Managing content on multiple external drives?

Hi, Gang,
Well, the first external drive that I've been using with FCPX is nearly full, so I need to move on to a new drive. At this point, I'm trying to find a strategy that will enable me to keep this content organized. My drives are mostly FireWire 800 types, so they can theoretically be daisy-chained, if that helps.
How do I move on to a new drive while keeping my stuff organized? What are the implications for the organization of my current libraries, events and projects?
I hope this makes sense. I just want do this right the first time as my collections of assets grows and begins to spread across more devices.
Many thanks!

"Copy to library storage location."
So that's a location on the external?
located in Movies/Final Cut Backups
No, those are the backups. Where is the actual library you're working on? Is it on the external? Is the media inside the library?
If you're finished with that production, start a new library on a new drive with a new location for the library, either inside the library or in a folder outside of the library.

Similar Messages

Best way to change Iphoto library referenced across multiple external drives

Hello,
I am relatively new to mac and I think I've gotten myself into trouble with my large collection of photos. I have a single iphoto library which references photos on multiple external drives. However, iphoto is now very slow to launch and I believe this is due to the number of photos (~160k+, I think) in the library. How should I reconfigure my iphoto library for better performance? I would still prefer to have a single library if possible, am willing to have multiple if necessary.
Is the best approach to destroy my iphoto library and recreate multiple libraries, one for each drive with the libraries being located on the external drives with the photos? Any negatives to this? I am really worried about losing photos.
From searching the forums I believe I have an approach but I am uncertain if it is the best way. Is the best approach to destroy my iphoto library and recreate multiple libraries, one for each drive with the libraries being located on the external drives with the photos? Any negatives to this? I am really worried about losing photos.
The library itself is on the main hard drive while the photos are spread across 3 external drives, with some on the main drive as well. I have been manually importing the photos through finder, then adding them to iphoto. I am using Iphoto 11.
Any tips, pointers, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

1 - a referenced library is extremely problematic and is strongly not recommended - especially one spread accross several volumes
2 - iPhoto Library Manager - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/iplm/ - can convert to a managed library - check the option to copy imported items to the iPhoto library and rebuil using IPLM
3 - this is likely to cure the slowness too
4 - multiple libraries are not necessary or desireable
5 - the only protection against losing photos is a great backup scheme - I run Time Machine giving me hourly backups and do a daily bootable clone giving a second backup - plus do an occasional off site backup
LN

Using an external drive with shared files (iPhoto, iTunes), attached to a Time Capsule, can the contents of the external drive be backed-up to the internal Time Capsule drive? Perhaps a RAID1 mirror to a partition?

Using an external drive with shared files (iPhoto, iTunes), attached to a Time Capsule, can the contents of the external drive be backed-up to the internal Time Capsule drive? Perhaps a RAID1 mirror to a partitioned Time Capsule? I understand that the Time Machine (software) cannot backup a networked drive (the external) and that Time Capsule (the router/wireless hard drive) does not have its own backup software... so it won't backup the connected drive. What I would like is an alternate solution for having an automated backup of a networked drive. A 2TB Time Capsule has more than enough space for Time Machine backups of my family of Macbooks, so I had hoped to mirror a 500GB external drive (with shared media files) to a portion of the Time Capsule internal hard drive. I assume this would require a partition of the Time Capsule drive. If not, would the sparse file from the various computers being backed up need to be copied to the external drive as part of the RAID1 setup? This seems like overkill for the Time Machine backup, but it would cover the media files.

The complexity with this idea is the software has to run from a Mac computer on your network.. so you need a Mac turned on, probably most of the day.
It isn't possible to partition the TC although you can create a image area.
The software would have to copy the material, that means all files to be copied, go from USB drive, back to the Mac, then back to the TC, and written to the drive. In other words you have just added Network congestion, although a proper incremental backup type software will not actually use a lot of capacity.
Finally it will be slow.. network drives are slower than internal drives. Well USB connected drive is much slower than the same drive connected directly to the computer.. and if the drive is connected directly to a computer it can be shared with the network.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4577/airport-extreme-5th-gen-and-time-capsule-4th- gen-review-faster-wifi-/4
Read carefully the speed of the USB drive plugged into the TC.

