Library Backups?

Question

billincolo wrote:
what is a serious backup method?
Splitting this from another thread...
Your method of backup (in this case iPhoto libraries) depends on many factors, such as the kind of Mac you have, the number of images you take, the size of images you take, the amount you have to spend, etc, etc. Let's not forget, your own personal preferences.
There is no simply answer for how you should backup because of these many variables.
I only warn that there is a rising mind set that Timemachine is THE answer, but in many cases, it's the only answer. TM is a great way to do daily backups to another internal or external HD. But if this is your only form of backup, then you are setting yourself up for trouble.
There is plenty of good reading on this subject, but basically any good regime should consist of at least three copies. It should also span several types of media (one copy on HD, one copy on optical disc, and possibly a cloud version. There should always be at least one copy kept off site.
To the casual iPhoto user, this may sound like overkill, and if it does, then so be it, keep doing what you do. But if you truly value your photos and have ever gone through a real disaster, you'll understand what I'm saying. Things such as being burglarized, a lightening strike, a house fire, a hurricane, an earthquake, etc, will pretty much laugh at your Timemachine backup to your external HD.... but unfortunately these kinds of things happen hundreds of times a day, every day.
A very general description of a good backup regime should consist of a daily backup via TM to at least one external HD. Depending on your volume of work, maybe a weekly backup to another HD, or a burn to another form of media such as dvd, bluray, DAT tape, cloud, etc. And finally a copy should be kept off site at all times. Again, depending on the regularity and volume of images, this offsite version could be updated weekly, monthly, or bi-monthly. When trying to determine this frequency, ask yourself, if your home or office is hit with a true disaster, how much data are you willing to loose?.... a week's worth, a month's worth? Also, what is your definition of off site? Will keeping a copy at a family member's house across down good enough? While it would be good enough against a house fire or burglary, would it be safe if there is a hurricane or earthquake in your area?
Myself, I feel my personal system has worked well for me up to now, but I'm in transition to higher volume and would very much consider a better system/idea if I hear it.
Without going into a lot of detail, my original library is on one internal HD, and is backed-up to another internal HD in the same computer. It is also kept on another computer, as well as being burned periodically to multiple copies of DVD or BluRay optical disc. Copies of these discs are kept approximately 70 miles away at a family member's house. I am considering a cloud method, but still have my eyes open for a better solution.
To a certain degree, I try to keep separate libraries for separate topics. This allows me to "close" a library occasionally to keep it's size limited for easy backup. (For example, my son plays rugby and I shoot all his games. At the end of each year, that library is closed and a new "rugby library" is opened for the new year, etc.)
As you see there is a lot to think about and no "one easy answer".
I would hope this starts people thinking about developing a good regime and if you feel you already have a good system, please share it with all so others can possibly benefit.

Answer 1

Backing Up
My Library lives on my iMac.It’s Backed up to two external hard disks every day.
These disks are permanently attached to the iMac. These back ups run automatically. One is done by Time Machine, one is a bootable back up done by SuperDuper
It’s also backed up to a portable hard disk when ever new photos are added. This hard disk lives in my car. For security, this disk is password protected. For this job I use DejaVu because it makes a simple back up that is clear and can be tested easily without doing an full restore.
I have a second off-site back up at a relative’s house across town. That’s updated every 3 or 4 months.
My Photos are backed up online. Personally I use SmugMug but there are many options including flickr. However, check the terms of your account carefully. While most sites have free uploading, you will often find that these uploads are limited in terms of the file size, or the bandwidth you can use per month. For access that allows you to upload full size pics with no restrictions you will need to pay.
Every couple of months I test the back ups to make sure they are working correctly. It’s very easy to mis-configure a back up application, and the only way to protect against that is to do a restore.
Regards
TD