Storing the iPhoto Library on a Server - Yes or No?

So, I have a client where almost everyone uses iPhoto... a LOT. Most users have about 10k pictures in the libraries and a lot of them are very large too.
So I have a question about a scenario I want to try and thought I'd run it by you lot to see if anyone had tried anything similar and what your experiences were.
So here's how I was thinking of setting things up:
1) XServe
2) XServe RAID
2.5) Possibly XSAN
3) 6port Gigabit Ethernet network card ("We love Small Tree", say it!)
4) Gigabit Ethernet Switch (Asante or Netgear, probably)
So the clients connect to the server which shares up the libraries to each individual machine, most of them MacBooks or Intel iMacs. There are a couple of G5s and G4s, but they're pretty much all Gigabit Ethernet machines. Those that aren't will be replaced over 6 months or so.
Questions:
1) Has anyone done anything similar? How was it for you?
2) Is the RAID going to cause problems (for some sharing tasks I know they can)? What about XSAN (same thing)?
3) They're (mostly) using iPhoto 6 ('06) at the moment, would upgrading everyone to iPhoto 7 ('08) be a good idea?
4) Anything I'm NOT thinking about? What am I missing?
My theory is that it should work fine, albeit a touch slower than it does at the moment. The overpowering upside to all this is ease of backup and data protection afforded by the RAID.

So long as your VPS has a LAMP or WAMP setup in addition to Apache Tomcat installed you should be ok. We have a windows WAMP setup and Apache tomcat installed on one server.

Similar Messages

Does sharing the iPhoto library really work?

Does sharing the iPhoto library really work?

Yes I've used both apps to open the same library and it has worked. There are some things in each library that do not carry over, books for one and I'm not sure about slide shows.
But the basic functionality works in both programs on the same library. Having wrote that I still believe in the advice we always gave out to new users before this recent change, when the library was not readable by both programs.
That advice was to pick one program and use that one exclusively. Before the recent change the reason for this was more obvious but now that the library can be read by both programs why stick to one? One reason is comfort. Both programs while doing basically the same task do it just differently enough that switching between the two will be confusing. And when you are confused you are more likely to make mistakes. And mistakes in this case lead to image loss.
Second Aperture is a fairly complex program and will require some time to learn it and use it well. If you're switching back and forth the time to learn it will be increased and you may never really get everything out of it.
I think the great benefit of this recent change is that one it makes it a lot easier to migrate to Aperture, two if for some reason you decide that Aperture isn;t right for you there is no problem going back to iPhoto (in the past this was not possible without a great deal of effort and even then data would be lost) and three if other people in your household need to access the images in the library occasionally they can use the simpler iPhoto interface to do this.
So my advice is stiil the same as it was before, pick one of the applications, Aperture or iPhoto, and make that your primary tool. In the long run you'll be better off.
regards
PS in regards to the RAM question, 4gb will work but you'll be happier with 8gb
good luck

What is the best option for storing my iphoto library on the cloud?

I was curious as to what people are doing (other than backing up to external HD) for backing up the iphoto library? Anyone using any cloud solution out there for storage? What are some of the best options? I have around 30,000 photos in my iphoto library.

There is no good solution for storing the Library in the Cloud. The amount of data involved means that uploading or downloading is very, very slow. We do see posts on here from people trying to restore from a back up to the Cloud wondering if it's possible to speed up the download currently estimated in days. Running a Library from the cloud is just painfully slow - people have tried it and that is the consensus.
However, as part of a comprehensive back up plan there is a lot to be said for backing up your Photos to the cloud. Not as good as backing up the whole Library, but as a "last line" you at least have your photos. There are many options: Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug etc. 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 may need to pay.

