Time Machine just forgot about my iPhoto Library!!

Thanks, but I knew about all that.

I'm now waiting for the slow (2.5" disk via USB) from the original disk, but I'm beginning to think that it wasn't really necessary, because I found a file which may be the start of an explanation of what happened:

sh-3.2# ls -l */.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 2 11:58 2009-12-02-115839/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 2 12:41 2009-12-02-124101/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 2 13:41 2009-12-02-134144/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 2 14:41 2009-12-02-144151/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 2 15:41 2009-12-02-154121/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 2 16:40 2009-12-02-164056/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 3 10:00 2009-12-03-100057/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 3 10:37 2009-12-03-103716/.reservations.plist
-rw------- 1 root _unknown 286 Dec 3 10:37 Latest/.reservations.plist

This file (identical in all backups, note that 2009-12-02-115839 was the first, full backup) looks like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>reservedPaths</key>
<array>
<string>/Users/**my username censored**/Pictures/iPhoto Library</string>
</array>
</dict>
</plist>

Does anybody know what this file is for? It's not the same as the exclusion list, and I never asked for an exclusion anyway.

I searched with Google and I searched all of ADC, and found NO TRACES of .reservations.plist or the reservedPaths plist key. The backup of my most important files killed by the most undocumented feature in the world?? I still have my previous TM disk, with a fresh backup from yesterday, and I exchanged my HD while it was still working, so I won't miss a file, but this still really makes me angry.

And here's what I just found out: My old backup disk has a lot of .reservation.plists too, but not in EVERY backup directory. In fact, it probably only has it in the backups for those occasions where iPhoto wasn't running... and now look what I found:
http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/2009/04/time-machine-vs-iphoto.html

This is really a disappointment. If TM wants me to quit iPhoto before it can backup, why doesn't it tell me so during the initial backup? Or even during the subsequent ones, if it discovers that some days has passed since the previous backup of iPhoto Library?

And here's what I just found out: My old backup disk has a lot of .reservation.plists too, but not in EVERY backup directory. In fact, it probably only has it in the backups for those occasions where iPhoto wasn't running... and now look what I found:

Oops, too many negations, of course I meant: "...it probably only has it in the backups for those occasions where iPhoto WAS running".

I've filed a bug report with Apple and have made a habit of quitting iPhoto every now and then to make sure I get at least one daily backup.

direwolf8 wrote:
I don't know of any backup program that will reliably backup open files. If you want proper backups, leave the computer on and exit all applications.

This is very bad advice, and absolutely contrary to the whole idea of Time Machine. Exit all applications every hour, you say? Fortunately, Time Machine is able to take proper backup of most files, open or not, it depends on the state of the files. Of course e.g. virtual machine files or many kinds of databases (including iPhoto) can be in an inconsistent state, but there's no reason for iPhoto to be in an inconsistent state when it's just idling.

Almarmar wrote:
Hello,

Some days ago I found something that I tried, and seems to work. At least, I don't have more "iPhoto full backups" after this thing. I'll try to explain it:

I booted from the install disc, and from the utility menu, chose reset password for Macintosh HD, and at the bottom of the box clicked Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs. Then, rebooted again from the HDD, and done.

Why I did this? Because I saw exactly the same ACL error messages as in this post: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/os-x-operating-system/167580-successfully-remov ed-acl-found-but-not-expected-warnings-permissions-repair.html
And in some other place, I read that our iPhoto problem is related to the permissions and some systems files that tell to Time Machine which photo is backed up and which doesn't. And as this solution reset all home directory permissions, I decided to try. The only consequence of this solution is that all spotlight data of your computer is deleted and indexed again, but I think it worth the try , as you don't loose anything.

I'm not sure if it has 100% solved my trouble, but since I did it one month ago, Time Machine seems to be working again as expected. I wish it

Thanks for your advice, very interesting!

I have some new information in this case:
I just moved all my data to a new MacBook Pro from a TM backup of the old one, only to discover that I AGAIN lacked 5 weeks worth of iPhoto images! And this time it's more complicated, since I know that iPhoto hasn't been running all the time. In fact, before I did the restore to the new machine, I restarted the old machine and ran a backup.

Some more info:

In addition to stop backing up iPhoto more than a month ago, TM had also failed to back up the following:

- one single file which was replaced more than a month ago
- additions to my trial Aperture 3 library done 10 days ago
- at least one music file from my iTunes library (which, at some point, was moved by iTunes from one folder to another)

It's a bit late to restore completely from the old mac in target mode, so I've now done a lot of command line stuff (du, find, diff etc.) in order to spot differences, and I think the above must be all. But this has been a very disappointing experience.