Windows 8.1 user with multiple external drives. Lightroom CC 2015 freezes on import. Need to have Lightroom recognize only a single drive.

I see that Adobe still hasn't fixed this issue where Lightroom freezes up during import when a system has multiple external drives attached. Disappointing.
A friend suggested that I configure Lightroom to only recognize the single external drive where I save my RAW files. I haven't been able to find out where in Lightroom's settings to do this.
Currently the only folders I have in Lightroom are my local C disk and my external drive with the RAW files, (K), where I do all my editing.
Can anyone offer advice on how I can either do what my friend suggested or find another way of dealing with/solving this issue? Currently Lightroom is almost unusable for me since I cannot add new files on my K drive to develop.
Thanks.

I save edited images from Photoshop into a new folder on the same hard drive my catalog is on, then attempt to import, or to right-click on the edited image and choose Open in Lightroom. Lightroom hangs in either situation.

Managing picture library from external drives

Hi everyone.
I have just received my first Mac computer (iMac 27" 3.2) and I want to use external drives to store pictures rather than filling up the iMacs internal drive. If I use Aperature to manage photos can I, for example, set everything up to import from CF Cards to the external and manage all pictures in this manner?
With my PCs in the past I filled the internal too fast as I shoot and edit a great deal of work.
I'd rather manage all pictures through external drives.
What's the feasibility of doing all this and do you have any recommendation s for the best type if external drives to use?
This is a big learning curve coming from the mind numbing PCs that kept crashing every time Windows updated... Glad I'm here now.
Thanks,
Gordy.

Hi Gordy.
Gordypix wrote:
Hi everyone.
I have just received my first Mac computer (iMac 27" 3.2) and I want to use external drives to store pictures rather than filling up the iMacs internal drive. If I use Aperature to manage photos can I, for example, set everything up to import from CF Cards to the external and manage all pictures in this manner.
Yes. Keep it simply until you are comfortable: just put your Aperture Library on an external drive directly mounted to your system (and formatted "OS X extended (Journaled)"). Buy external drives in triplicate: one for your working copy, one for your on-site back-up, and one for your off-site backup. (Yes, this generates a big gulp in both your throat and your wallet. I have thousands of hours of labor in my Libraries. The cost of secure back-up is worth it to me.) Use the fastest drives your machine supports (cutting corners here is, IME, a false economy in the long run). For your machine that is probably USB-3.
Once you are comfortable with your Mac and with Aperture, you can look into putting your Library on your system drive, and storing your Image's "referenced Originals" on your external drive(s). Doing so now, though, strikes me as too much too soon.
HTH,
--Kirby.

How do I move 10.10.1 picture folder contents to an external drive?

I have recently changed to mac mini and would like to move my picture folder contents to an external drive. Is there a correct way to do this beside just dragging and dropping?

Dragging and dropping is enough. If you’re moving an iPhoto library, the volume you’re putting it onto needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended, and you need to launch iPhoto with the Option key held down and choose that library.
(118427)

Time Machine Backup across multiple external drives

Hello all-
I have about 1.5 TB of data in my computer (video editing- fills things up fast)... I was wondering if it were possible to tell Time Machine to recognize multiple external drives as the backup volume? I'm not talking about creating cloned backups of my data on different drives, I'm talking about plugging in three 1TB external drives and having Time Machine use them as targets for the backup image.
Thanks

Yes, you can use Disk Utility to create a +Concatenated Raid Set,+ also known as a JBOD (Just a bunch of disks). See the Help for Disk Utility (in your Applications/Utilities folder).
This is kind of the opposite of partitioning: it combines 2 or more disks into a single volume. The three disks won't appear on your desktop or Finder sidebar individually, just the one volume.
I'm not sure that's necessarily the best solution, though. Is all that data on a single internal HD, or do you have, say, OSX, applications, and most of your data on one drive, and media on a second? If so, it might be better to use TM on your main OSX drive, and something else, like CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper! on the media.
That would greatly reduce the time needed for a restore, as you'd only have to restore the drive that failed.
It could also reduce the amount of storage needed, as you might not need (or want) TM's hourly backups of the media files, and keeping all the previous versions. Using another app would allow you to back that data up somewhat less frequently, such as once or twice a day.
But, of course, it all depends on your situation and preferences. As usual, there are many options.