Hello J have problem in the demarage d iphoto the dialogue displays and asks me for the following text? 138 photos not having been imported were found in the iPhoto library(bookcase). Would you care for import them? Yes or no you already have meet this

onjour
j ai des probleme au demarage d iphoto le dialogue s affiche et me demande le texte suivant ?
138 photos n’ayant pas été importées ont été trouvées dans la bibliothèque iPhoto.
Souhaitez-vous les importer ? oui ou non avez vous deja rencontrer ce proble si oui pouvez vous m aider
Merci
Hello
J have problem in the demarage d iphoto the dialogue displays and asks me for the following text?
138 photos not having been imported were found in the iPhoto library(bookcase).
Would you care for import them? Yes or no you already have meet this prowheat if yes can you m help
Thank you

Open your iPhoto Library package with the Finder as shown in this screenshot
and look in the folder named Auto Import. Move any files in that folder to a folder on the Desktop and close the package. Do not make any other changes. Launch iPhoto (the message should be gone) and drag the folder on the Dersktop into the open iPhoto window to import them.
OT

Yes, I know ... I touched the iphoto library

Okay, I see now that I blew it. Now I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how to get out of my mess! Several months ago I went to launch iphoto and got a message like 'no library found do you want to open a new one'. Well, I selected yes and opened a new one. I did root around and found the iphoto libraries and proceeded to open them and one at a time copy the photos back to the currently open photo library within iphoto. This then happened at least a dozen more times and each time I'd go back and try to copy photos from the iphoto library #whatever back into the photo library. I do think that sometimes I may have deleted pics directly from the iphoto library if I figured I'd never want them again. Probably dragged them to the trash right from there.
Well, now sometimes I open iphoto and it's just blank, no photos, no message asking me if I want to open a new library. Other functions still work fine.
A few questions: is there some way to get this to stop happening now that I've dug around where I didn't belong? Have I corrupted iphoto for good? How can I retrieve some of those old photos I want -- still copy them one at a time? (I tried the shift/option/restart method and it doesn't do anything for me).
Thank you so much. I am obviously feeling really stupid, and am just trying to get off the wheel of misfortune!

there is one iphoto library folder un-numbered and then
there are 22 numbered folders.Yikes.
Well, that's worthy of some sort of notariety. ;-/
At this point, if you're not sure which is the current iPhoto Library folder, and you probably don't know which of the other ones contain "important" (and possibly, one-of-a-kind) images, your best bet is to salvage the images first, then worry about cleaning up the duplicates after a successful salvage.
Quit iPhoto if it's running. Create a folder on your desktop. Drag all of your iPhoto Library folders to this new folder on the desktop. Launch iPhoto and choose "Create New..." when the dialog pops up. Once the new library has been created, quit iPhoto.
Drag that folder of photo libraries from the desktop, and drop it inside the newly created iPhoto Library folder in Pictures. Start iPhoto while holding the shift+option keys. Don't release them until you're prompted to confirm the intent to rebuild. Click "Yes", then click "Save". Go find something to do for 15 minutes or so.
If the rebuild is successful, you'll find an "iPhoto Library" folder and an "iPhoto Library_1" folder in Pictures. The "_1" is the rebuilt keeper; drag the other to the trash, and empty the trash. Never do anything again in iPhoto that cannot be done from the iPhoto interface. There are very few good reasons to ever touch the iPhoto Library folder in the Finder again.
All of the above assumes you have sufficient disk space left (which may be a concern if those 23 old iPhoto libraries are very large).

Every time I open Iphoto I get the following message: "A photo has been found in the iPhoto library that was not imported. Do you want to import it? Yes or No" Any suggestions?

Every time I open Iphoto I get the following message: "A photo has been found in the Iphoto library that was not imported. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Quit iPhoto and to to the iPhoto library (by default in your pictures folder) - right click (control click) on it and select show package contents - find the folder named import (on importing) and drag it to the desktop - DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER CHANGES - launch iPhoto and you will be fine.
Open the import(ing) folder and if there is nothing in it that you need move it to the trash and empty the trash
LN

Where is the iPhoto library stored and how can I browse to it in Finder? The "Photos" option is not showing up on the left hand side.

I created an app using Automator to batch resize my photos. When I take photos with my iPhone 4s the resolution is so big I can't upload them to a web site, so I can select all the photos in an event and resize them down. It's too time consuming to open each one in Preview and resize it manually. This little app works perfectly!
Here's the only thing I'd like to change - when the app starts up it asks which photos I want to resize. I'd love it to default to the iPhoto library so I can choose the most recent event. But I can't for the life of me find it! Normally there's a choice on the left hand side that says Photos and in the automator finder window, it's not showing up. I've looked through all the folders I can think of and can't find it.
Help!

