iMac with external HD - where should I store the Catalog file, photos and backup files?

[jclin10]

Greetings,

I'm trying to clear up some space on my iMac, to which is attached an external HD (RAID 0).

Where is the ideal place for me to store the:

1. Catalog file

2. Photo files themselves

3. Backup files

In a way that gives me more space on my iMac without compromising performance in a significant way?

Thanks!

[dj_paige]

Catalog usually goes on your fastest disk, which is normally the internal drive.

Photos and backups can go on your slowest disk, which is normally the external drive.

[GoldingD]

Backups should go on a separate drive, Not on your boot/system drive, not on the same drive as your catalog, not on the same drive as your photos.

As for backups on your boot/system drive, I assume you backup that drive, that backup needs to be on a separate drive. And as that drive gets lots of activity, not a great place for other backups like your catalog or photos.

If your catalog and your backup of your catalog are on the same drive, then when (that is when) that drive fails, you will loose both.

If your Photos and the backup of your Photos are on the same drive, when that drive fails, you loose both.

[jclin10]

Thanks! Is the backup that Lightroom does automatically a backup of the catalog or the photos themselves?

Also, how long do you need to typically keep the backups? They start to take up a lot of space!

[dj_paige]

The backup that Lightroom Classic does automatically is just the catalog file. It does not backup the photos, which you have to do somehow (either manually, which I don't recommend; or automatically via third party software, which I do recommend).

I keep the catalog backups for quite a while, probably months. I guess it depends on how much space you have for catalog backups (which should go on the external drive) and your tolerance for risk (lower tolerance means you keep them longer).

[jclin10]

So it sounds like the advice is

1. Catalog file on internal HDD

2. Backups of catalog file and actual photo files on external HDD

Is that correct?

[dj_paige]

So it sounds like the advice is

1. Catalog file on internal HDD

2. Backups of catalog file and actual photo files on external HDD

Is that correct?

A slight modification to my earlier advice, you need #3: photo backups on a different external drive than the original photos files are on; or photo backups in the cloud; or both.

[jclin10]

Yup! I have that.

Can I put photo files and library backups on same external drive (which is backed up to the cloud)?