How to manage multiple external drives

I have 6 external hard drives containing NEF / JPG and DNG files
plus i have some more recent photos on my laptop hard drive
some of the files are the same on several of the drives (backup copies)
what would be the best way to merge all this into a single LR 4 catalog ?
or would it make sense to have a separate catalog for each external drive ?
I only have one drive connected to the computer at one time
help!

what would be the best way to merge all this into a single LR 4 catalog ?
Import everything into one catalog ... probably you can do this in batches
or would it make sense to have a separate catalog for each external drive ?
Horrible idea. Makes no sense. Don't go there.
I only have one drive connected to the computer at one time
This shouldn't be a problem. LR knows how to handle drives that are offline (not connected).

Solve Drive self-ejects and System Hangs when using MULTIPLE external drives!

I've discovered what I think is the underlying reason for many folks reporting similar problems. I bet that I can predict the GUIDs of the drives/docks/cases you're having trouble with! I bet that if you look in Disk Utility, if you click on the drives, you'll find "Connection ID 13757101839304263"!
Oh and if you look in System Profiler and click on 'FireWire' or 'USB' you'll find the GUID 0x30E002E0454647 !
What are the odds? I shouldn't be able to predict them; theyr'e supposed to be unique, after all, but google that number and you'll see that a great many devices all use that GUID.   (13757101839304263 in decimal is the same thing as 30E002E0454647 in hex.)
Mac OS seems to rely on them to be unique, and has fits when they aren't. I haven't found a total solution yet, but in the meantime, running this in Terminal can help:
sudo kextload /System/Library/Extensions/IOFireWireFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleFWOHCI.k ext/
Sometimes it helps to run this first to unload before loading the kext (kernel extension):
sudo kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/IOFireWireFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/AppleFWOHCI.k ext/
Enter your password if/when prompted, of course.
In most cases, if you contact your hard drive manufacturer, they'll provide a utility that will fix the drive so that it actually has a truly unique GUID.
I'm mad at Cavalry for hiding the problem and refusing to fix it, W.R.T. the two 1TB HDs I bought from them for around $500, when that was the going price.
I figured it'd be helpful to create a user tip off the discussion in this thread: Disk Drive ejecting itself - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2151621?start=615&tstart=0     This is my first attempt to create a tip. I'm not sure I'm doing it right, but here goes.

Sorry but this is just a really bad idea.
1. The airport is ancient.. your speed will be terrible.
2. Hubs filled with USB drives are never reliable.. disks refuse to spin up.. become unavailable.
No.. don't do it.
Plug USB3 hub into the mini and use multiple decent hard drives .. that is fine.. use thunderbolt hub.. use thunderbolt drives if you can afford it.. but never use USB drives on the network.
3. Time Machine is not reliable to external drive on Airport Extreme.. Apple do not support it in any Extreme except the latest one.
If you want the material available to the network buy a NAS. You can buy a cheap NAS of 8TB or so and another 8TB of USB drives which you plug into the NAS for backup.. however.. iphoto is not supposed to ever be put on network drives..
Apple explicitly states you will corrupt it.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168 Although mostly about FAT32           it adds network drives.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1198
And I quote
It's recommended that you store your iPhoto library on a locally mounted hard drive. Storing your iPhoto library on a network share can lead to poor performance, data corruption, or data loss. If you use both iPhoto and Aperture with the same library, using a Mac OS X Extended formatted volume is recommended. For more information, see Aperture: Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library.
For backup of the drives.. use Carbon Copy Cloner.. it is much better than TM as you can setup different job.. TM is really a single function.. !!

