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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> A good local storage solution for my laptop?
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10/31/2007 03:18:39 PM · #1
Hello, I have a Mac iBook Pro with a 120gig harddrive that I am rapidly filling up with images. I do all my image work on my Mac. I use Lightroom which I love.

My problem is that I am very close to a full harddrive on my laptop, and its time to look into storage options for my images. I know that I can by external drive enclosures but I was wondering if there is an option that I can use where I can just plug it into my network (rather than into a USB or firewire port on the Mac) and my laptop and computers would just see it as a network drive (without having to go into building a whole computer for it).

Also, I am concerned about how I would ensure that they would still be available and useable by lightroom, I would hate to lose all the work I have done in Lightroom when I moved those images to a new location and deleted them off my laptop. Whats the best solution there?
10/31/2007 03:36:41 PM · #2
Originally posted by modurn:

My problem is that I am very close to a full harddrive on my laptop, and its time to look into storage options for my images. I know that I can by external drive enclosures but I was wondering if there is an option that I can use where I can just plug it into my network (rather than into a USB or firewire port on the Mac) and my laptop and computers would just see it as a network drive (without having to go into building a whole computer for it).

//www.google.com/products?q=external+hard+drive+ethernet&btnG=Search+Products
11/01/2007 01:03:42 PM · #3
Well that certainly solves part of my problem, now for the issue with Lightroom? If I move the images off my laptop and then delete them, Lightroom is going to lose track of all those images. Is there a way I can move the catalog to the new drive so that it retains all the links and settings for the images that are there now?
11/01/2007 01:08:31 PM · #4
Originally posted by modurn:

Well that certainly solves part of my problem, now for the issue with Lightroom? If I move the images off my laptop and then delete them, Lightroom is going to lose track of all those images. Is there a way I can move the catalog to the new drive so that it retains all the links and settings for the images that are there now?


Your best bet is to set Lightroom to use sidecar files to save the work you've done to each file. Each photo should have a XMP file along with it. That way, no matter where they are the settings will be there. Also, Photoshop CS2/3 can read those XMP files too when you open them with ACR.
11/01/2007 02:30:24 PM · #5
Depending upon your "geek factor," you might consider a DNS-323 --
//www.dlink.com/products/?pid=509

Plug in 1 or 2 SATA drives and build a RAID-0 or -1 array. Runs linux, and can be easily hacked to boot into a full linux dist. I have mine running the latest Debian stable, NFS, CIFS, apache, bittorret clients, etc. Rock solid and decently priced. I picked up the my 323 and two 512G drives from //www.newegg.com/ for less than 400 shipped.

For lightroom, moving files can be accomplished two ways:
- In Lightroom itself, just go to your folder view, click "+" and add a folder at the new location where you wish to move your photos. Then, just click on your existing photo folder and drag it to the folder you just created.
- Outside of Lightroom: Exit Lightroom. Move your folder as desired. Start Lightroom. When you get a "missing pictures" count over in the folders view, right click and select "locate missing pictures". You only have to find a single picture (or folder), and Lightroom will automagically find the rest.

For moving folders around, there is no need for the XMP sidecar files. As fotomann said, though, the sidecar files are very handy if you want to "pass information" (photo adjustments) between Lightroom and another application, though. So, I'm not saying you shouldn't turn them on -- I'm just saying you don't need them specifically for moving folders around. If you do decide to turn on sidecar files for automatic updates, be sure you are running Lightroom 1.2. There is a significant performance issue in previous versions, especially if you house your photos on an external or network-attached device. (I speak from personal experience -- it's a painful process to turn it back off and "clean up" if you have a large collection). Otherwise, you can just write the sidecars manually -- individually or in sets -- by using the "Save Metadata to Files" command.

- edited to fix urls -


Message edited by author 2007-11-01 14:31:42.
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