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manage photos across users through NAS

Hello everyone,

I recently setup a NAS (synology) as my photo data was scattered across many external drives before. I have few requirements which I'm not sure how to accomplish. Right now what I have done is I've moved my old aperture / iphoto library directly to NAS and open it across network. I dont know if this is a good idea in the long run and I also dont have access to these while i'm not at home. So its not ideal. What my requirement is, Use the NAS as a central backup for the photos while giving me the access to edit photos on the go (while i'm at home or outside-offline). Another reason I've done it the current way is because so my wife can also access the photo library directly through her own user account without any complications. So to summarise.


- use NAS as central repository for the iphoto/aperture

- has ability to work offline on the photos

- accesss the same library data with another user account.


using aperture 3.5.1 / osx 10.9.x / iphoto latest version. my main source of data is 2 iphones & a digital cam (point & shoot)


thanks.

Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Apr 14, 2014 10:05 AM

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4 replies

Apr 14, 2014 10:43 AM in response to mevan

Right now what I have done is I've moved my old aperture / iphoto library directly to NAS and open it across network. I dont know if this is a good idea in the long run and I also dont have access to these while i'm not at home.

That is not a good idea. Aperture is neither a network database nor a multi user database. You are risking data loss. Apple requires an Aperture or iPhoto library to be on a loacally connected volume, formatted MacOS Extended (Journaled). Your NAS has two problems. It is a network volume, and has a different file system. With network access you are risking inconsistencies in the internal databases due to tinterrupted database transactions, and with the wrong file system you are risking broken references to original files. See Apple's support document:


Use locally mounted Mac OS X Extended volumes for your Aperture library


If you value your photos, move the Aperture library to a locally connected drive with the correct file system.


To share your library with your wife, set the "Ignore Ownership on this volume" flag on the external drive. See this document: iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users


-- Léonie

Apr 16, 2014 2:22 AM in response to mevan

Do you have any suggestions to use my NAS for keeping photos & keep it pointing to the iphoto/aperture library ?

Do you mean, turning your Aperture library into a referenced library? See: Aperture 3 User Manual: Working with Referenced Images


I have not tried to put referenced image files onto a NAS, so I cannot advise you with that. Search this forum for posts by users who tried it. There is no documentation by Apple with respect to referenced originals on a volume not formatted MacOS Extended. If it works, you will eperience a slower performance when adjusting your images, due to the network access.

Apr 16, 2014 9:09 AM in response to mevan

Back up original image files to the NAS before importing into Aperture. Then put the original image files on directly attached storage. Then use the image files on the directly attached storage as the referenced originals for a Referenced-Originals Library.


Note that it is inappropriate to point to NAS files from Aperture because NAS is not supported by Aperture. NAS may work of course - - until it doesn't.


HTH


-Allen

manage photos across users through NAS

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