Cannot add hub-managed content type with external list lookup columns to a list -- Error:Id field is not set on the external data field

This is a variation on the issue mentioned in this
post
We are using SP 2010 Content Hub to manage our content types. On the content hub we've created a couple of exteranl lists, and then created some site columns as lookups against these lists. We then added the columns to one of our content types
and set it to publish.
After the publishing job executed, I tried adding the content type (which now appears on the subscriber sites) to one of the document libraries on one of the subscriber sites. When I did that it threw the following error:
Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls.BusinessDataListConfigurationException: Id field is not set on the external data field
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPBusinessDataField.CreateIdField(SPAddFieldOptions op)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPBusinessDataField.OnAdded(SPAddFieldOptions op)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFieldCollection.AddFieldAsXmlInternal(String schemaXml, Boolean addToDefaultView, SPAddFieldOptions op, Boolean isMigration, Boolean fResetCTCol)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPContentType.ProvisionFieldOnList(SPField field, Boolean bRecurAllowed)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPContentType.ProvisionFieldsOnList()
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPContentType.DeriveContentType(SPContentTypeCollection cts, SPContentType& ctNew)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPContentTypeCollection.AddContentTypeToList(SPContentType contentType)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPContentTypeCollection.AddContentType(SPContentType contentType, Boolean updateResourceFileProperty, Boolean checkName, Boolean setNextChildByte)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPContentTypeCollection.Add(SPContentType contentType)
at Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationPages.AddContentTypeToListPage.Update(Object o, EventArgs e)
at System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.OnClick(EventArgs e)
at System.Web.UI.WebControls.Button.RaisePostBackEvent(String eventArgument)
at System.Web.UI.Page.RaisePostBackEvent(IPostBackEventHandler sourceControl, String eventArgument)
at System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint)   b55297ed-717f-466d-8bdc-297b20344d3f
I checked the external content type configuration and it did specify an "id column". Anyone know if what I am attempting to do is possible and if so, what special configurations are required?
Thanks

The issue is not External Content type or external list but the look up column.
It's not possible to publish a look up column via the Content Type Hub.
If you need to do this then an alternate way is to use a Managed Metadata column instead, otherwise you will have to implement this via a feature.
Varun Malhotra
=================
If my post solves your problem could you mark the post as Answered or Vote As Helpful if my post has been helpful for you.

Want to view the contents of an external drive in iPhoto, how to?

I have a large external drive with lots of photos in nested folders. I use bridge for keywording and viewing, but I want to have the ease of iPhoto keywording and viewing, and uploading to photo sites, so I want to leave those many thousands of images on the external drive, but view them as an iPhoto library.
How do I do that, especially since they are in nested folders?
Thank you for your insight and expertise!
Anna

Anna
Simply go to iPhoto Menu -> Preferences -> Advanced and uncheck 'Copy Files to the iPhoto Library on Import'.
Now iPhoto will not copy the files, but rather simply reference them on your HD. To do this it will create an alias in the Originals Folder that points to your file. It will still create a thumbnail and, if you modify the pics, a Modified version within the iPhoto Library Folder.
However, you need to be aware of a number of potential pitfalls using this system.
1. Import and deleting pics are more complex procedures
2. You cannot move or rename the files on your system or iPhoto will lose track of them on systems prior to 10.5 and iPhoto 08. Even with the later versions issues can still arise if you move the referenced files to new volumes or between volumes.
3. Most importantly, migrating to a new disk or computer can be much more complex.
Always allowing for personal preference, I've yet to see a good reason to run iPhoto in referenced mode unless you're using two photo organisers.
If disk space is an issue, you can run an entire iPhoto Library from an external disk:
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library as an entity from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
If you're concerned about accessing the files, there are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto:
*For Users of 10.5 Only*
You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Apple-Click for selecting multiple pics.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
*For users of 10.4 and 10.5* ...
Many internet sites such as Flickr and SmugMug have plug-ins for accessing the iPhoto Library. If the site you want to use doesn’t then some, one or any of these will also work:
To upload to a site that does not have an iPhoto Export Plug-in the recommended way is to Select the Pic in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export and export the pic to the desktop, then upload from there. After the upload you can trash the pic on the desktop. It's only a copy and your original is safe in iPhoto.
This is also true for emailing with Web-based services. However, if you're using Gmail you can use iPhoto2GMail
If you use Apple's Mail, Entourage, AOL or Eudora you can email from within iPhoto.
If you use a Cocoa-based Browser such as Safari, you can drag the pics from the iPhoto Window to the Attach window in the browser.
*If you want to access the files with iPhoto not running*:
Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
1. *Drag and Drop*: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
2. *File -> Export*: Select the files in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Export. The dialogue will give you various options, including altering the format, naming the files and changing the size. Again, producing a copy.
3. *Show File*: Right- (or Control-) Click on a pic and in the resulting dialogue choose 'Show File'. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
Regards
TD

Pointing Logic to content on an external drive

I just upgraded my MacBook Pro to Leopard and reinstalled Logic but chose not to install additional content since it was already on my external drive. How do I point logic towards that content?
Thanks!!

