Library iPhoto on Synology NAS

Move the Library from the NAS. it's not an appropriate place for it. The disk format is wrong and the network connection is not recommended.

iPhoto needs to have the Library sitting on disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Users with the Library sitting on disks otherwise formatted regularly report issues including, but not limited to, importing, exporting, saving edits and sharing the photos.

See this article

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS5168

for more. Note also the comment:

“Additionally, storing the iPhoto library on a network rather than locally on your computer can also lead to poor performance or data loss.”

The article linked to by Terence Devlin specifically references drives formatted in FAT32 - a Windows file system. However, many NAS devices (Synology, for one) are Linux based and use the EXT4 file system. EXT4 file systems seem to work with iPhoto 11.

For more information, see this discussion thread:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2685974?answerId=18239981022#18239981022

EXT4, nor any other file system except Mac OS Extended (Journaled) are not appropriate for an iPhoto Library. That's an old (and indeed inaccurate thread). More importantly, did you miss the last quote in my post? Here, let me emphasise that for you:

“Additionally, storing the iPhoto library on a network rather than locally on your computer can also lead to poor performance or data loss.”

I'm a bit new to all this, so pardon if my question is a big ignorant and perhaps already covered in more technical laguage earlier. If I understand correctly, the iPhoto Library is basically the "manager" that sorts and indexes the photo images (in my case jpg files).

Based on the earlier discussions, I understand that it is critical that the iPhoto Library live on an iOS device and not be put on the NAS. HOWEVER... why not just maintain a central photo repository on the NAS, while keeping the iPhoto Library on the local Mac devices?

My goal is to have a central photo repository that can be accessed by all the devices in my home, as well uses RAID. I tested the following scenario this evening, which seemed to work well, but am trying to understand if it will scale for my library of 30,000 images (and growing).

1. I created a folder on my Synology 412+ called "Photos"
2. I put about 100 jpg images in the "Photos" folder on the Synology NAS.
3. I gave access to the "Photos" folder on the NAS to two users: One called Daniel with R/W access and another called Reggy with Read-only access. (Other than Daniel, I don't want Reggy or other iPhoto users to be able to mess with the actual image locations on the NAS).
4. On both Daniel and Reggy's Macs, I set up iPhoto so that they would only import thumbnails for reference viewing, but the actual image files remain on the NAS. (Setup: iPhoto > Preferences > Advanced > then un-click "Copy items to Photo Library")
5. Here is what happened: From both Reggie and Daniel's Macs, I was able to view images using the local iPhoto Library. Furthermore, I could see all the original photo meta data, make edits to photos and save edits in the local iPhoto Library (without affecting the source image), as well as export full-version photos to the local Macs.

Seems to work great!

Am I missing something? Is this susceptible to data loss? Will this scale for my 30,000+ photos?

Yes you are missing a lot

1 - the iPhoto library is not a manager - it is a SQLite database that includes all photos and details about where they aer as well as information about them

2 - IOS is strictly an OS for rmobile devices and while there is an different iPhoto for IOS this forum is onlu about iPhoto for the Mac and does not in any way involve IOS

3 - the iPhoto librarhy MUST always be on a volume formatted Mac OS extended (journaled) this is a physical disk format and have no involvement in the OS

4 - You can use a referenced library and have the otiginal photos on an NAS but it is a REALLY bad idea and will create massive future problems - and have no advantages at all

5 - for your goal the solution is to use a different program - that is not a job for iPhoto

6 - in your example things will work until you need to move the library or replace defective hardware or upgrade hardware of buy a new computer or any of a large number of things that cause the path to change - then you will have to reconnect each and every image to the new path one by one - in short referenced libraries are very strongly not recommenced and have no advantages over managed libraries - none at all

7 - and in your example you are missing that the path can not change and that changes made by an user are not abailable to any other user

8 - here is one of many threads listing the issues with referenced libraries and the extreme difficuly of upgrading when you have one - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3216539?tstart=0

LN

The problem is that iPhoto doesn't really have the tools to run this referenced Library. Should anything go wrong you could find each user reconnecting each individual photo to their library one-by-one. Other basic tools, like the ability to move, delete or migrate images are missing, and trying to do these things will risk the same outcome. Essentially, should the path to the file change for any reason you'll have a problem that iPhoto has no tools to correct.

For more on iPhoto and file management see this User Tip:

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6361

If that's what you want to do then my best advice is use Aperture, which has all those tools.

Thanks for the replies. I definitely will not be using iPhoto with the NAS.

Terence: I did take a look at Aperture at your suggestion, which seems to have the capability I'm looking for . To be clear, though, are you saying that I can safely use Aperture with my Synology based on the scenario in my earlier post?

Yes

my best advice is use Aperture, which has all those tools.

You pay more and you get more

LN

Yes. Library on the Mac, photos on the NAS.

Thanks for all the help so far!!!! I'm almost there... I think.

I now have Aperture loaded up and was able to move my photos to the NAS. For moving the jpg files, I just dragged over the "Original" and "Modified" folders from the iPhoto Library. However, my wife had a cow when she saw that all the meta data that she spent months working on in iPhoto no longer appears.

How do I go about re-applying the meta data she created in iPhoto so it can be used by Aperture, while accessing the photos from the NAS?

You can not "reapply" metadata - you have to export photos to have it included - the originals are exactly that - the original as imported with not changs - the modified soes not have metadata changes included - metadata changes are recorded in the database and you include them in the photo by using the file menu ==> export - see the user tip on exporting for details - https://discussions.apple.com/community/ilife/iphoto?view=documents

LN

Whoa...

With Aperture you use the Relocate Masters command...

michielNLD wrote:

Thanks a lot everyone for all the reply's. It's funny that the problem I started the discussion with is solved automatically after updating to MacOSX Mavericks, but...

"solved automatically" how?