure, or just the mass, unstructured library the LR provides??

MDIJB

[Doc]

... I use Unison.

Works well over a VPN

1 big Raid 5 array with 4 x 500Gb Disks = 1.36TB (The Raid card has room for 4 more disks if needed - total of - and  Windows Vista 64 bit on a single drive.

Unison clicks over at about 1 am and syncs both of the machines  - the raid here at work and the one at home  - over  the VPN ..... hey presto all backed up.

Yes all pics are on a dvd stored in both locales just after they are taken and imported  - stored as dng.

Its about as peace of mind as I need - windows itself is imaged onto a separate external usb  - by Vista - incase I need it back from a crash or virus ... and I have tested it  - works well.

Had one drive go down in 3 years  on the raid - turned off the pc  - one 500gb drive out - new drive in  - booted it  - ran the raid backup  - 35 minutes later all was back to normal.
No loss of data at all.


.... yes  PHEW !

But the backup was there as well !