You are not using iPhoto properly and are in danger of losing your photos
iPhoto is a SQP database application and there are NO user servicable parts in the database (by default the iPhoto library) It is extremely important that you NEVER make any changes of any sort to the content (or structure) of the iPhoto library
The only safe (and suppoprted) way to resize photo is to select them and export using the various esize options in teh export dialogue and use those resized photos - this is a bathc process and does not involve Preview nor does it involve seperate processing for each photo
LN

Storing my iPhoto library in "normal" folders?

Hi Guys,
I am quite happy with what iPhoto does feature-wise, but it appears the only way to store your library is in the "iPhoto library", which is a "closed format" folder - ie you can't drag it onto other drives to back up, or open it to view the contents! (The only way to view the contents appears to be through the iPhoto app itself...)
I want to start keeping all my photos on Dropbox, in a normal folder - is it possible to use iPhoto in this way... ie, to point it to a standard folder for your photo library?
Interestingly, iTunes allows this... when you go into the iTunes library, there are all your tracks, shown as files just like any other.
Would love some guidance on this... or alternately a recommendation for a different photo editing programme (a free one, ideally - I'm not doing anything particularly sophisticated!) and photo organising programme.
Thanks in advance guys!
Mike

(Much...) Longer answer:
I am quite happy with what iPhoto does feature-wise, but it appears the only way to store your library is in the "iPhoto library", which is a "closed format" folder - ie you can't drag it onto other drives to back up, or open it to view the contents! (The only way to view the contents appears to be through the iPhoto app itself...)
iPhoto is a Photo Manager. It's a replacement for the File Manager, and becomes the "go-to" app for anything to do with your Photos. So anything you need to do with your pictures can be done either with or via iPhoto.
The Finder (or File Manager) is all about Files and it doesn’t really treat Photos any differntly than text files, music files, word processing documents and so on.
Your Photos and your Photo files are not the same thing.
The illustration I use is as follows: In my iTunes Library I have a file called 'Let_it_Be_The_Beatles.mp3'. So what is that, exactly? It's not the song. The Beatles never wrote an mp3. They wrote a tune and lyrics. They recorded it and a copy of that recording is stored in the mp3 file. So the file is just a container for the recording. That container is designed in a specific way attuned to the characteristics and requirements of the data. Hence, mp3.
Similarly, that Jpeg is not your photo, it's a container designed to hold that kind of data. iPhoto is all about the data and not about the container. So, regardless of where you choose to store the file, iPhoto will manage the photo, edit the photo, add metadata to the Photo but never touch the file. If you choose to export - unless you specifically choose to export the original - iPhoto will export the Photo into a new container - a new file containing the photo.
That's what a DAM does. It manages your digital assets.
You can access the Library from iPhoto and all through the entire Operating System:
There are many, many ways to access your files in iPhoto: You can use any Open / Attach / Browse dialogue. On the left there's a Media heading, your pics can be accessed there. Command-Click for selecting multiple pics.
(Note the above illustration is not a Finder Window. It's the dialogue you get when you go File -> Open)
You can access the Library from the New Message Window in Mail:
There's a similar option in Outlook and many, many other apps. 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:
For users of 10.6 and later: You can download a free Services component from MacOSXAutomation which will give you access to the iPhoto Library from your Services Menu.
Using the Services Preference Pane you can even create a keyboard shortcut for it.
For Users of 10.4 and 10.5 Create a Media Browser using Automator (takes about 10 seconds) or use this free utility Karelia iMedia Browser
Other options include:
Drag and Drop: Drag a photo from the iPhoto Window to the desktop, there iPhoto will make a full-sized copy of the pic.
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.
Show File: a. On iPhoto 09 and earlier: 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. 3.b.
b: On iPhoto 11 and later: Select one of the affected photos in the iPhoto Window and go File -> Reveal in Finder -> Original. A Finder window will pop open with the file already selected.
You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
I want to start keeping all my photos on Dropbox, in a normal folder - is it possible to use iPhoto in this way... ie, to point it to a standard folder for your photo library?
Why? Yes you can put your iPhoto Library in your DropBox folder, just drag it there. But are you thunking of this as a back up? Or for sharing? It's limited for the first and won't work for the second.
You can run a Referenced Library - where you can store the Master files wherever you want, but you might want to read this before you do:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3062728?tstart=0
and note, storing the Masters on Dropbox won't allow anyone to see the edited files you've done. Just the snaps as they came from the camera.
Interestingly, iTunes allows this... when you go into the iTunes library, there are all your tracks, shown as files just like any other.
iTunes is a very simple database. Files are tracked in the Library and whatever playlists they are also in.
iPhoto does that too - plus the relationship between the Master, thumbnail and Preview, plus the Faces and Places db, plus the Slideshows, Books, Cards etc, and the editing history. It's a (much) more complex machine than iTunes.
That's why the Library is protected by the package set-up - so that Users have to work a (little) harder to damage it.
So: the key question: why DropBox?
Regards
TD

