Soon SSD won't have space for Calibre data files (for import or export). What to do?

[droopy]

My CalibreLibrary folder is 60 GB huge.

According to my Linux Mint OS, my SSD has
99GB available of 232.9GB total.


I pretty much don't have anything else on my SSD. (almost all my files are in the cloud).

I locationally back up my Calibre data to the cloud.

That means, for a while, I will need about twice the space of my calibre library folder:
1) Once for the 1GB data files
2) For the working calibrelibrary directory and all its subdirectories


I don't know what to do. I'd rather not buy another SSD just to have temporary space as I export my calibre data and then import my data.

What do you all suggest?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by droopy

My CalibreLibrary folder is 60 GB huge.

According to my Linux Mint OS, my SSD has
99GB available of 232.9GB total.


I pretty much don't have anything else on my SSD. (almost all my files are in the cloud).

I locationally back up my Calibre data to the cloud.

That means, for a while, I will need about twice the space of my calibre library folder:
1) Once for the 1GB data files
2) For the working calibrelibrary directory and all its subdirectories


I don't know what to do. I'd rather not buy another SSD just to have temporary space as I export my calibre data and then import my data.

What do you all suggest?

Not sure how well this works under your flavour of Linux but can you send the export files directly to your cloud storage? One acquaintance uses Fedora/Dropbox with a folder created in his home directory by the Dropbox installer which he uses to direct a backup task to Dropbox. His only complaint is that it is slow (hmmm.... 3200MB/S compared to 40Mbit/S... it just might be a touch slower. )

[Sirtel]

Is this the only computer on which you access your library? If so, it's pretty safe to keep your library directly in Dropbox, as long as you pause syncing when Calibre is open. Problems arise when you access your library from more than one device.

[droopy]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Is this the only computer on which you access your library? If so, it's pretty safe to keep your library directly in Dropbox, as long as you pause syncing when Calibre is open. Problems arise when you access your library from more than one device.

Yes the one laptop is the only one with my Calibre library.

I actually have much more space on my Google Drive. Can I use Google Drive instead?

[hobnail]

... ...

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by droopy

Yes the one laptop is the only one with my Calibre library.

I actually have much more space on my Google Drive. Can I use Google Drive instead?

No. Google Drive and a calibre library are not compatible. Can you say OOOPPPSSS!!!

[droopy]

Originally Posted by hobnail

What's the reason for the SSD requirement? Internal hard disc drives, the old-fashioned kind with rotating magnetic media, are going for a song in the 500 GB size. You don't need the speed of SSD for calibre.

Back when I was a server admin we had a saying, "User files will expand to fill all available disk space."

So having some additional inexpensive rotating magnetic media can provide peace of mind.

Coz it'll be in a laptop, and with all the movement, I'm concerned that an HDD won't be as durable as an SSD.

[droopy]

Originally Posted by DNSB

No. Google Drive and a calibre library are not compatible. Can you say OOOPPPSSS!!!

Awww, that's unfortunate. Do you know the reason for the incompatibility?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by droopy

Awww, that's unfortunate. Do you know the reason for the incompatibility?

I vaguely seem to remember that Google Drive adds (number) as a versioning tool and calibre uses (number) for the directory IDs.

Here are links to an old post which is still valid: WARNING - Google Drive Incompatible with Calibre! which gives more information about the problem. And to a newer post: Google Drive.

[droopy]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I vaguely seem to remember that Google Drive adds (number) as a versioning tool and calibre uses (number) for the directory IDs.

When I uploaded the exported Data files into my Google Drive, I was able to later import them into a new and empty Calibre on a reformatted computer later on. I guess the incompatibility arises only when trying to automate the export, yes?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by droopy

When I uploaded the exported Data files into my Google Drive, I was able to later import them into a new and empty Calibre on a reformatted computer later on. I guess the incompatibility arises only when trying to automate the export, yes?

You can export without issue. @Sirtel was discussing moving your library off your laptop and into Dropbox. I read your message as suggesting keeping your library on Google Drive. That is pretty much guaranteed to corrupt your library.

[droopy]

Originally Posted by DNSB

You can export without issue. @Sirtel was discussing moving your library off your laptop and into Dropbox. I read your message as suggesting keeping your library on Google Drive. That is pretty much guaranteed to corrupt your library.

Actually, my OP wasn't suggesting keeping my library on any cloud service. But i'm open to trying it with Dropbox. Problem is that I don't think my (free) dropbox account is spacious enough.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by droopy

Actually, my OP wasn't suggesting keeping my library on any cloud service. But i'm open to trying it with Dropbox. Problem is that I don't think my (free) dropbox account is spacious enough.

Yeah, probably not. My library is 50 GB or so and I had to buy a paid plan ages ago. If you don't want to do that, then another option is to buy an external drive to keep your library on. Better yet, more than one (for backup). You could also split your library in two and keep the one you don't need so often on an external drive.

[hobnail]

Originally Posted by droopy

Coz it'll be in a laptop, and with all the movement, I'm concerned that an HDD won't be as durable as an SSD.

I deleted my post because I didn't know you're on a laptop. If you have the ability to add another drive I still think an HDD would be a good choice; they have ones that are designed for laptops and have been in use in laptops for some time now so it's likely to be a reliable technology. But the prices won't be as low as the same capacity desktop HDD. 5400 rpm might be safer than 7200 rpm since the latter may run hotter.

[droopy]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Yeah, probably not. My library is 50 GB or so and I had to buy a paid plan ages ago. If you don't want to do that, then another option is to buy an external drive to keep your library on. Better yet, more than one (for backup). You could also split your library in two and keep the one you don't need so often on an external drive.

hi sirtel. thanks for your reply.
I did consider splitting my library. PDFs and other files I don't plan to access in the next few months, I could put them in a kind of "deep storage", separate from my more active collection of books (which would be most, if not all, the epubs). But how do I merge the two halves later?