Deleting from a "mirrored" backup archive

Here's my latest conundrum: On “Import” I always click the box to make a backup copy of what I'm importing to an external HP Home Server (all 4TB of which is mirrored on two different physical drives.) Slightly paranoid about data loss, I know… However, what I'm discovering is that when I import the first time, my deletions are not as robust as I would later like. Basically, I over import…and then weeks or months later I will go back and cull out more photos. That works fine in the “Main” library. But that deletion process does not reach the master files on the backup server.

So, when I delete a file from the “Main” library, how can I tell Aperture to ALSO delete the identical file(s) on the external server?

by PhotoJoseph

May 23, 2011 - 2:32pm

Luke,

I’m afraid there’s no way for Aperture to do this. When you use the “Backup Location” feature in Aperture on import, there is absolutely zero connection between those images and the ones you’ve imported. It’s effectively a Finder copy.

To achieve what you’re asking, you’d have to have a backup that’s run from your main Masters drive to your other servers. That backup would have to be a system that runs incremental backups, but basically all do. Then if you removed something from Aperture, and in turn it was deleted from the Masters drive, on its next backup, it’d be removed from there as well. Of course if it’s actually deleted, or moved to a “deleted” folder, or whatever, depends on the software. For example I run Time Machine on my master drives to a Drobo. When I delete a file from my Master, I know that it will get marked for deletion by Time Machine on the Drobo. Once I run out of “time”, that deleted file will no longer be recoverable.

-Joseph @ApertureExpert

@PhotoJoseph
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by Chris Biele

October 1, 2012 - 6:36pm

I was just looking for the answer to this very question. Thank you Joseph.

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