back ups and storage

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gpc1

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Greg
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Hi all

I need some help sorting out my backup.


Currently –
All my RAW files are stored on my Imacs internal HDD (1tb, rapidly being used up) in the ‘RAW’ folder
When edited I then store the Jpeg copies in a ‘client folder’ on my Imac (400 plus images each wedding)
‘Paperwork’ ie tax returns, contracts etc are all on dropbox
I have a 2TB WD external hard drive bolted under my desk that backs up my Imac via Time machine. This is constantly running.
I use Backblaze for cloud back up. Taking months to back everything up but nearly there!
I then have another external HD that I store off site that I take another ‘timemachine’ back up of the Imac every couple of months or so.

I want to free up my Imacs HDD and move all the HDD content to an external drive.

What I want to achieve is the below, unless there is a better solution

Imac HDD free / empty as much as possible
Master copy of content = External Drive on site
Backup 1 = External Drive on site
Backup 2 – Back blaze cloud back up
Backup 3 – off site HDD every 2 months

Bonus – if could include all my Macbook pro files on it too and access via internet connection would be great. (Which I think a NAS solution would be?)

In theory, each year I could move all the wedding image RAWS and Jpegs for that particular year to another external HDD and if I need to use an image I can work of a lightroom preview, but that’s another option altogether.

What would be the best solution / cost effective solution for the above. What would you do if you were setting up from scratch?
I have been looking at Drobo / synology / NAS etc but to be honest I get a bit lost so any help would be great.


Thanks
 
Your setup seems complex but then so is mine!

Indeed your current set up seems very sound but your obviously not happy with a 1TB drive in your imac.

What if you were to swap this for a 2TB drive should keep you going for a while and then you can continue your current back up plan which seems fairly foolproof with one drive under your desk another kept off site and a cloud plan.
 
Backups should ideally be automated, so there's no manual copying of files from x to y and z.

I would use a NAS for storage, with an external hard disk drive attached. You can then schedule nightly backups from your NAS to the external hard disk drive. And then a tertiary cloud backup - I believe Synology and QNAP offer integrations for cloud backup providers with their NAS operating systems.
 
Brazo said:
Your setup seems complex but then so is mine!

Indeed your current set up seems very sound but your obviously not happy with a 1TB drive in your imac.

What if you were to swap this for a 2TB drive should keep you going for a while and then you can continue your current back up plan which seems fairly foolproof with one drive under your desk another kept off site and a cloud plan.
Click to expand...

I don't think I can upgrade the imacs HDD. Backblaze, I just found out, doesn't back up NAS drives so that out oft he quesiotn. Looks like I may end up with 2 X 3 tb western digital drives under my desk. One primary, one back up. Then another 3TB WD harddrive stored offsite / or hidden on site in a fireproof / waterproof box.

afasoas said:
Backups should ideally be automated, so there's no manual copying of files from x to y and z.

I would use a NAS for storage, with an external hard disk drive attached. You can then schedule nightly backups from your NAS to the external hard disk drive. And then a tertiary cloud backup - I believe Synology and QNAP offer integrations for cloud backup providers with their NAS operating systems.
Click to expand...

I like this idea. But just found out backblaze doesn't back up NAS drives!
 
I've had Synology and I regret selling it even now. Cloud is a very good option as well, google drive / dropbox / box can offer you peace of mind.
 
As far as I know all normal cloud backups will only work on the computers HDD. It's a real pain , plus cloud backups take for ever. I keep all my images on external drives . I have time machine backup the Mac's HDD, but use Carbon Copy Cloner to back up the external drives to another drive. CCC can be automated to backup at specific intervals , but I tend to manually start it backing up after I've ingested all the images. I also have another backup, which uses Lightrooms' back up on ingest option
Using an external drive(s) for image storage enables you to keep upgrading your storage as they fill up. Another thought is how long do you need to keep the images. How often to you get request from events several years ago. Unfortunately I do, but the further back you go the less the request you get. You might want to consider deleting those images that you may not need, even if it's only the duplicates . I try to do this and it's amazing how much space you can recover

You could also opt to convert your RAW files to DNG as this could save around 20% of disk space
 
Last edited:
Ah yes but will DNG format still be around in 5-10 years time?
 
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