Backup choices - which is better, or does it really matter

[Ron-Alexander]

Lightroom Version Number

15.5

Operating System

1. macOS 26 Tahoe

I currently have the 'on-exit' LrC backups going to my system disk, and a few minutes later I use Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) to copy them to an External Drive. I know some purists here will say that the on-exit backups should go directly to the external drive.
Given the worst-case scenario where the system drive dies between putting the backups there and before copying them to the EHD, I only lose the most recent backup.
That is a trivial (for me) difference, but I wonder if I am missing something?

As I write this, I do have the EHD connected. It's a tiny 2TB SSD, 8 cm x 5 cm x 1 cm, so I am considering leaving it almost permanently connected via its 30 cm TB4 cable. Would changing the procedure to write the backups to the SSD first, then copy to the system drive be that much different?

BTW, I am an amateur and take a trivial number of pictures compared to many here, so some things don't make sense for my use case.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Backup are not just for if the drive fails, more often they are needed because the catalog somehow got corrupted. I think it really doesn't matter what order you use.

 

[John R Ellis]

Backup are not just for if the drive fails, more often they are needed because the catalog somehow got corrupted.

Often "corruption" is the result of user error, e.g. deleting keywords from hundreds of photos and only noticing when it's too late to undo. Backups save the day.

 

[clee01l]

There are three reasons for creating a backup catalog file.
One is when the disk fails. For this reason it is good to place the catalog and the backup on different physical disks.
Two is to recover a corrupt catalog file.
Three is for recovering what I call “stupid user mistakes”. We all make them. I have gone back 6 months to find a backup file that contained the keywords assigned to ~2000 images that I incidentally removed and did not discover immediately.

I keep my backup catalogs on a separate disk. These are the only files on this disk. I currently have backups going back to 2022. The reason. They are on a separate disk is that I do not do any housekeeping until that disk is full. Keeping them on my Primary disk with the catalog is a waste of prime storage. I use Time Machine to back up my critical files including my primary disk and my image files on a separate volume. I do not backup the disk containing the catalog backup files although I could is the disk were better managed.

TimeMachine backups to my NAS and alternate an attached volume on my DAS. I also use Backblaze cloud backup for off site recovery


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Ron-Alexander]

Often "corruption" is the result of user error, e.g. deleting keywords from hundreds of photos and only noticing when it's too late to undo. Backups save the day.

I have seen some examples of that here. I am ridiculously careful whenever I make a deletion. LrC has several tools to aid in selection; Library Filters and Smart Collections are my best friends.

 

[Ron-Alexander]

There are three reasons for creating a backup catalog file.
One is when the disk fails. For this reason it is good to place the catalog and the backup on different physical disks.
Two is to recover a corrupt catalog file.
Three is for recovering what I call “stupid user mistakes”. We all make them. I have gone back 6 months to find a backup file that contained the keywords assigned to ~2000 images that I incidentally removed and did not discover immediately.

I keep my backup catalogs on a separate disk. These are the only files on this disk. I currently have backups going back to 2022. The reason. They are on a separate disk is that I do not do any housekeeping until that disk is full. Keeping them on my Primary disk with the catalog is a waste of prime storage. I use Time Machine to back up my critical files including my primary disk and my image files on a separate volume. I do not backup the disk containing the catalog backup files although I could is the disk were better managed.

TimeMachine backups to my NAS and alternate an attached volume on my DAS. I also use Backblaze cloud backup for off site recovery


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have had mixed success using Time Machine to recover anything. Fortunately, when I did, I had another way out of my predicament. Hopefully everyone knows that both Time Machine and Backblaze have lists of files they do not back up. I understand their reasoning, but a few years ago I thought I had found files that weren't backed up and that I was counting on. I was probably wrong about that, and I used both TM and BB today.
Speaking of BB, I accidentally left it on during my recent cross-country trip. BB was able to keep up even though we only had dubious-quality WiFi at RV parks and motels. Very impressive! That will not be possible next trip in a few days, as we will be totally out of WiFi and even cell phone options at many places along Highway 11 (Trans Canada Highway)

 

[Zenon]

I got my a Mac Mini last summer. I used a dedicated powered external drive (spinner) that backs up the OS using Time Machine to migrate data to it. LrC started up on the Mini like nothing happened. It found the drives. etc.

I use CCC to back files up from a 2nd ED to a 3rd ED. Both powered as well.

