backup for large files

I am considering consolidating a lot of photos into large photo libraries (file size already .5Tb likely to be several Tb) I am worried about backups. I have now seen that I could use RAID arrays to keep local copies secure. What is a good way to create remote backups? It seems that iCloud will not cater for this sort of volume. I am looking at upgrading the MaCOS (from High Siera to Latest compatible operating system: macOS Catalina 10.15.7) so that I can use paid for MS Onedrive. However the photo library seems to be one big file, so any copy would take several connection sessions over broadband, so any remote system would have to cater for that.

Any suggestions ?

Posted on Nov 1, 2021 2:50 AM

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Nov 1, 2021 3:05 AM in response to Maffsoft

  1. It's not a file. It's a package - and that's just a folder set to look like a single item. It does this to protect the contents
  2. The best way to back up a Photos Library is to copy it to an external drive formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS. Using an app that does incremental back ups is more convenient. Redundancy - that is, multiple back ups - is advised.
  3. There really is no good remote back up for a Photos Library. Why not? If you try back up online the servers that the library might sit on will not be appropriate for the Library (i.e not formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or AFPS) and so there is a real danger of silent corruption to the library.
  4. However, it is perfectly possible to back your Photographs online and among the best and least expensive ways of doing this is with sharing sites like Flickr or SmugMug. These will protect your photos and also allow you to access them from any computer in the world. Other apps such as Adobe's Lightroom have this feature built-in.
  5. The iCloud Photo Library is a sharing service, not a back up.

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backup for large files

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