Photos Stored Outside iPhoto Library

I have some photos stored in the Pictures folder that were imported into iPhoto. So now they are stored in the iPhoto Library Originals folder and in the Pictures folder. I'd like to reclaim some disk space and delete them from the Pictures folder. I tried it by moving one photo from the Pictures folder to the trash. The result was that I could see the photo image in iPhoto but when I clicked on it to change it or modify it, I just got gray box with an exclamation mark in it. Is there any way to remove what appear to be the duplicates in the Pictures folder? I know I don't want to do anything to the iPhoto Library folder inside the Pictures folder. Thanks!

Oh dear! indeed.
I honestly think your best bet here is to start over with a new library. I don't think you've much chance of returning the existing one to a working order.
1. Put that "someone in the household" in their room and lecture them for 30 minutes on the importance of not touching anything in the iPhoto Library. You'll know you're getting through when they get glassy eyed and start to whimper.
2. You need to recover all your pics into a folder. So, all the ones outside the iPhoto Library (in your Pictures Folder, trash, where ever, get them into a single folder on your desktop.
3. To create and populate a new library:
Note this will give you a working library however, you will lose your albums, keywords, modified versions, books, calendars etc.
In the iPhoto Preferences -> Events Uncheck the box at 'Imported Items from the Finder'
Move the iPhoto Library to the desktop
Launch iPhoto. It will ask if you wish to create a new Library. Say Yes.
Go into the iPhoto Library (Right Click -> Show Package Contents) on your desktop and find the Originals folder. From the Originals folder drag the individual Event Folders to the iPhoto Window and it will recreate them in the new library.
When you're sure all is well you can delete the iPhoto Library on your desktop.
Now start to add the Photos from the other folder, making sure to not accept duplicates.
In the future, in addition to your usual back up routine, you might like to make a copy of the library6.iPhoto file whenever you have made changes to the library as protection against database corruption.
4. Repeat step one.
Regards
TD

Can I move the default location of the iPhoto library to an external source, leaving a preview image on my main HDD? Do I need to move to something like Apature to do this?

Can I move the default location of the iPhoto library to an external source, leaving a preview image on my main HDD?
Do I need to move to something like Apature to do this?
I currenlty have a NAS which holds all my images.

Yes you can, but you really, really don't want to.
You can store your photos on the External and have iPhoto link to them in that location. It's called having a Referenced Library.
In this scenario iPhoto creates an alias to the files in the Library and that's why you don't want to do this. Aliases work fin when everything is on the same volume or disk. However, if the alias points to something on another disk or volume and something in the path to the file changes, then the alias is broken. That means you could find yourself fixing each alias for every single photo in your Library, one at a time if something goes wrong.
And heaven forbid you would ever want to move the files to another disk.
See why I say you really, really don't want to?
Also note, that your edited photos would still be on the internal HD as they are always stored in the Library.
Aperture, on the other hand, can deal with this scenario quite easily, and has tools to reconnect to the original should the link be broken
Regards
TD