 

[camner]

I have had mixed success using Time Machine to recover anything. Fortunately, when I did, I had another way out of my predicament. Hopefully everyone knows that both Time Machine and Backblaze have lists of files they do not back up. I understand their reasoning, but a few years ago I thought I had found files that weren't backed up and that I was counting on. I was probably wrong about that, and I used both TM and BB today.
Speaking of BB, I accidentally left it on during my recent cross-country trip. BB was able to keep up even though we only had dubious-quality WiFi at RV parks and motels. Very impressive! That will not be possible next trip in a few days, as we will be totally out of WiFi and even cell phone options at many places along Highway 11 (Trans Canada Highway)

One of my best vacation memories is from 1976, the year my wife and I were married. We were living in Washington DC at the time and wanted to travel to Minneapolis to visit my college roommate. Having never been to Canada, we decided to take the “scenic route.” After crossing the border at Niagara Falls, we spent a few days in Algonquin Provincial Park, northwest of Toronto, which I still consider one of the most beautiful places on earth I have ever seen. We decided to take the northernmost east-west road we could find on the map, which was Highway 11. For much of the drive we seem to be the only vehicle on the road, and we stopped even bothering to pull off to the side when we wanted to get out and look at something. We spent a really cold August night camping in Cochrane (where it was 28° F and our sleeping bags were rated for 40°!) and then travelled “all the way to Thunder Bay” before heading southwest into the States. I wonder how much Hwy 11 has changed in the last 50 years…

Thanks for the memories, Ron!

 

[Ron-Alexander]

One of my best vacation memories is from 1976, the year my wife and I were married. We were living in Washington DC at the time and wanted to travel to Minneapolis to visit my college roommate. Having never been to Canada, we decided to take the “scenic route.” After crossing the border at Niagara Falls, we spent a few days in Algonquin Provincial Park, northwest of Toronto, which I still consider one of the most beautiful places on earth I have ever seen. We decided to take the northernmost east-west road we could find on the map, which was Highway 11. For much of the drive we seem to be the only vehicle on the road, and we stopped even bothering to pull off to the side when we wanted to get out and look at something. We spent a really cold August night camping in Cochrane (where it was 28° F and our sleeping bags were rated for 40°!) and then travelled “all the way to Thunder Bay” before heading southwest into the States. I wonder how much Hwy 11 has changed in the last 50 years…

Thanks for the memories, Ron!

I will let you know; we are heading west on 17 to Nipigon, then back east along 11. We may bail out at Timmins and head south on 144. Next year we will retrace the 144 section and complete the loop. All that is practice for 6 to 8 weeks in Newfoundland. Those of us who live here see that Algonquin scenery every day, but you have not seen our best yet. The drive from Banff to Jasper may be the most beautiful on the planet. On the east coast, we have the Gaspe and the Cabot Trail. Closer to my home is the 'North of Superior Drive'. There is also much beauty in your country, but like millions of my fellow citizens, I will not ever go there again. I hope you know why, and it has nothing to do with exchange rates or weather. We don't take threats lightly.

 

[camner]

I will let you know; we are heading west on 17 to Nipigon, then back east along 11. We may bail out at Timmins and head south on 144. Next year we will retrace the 144 section and complete the loop. All that is practice for 6 to 8 weeks in Newfoundland. Those of us who live here see that Algonquin scenery every day, but you have not seen our best yet. The drive from Banff to Jasper may be the most beautiful on the planet. On the east coast, we have the Gaspe and the Cabot Trail. Closer to my home is the 'North of Superior Drive'. There is also much beauty in your country, but like millions of my fellow citizens, I will not ever go there again. I hope you know why, and it has nothing to do with exchange rates or weather. We don't take threats lightly.

I have driven from Banff to Jasper (in 1993), and yes, that is a beautiful drive. My young daughters had a chance to stand at the three-way continental divide and to cavort on the glacier (is that even possible anymore?). In 1978 we visited Algonquin Provincial Park again, but this time headed into Quebec and ended up in Chibougamou, where we saw the northern lights for the first and only time in our lives. We were heading for Nova Scotia and the Cabot Trail and thought we would drive around the Gaspé peninsula for fun as we headed from Québec (City) to Cape Breton Island, but once we realized the distance involved, we decided to cut across the Gaspé at Mont-Joli. The car camping trip in our 1970 VW bug was nearly 4,000 miles round-trip, starting and ending in Washington, DC.

Yes, sigh, I understand why we won't be hosting you here any time soon. Can't say I blame you one bit!

 

[Ron-Alexander]

I understand why we won't be hosting you here any time soon

You don't get it.

 

[Swingman]

I have driven from Banff to Jasper (in 1993), and yes, that is a beautiful drive. My young daughters had a chance to stand at the three-way continental divide and to cavort on the glacier (is that even possible anymore?). In 1978 we visited Algonquin Provincial Park again, but this time headed into Quebec and ended up in Chibougamou, where we saw the northern lights for the first and only time in our lives. We were heading for Nova Scotia and the Cabot Trail and thought we would drive around the Gaspé peninsula for fun as we headed from Québec (City) to Cape Breton Island, but once we realized the distance involved, we decided to cut across the Gaspé at Mont-Joli. The car camping trip in our 1970 VW bug was nearly 4,000 miles round-trip, starting and ending in Washington, DC.

Yes, sigh, I understand why we won't be hosting you here any time soon. Can't say I blame you one bit!

I was driving from Edmonton to Victoria along this highway in 1984. Stopping at Flintstone (park) throght the rockies. We left about very early morning (about 6 Am) stopped overnight in Vancouver and then continued to the Island by ferry. Visited the Butchart Gardens. Very interesting trip.
At that time sections of the highway being upgraded to extra lanes and some had duelling .