MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

BetterRed · 10-26-2017, 05:51 PM

Problem with calibre's Import/Export tool is that it is an all or nothing 'solution'.

It copies everything, i.e. no incremental backup, and you cannot restore individual books or formats. On some of my libraries that would mean a lot of time (many hours) and a lot of storage (100 of GB, even a few TB) every time -- which means it wouldn't get done.

I've enabled on Windows 10 Backup on my calibre library folders. When I'm editing a format - audio/video, document, epub etc - I save regularly, where I can, I do it automatically. Then if I want something as it was yesterday afternoon I can click on 'Restore Previous Versions' and up pops a timestamped list of the folder or file at 20min intervals since 'forever'. I've not noticed any performance or functional affect on calibre. The previous versions are not stored in the library itself, they're in a 'hidden' folder, e.g. 'D:\System Volume Information'. It seems to work much better than the similarly feature in Vista and Win7, which relied on the Volume Shadow Service which in my experience was a bit 'hit and miss'.

I do periodic (daily and weekly) incremental backups to external media using GoodSync.

I use the same regime on all data - ebooks, documents, email, code, audio, video etc etc; IMO data is data is data. I also maintain a strict segregation of data and software, intermingling the two encourages the walled garden syndrome.

BR

10-26-2017, 05:51 PM	#13
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,825 Karma: 30277270 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	Problem with calibre's Import/Export tool is that it is an all or nothing 'solution'. It copies everything, i.e. no incremental backup, and you cannot restore individual books or formats. On some of my libraries that would mean a lot of time (many hours) and a lot of storage (100 of GB, even a few TB) every time -- which means it wouldn't get done. I've enabled on Windows 10 Backup on my calibre library folders. When I'm editing a format - audio/video, document, epub etc - I save regularly, where I can, I do it automatically. Then if I want something as it was yesterday afternoon I can click on 'Restore Previous Versions' and up pops a timestamped list of the folder or file at 20min intervals since 'forever'. I've not noticed any performance or functional affect on calibre. The previous versions are not stored in the library itself, they're in a 'hidden' folder, e.g. 'D:\System Volume Information'. It seems to work much better than the similarly feature in Vista and Win7, which relied on the Volume Shadow Service which in my experience was a bit 'hit and miss'. I do periodic (daily and weekly) incremental backups to external media using GoodSync. I use the same regime on all data - ebooks, documents, email, code, audio, video etc etc; IMO data is data is data. I also maintain a strict segregation of data and software, intermingling the two encourages the walled garden syndrome. BR Last edited by BetterRed; 10-26-2017 at 05:53 PM.