Multiple users using one iPhoto library on a server

I'm working in a design company and we have a huge folder stuffed with reference images on our server. Accessing it is ok using Adobe Bridge but I recently had an idea to create an iPhoto library on the server, this would allow people to quickly find relevant images and by keyword or album. I set it up and all worked fine until I tried opening the library up on a colleagues machine. turns out the folder is 'locked' and completely unaccessable if someone else had it open. Is there a way to make the library more flexible so that more than one person can use it at one time? Thanks

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. IPhoto is not designed to be used on a network server. iPhoto is not reliable on any drive that isn't formatted OS X Extended. If the library is located on an OS X Extended formatted external HD withownership set to be ignored and connected to a Mac it can be accessed and used by other Macs. Just create a guest account that others can use to get to the external HD.
If you want multi user compatibility I suggest you look at one of the DAM (digital asset management) applications that offer that - like Media Expression. Other possible DAM applications are described and discussed at The DAM Forum.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier versions) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. There are versions that are compatible with iPhoto 5, 6, 7 and 8 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
NOTE: The new rebuild option in iPhoto 09 (v. 8.0.2), Rebuild the iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup" makes this tip obsolete.

A photo found in the iPhoto library that was not imported

Every time I open iPhoto, I receive a message saying "A photo has been found in the iPhoto library that was not imported. Would you like to import it?" If I select yes, a box pops up saying "Unreadable file. The file was not imported, the file was missing." and then the photo's path. If I select no, the photo gets placed in a recovery file. I can see the photo in the recovery file, it is a photo that I locked (and maybe marked hidden - if you can even do both). I've tried to go into my iPhoto and unhide photos so that I can unlock the original...I've also tried unlocking the photo in the recovered file. I've tried deleting the photo in the recovery file as well...I can unlock it in Finder and delete it, but (with my limited knowledge of computers) I've determined that I must only be deleting a copy. Where is the original...I'd like to delete it. I don't even need this pic anymore and it is SERIOUSLY IRRITATING ME every time I open iPhoto. And that's often, as I'm always taking pics of my little one. TIA!!!!! Sara

Sara
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
Regards
TD

Trying to upload some photos to an e-mail an I get a message that says "The iPhoto Library is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have permission to make changes to it." To where do I navigate to unlock this so I can have access to my photo library?

Trying to upload some photos to an e-mail an I get a message that says "The iPhoto Library is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have permission to make changes to it." To where do I navigate to unlock this so I can have access to my photo library?

Couple of things to try:
Restart your mac and try launch iPhoto again.
If that fails:
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a file called ‘iPhoto’Lock.data or similar. Drag it to the Desktop. Make no other changes. Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If not: Where is your iPhoto Library stored? If it's on an External Disk, what format is that?

IPhoto, "A photo has been found in the iPhoto Library that was not imported

A photo has been found in the iPhoto Library that was not imported. I click no or yes and I receive a message... The photo has been placed in the folder /Users//Pictures/iPhoto Library Recovered Photos_11. what do i need to do to stop this???

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
Go to your Pictures Folder and find the iPhoto Library there. Right (or Control-) Click on the icon and select 'Show Package Contents'. A finder window will open with the Library exposed.
Look there for a Folder called 'Import' or 'Importing'.
Drag it to the Desktop. *Make no other changes*.
Start iPhoto. Does that help?
If it does then look inside that folder on your desktop. Does it contain anything you want? If not you can trash the folder.
Regards
TD

A photo has been found in the iphoto library that has not been imported???

When i open iphoto i get a message saying "a photo has been found in the iphoto library that has not been imported, would you like to import it?" I have tried what everyone is saying to do, but when i look under show package contents there is no import folder to move. only a folder that says contents and i've looked all through that, still no import folder. Even though i click no i do not want the photo imported it still is stored on my external hard drive and every so often i have to go delete TONS of photos and when you click on the photo it doesn't even actually show up as anything.

but when i look under show package contents there is no import folder to move. only a folder that says contents
You're looking at the iPhoto.app package. Those instructions are for the iPhoto Library package. That's in your Pictures Folder.

Storing the iPhoto Library on a Server - Yes or No?

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