There are different types of content, in different places. What you'll need to do depends on what you have done with the existing content, and where you have put it (and what you might have broken in the process!).
Loop content is easy, you just drag the top level folders into the Loop Browser and it will reindex the files (choose to leave them in their current location).
EXS Samples aren't too much of a problem as the EXS24 will search for them if the samples are not where it thinks they should be.
Garageband instrument content is a little more tricky, as some of it cannot be moved. See:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7299941&#7299941

Content list of external drive

Anyone know how to print a content list of an external drive. I could use Grab and capture the first level of items but I wanted to see all subfolders and files.
Jeff

Open the Terminal in the /Applications/Utilities/ folder and paste in:
ls -R
Type a space and drag the drive into the open Terminal window. Press Enter and copy the list from the Terminal. Use -AR instead of -R to include invisible items.
(54823)

Multiple external drive problems, both USB and Esata

Everything worked well in Tiger on my first gen MBP. Since i switched to Leopard and now Snow, and a new UNI MBP in december 08 I have so many external drive issues.
USB drives just disappear and power off (from the system not electrical) for no reason, mostly when connected to USB hubs. I've tried various hubs including the powered ones. But as soon as i go over two USB devices in the provided ports my problems start.. It feels like not enough juice is getting through those ports on my MBP. I never have a problem if i just connect 2 devices into the MBP, but it's not enough (i have 5x1tb external drives).
Also the same with the express34 slot.. Everything was fine under Tiger and my old MBP, But now i get the grey wall of death so many times when connecting 2x esata 1TB drives. The system is so unstable with multiple drives both USB and. I'm currently working as a pro Photographer on assignment in Asia and these stability are starting to become a big problem.
God forbid i'm even considering a switch back to windows for reliability, (yes, i did use the words windows and reliability in the same sentence)
Does anybody else experience problems with multiple drives through leopard/snow leopard via Apple notebooks? I would love to hear some users experiences and hopefully find a solution to my problem.. In every other way the system works like a charm.
I will post in 2 forums because i'm not sure if software or hardware related.
Thanks, any help is appreciated.

@ Gregory
All my drives are 3.5" HD's all with external power cables along with a mains powered USB hub. Sorry, i didn't state that clearly in the original post (i thought the hint of all drives being 1TB was a dead giveaway:)).. However, this still doesn't explain the same behaviour of the 2x1TB esata drives which actually work well if no external USB drives are connected. Sorry i'm not technical but does the expresscard slot share any bridge,bus or power connectivity with the USB slots??
I'll try this SMC reset that S.U mentioned...
Thanks for everyones help and ideas so far.

Managing content on multiple machines?

Although some of the question maybe have been already answered by other posts, I'm looking for the definitive answer.
As a proud new owner of a iphone 4, I've downloaded many applications using the phone over wi-fi from the App Store. I've also synced my iphone at home with Music etc. Thinking it would be a good idea, I also have itunes installed on my office PC and recently purchased an application.
Now how do I get the app i purchased from my work PC to my phone without wiping all my (paid) apps?
I'm also interested in synchronizing my outlook contacts, calendars with my work PC without wiping the device, is this possible?
Finally: For the applications that are downloaded via the app store on my iphone, what happens to them? Will they get wiped, how would I get them back again? Is it possible we manage applications on multiple computers?
Thanks for your time and reading this post
Nicky

It can be done. It is not pretty, and it is not easy. You have to move your entire iTunes folder from the master computer to the secondary computer at the beginning, and you have to have a way to keep them in sync, other than taking your phone from one to the other. Since you are supposed to have an offline backup as well, you could use it to carry any changes from one computer to the other.
I sync my iPhone both at home and at work, and do this. Make sure you always move new content into the iTunes folder, otherwise you will forget to copy it at a later time.
As for content bought on the iPhone, while connected to iTunes, right click on the phone name listed on the left, and select Transfer Purchases.

Managing content on multiple external drives?

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