ChronoSynch and Aperture

We use it in the manner you suggest, Chronosync only backs up the referenced masters to the external drives, and we use vaults on the externals to back up the library. We also run Time Machine to a Time Capsule, though I'm not certain that this backs up Aperture libraries when they are open.

I think you can set Chronosync to backup a file when an application closes, this might be another option for you.

JJ --

Fwiw, SuperDuper! is, afaict, smart enough to copy only the changed files within the Library. At the same time, it still has to read all the files, and this can take as long as it takes Finder to simply copy the files.

I set SuperDuper! to run when none of the Libraries or machines are in use (viz.: overnight), and to update sparse bundle files of every Library and every set of Referenced Originals. I only do this once per week, however, on alternating back-up drives. I back up all critical Libraries every day using Time Machine. (TM worked _poorly_ with early editions of Aperture 3.x. It has become usable -- kudos, I guess, to Apple's engineers.)

I administer one very large and unwieldy Library (finishing the upgrade to 3.3.x took 170 hours of full-on processing on a 5,5 MBP). I'm just getting to the point of setting this back up for back-ups. I will be looking at efficient ways to do this. I gave up on Vaults long ago -- I couldn't get consistent results on any Vault over 50 GB (iirc). Afaik, this limitation has been removed in the most recent upgrades.

My biggest Library contains over 3 million files (not Images -- files).

Fwiw, I _think_ that TM now backs up at least part of open Aperture Libraries. Have not taken the time to pin this down, however. TM certainly exhibits much better behavior with Aperture -- but this may be the result of (programmatically) ignoring it.

So my suggestions:

- make sure your Vaults are working (verify!).

- see if SuperDuper! is better are updating back-ups. (Iirc, a trial is available.)

I am semi-happily running a rMBP, and may move all external storage to USB3 or T-bolt. As it is, I can't sell my old MBP until Apple releases the Firewire<>Thunderbolt adapter. (Yo!!) I am not savvy enough about hardware to know if the faster bus (is it the bus?) will increase overall performance.

I believe you can set ChronoSync to dissect Packages so that the whole Library does not get copyed over every time

This is how we have it set up

Happy to help

Been using ChronoSync for years just for this purpose

For us!

We have a computer acting as the Library host/server with a couple of Addonic cases plugged into it

This all runs WiFi

When I come back from a job with a portable hard drive I will back it up over the network

But I am not using the wireless as part of my backup routine

To get things off site we go the swap out harddrive route on a regular basis depending on how many jobs are running at the time

Hope this helped a bit, not the exact surnario you were looking for but it's how we work and finding something that works for you and sticking to it goes a long way! :-)

The Addonics make the swap easy.

Also this is our offsite (3rd) backup

We also have a cradle running for the offsite stuff and to clone harddrives with when needed

Running the Canons on WiFi? No never, closest is using the EyeFi card with ShutterSnitch to iPad when we have Clients in the Studio

Shooting RAW with only small jpegs being sent to the iPad runs pretty smoothly for the way we shoot

Joseph

I have an iMac and a MacBook. I have some Aperture file in Dropbox. I would like to use Chronosync to synchronize (not backup) the two versions of the Aperture library, if I put a new version on Dropbox from my laptop. Any experience with using CS to sync the Aperture library. I would sure like this to work....