Not enough space to export/backup library. How to do partial backup? - Page 3

BetterRed · 12-30-2020, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I agree with that. I have a 500GB 3.5" internal drive that's doing nothing. It could be used to backup some data if I got an external enclosure.

Get a disk dock and drop the bare drive in as needed - then you can have several drives on the shelf - e.g. one for each day of the week. I have a two port dock that can accommodate 2.5" and 3.5" drives - very useful.

BR

ownedbycats · 12-30-2020, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You are ding it all wrong. You do not export. You close Calibre and compress the library as is or you backup the library as is. Exporting is no really all that convenient.

You do need more storage to do what it is you want. So why not just give in and do it so it works?

Note that the export/import also contains your non-library config files, so it might also potentially overwrite any changes you've made since then.

JSWolf · 12-30-2020, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Get a disk dock and drop the bare drive in as needed - then you can have several drives on the shelf - e.g. one for each day of the week. I have a two port dock that can accommodate 2.5" and 3.5" drives - very useful.

BR

Thanks. That is a really good idea.

droopy · 12-31-2020, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You are ding it all wrong. You do not export. You close Calibre and compress the library as is or you backup the library as is. Exporting is no really all that convenient.

You do need more storage to do what it is you want. So why not just give in and do it so it works?

Your suggestion does not work, because, as you write, it requires more storage than I have.
Again, I'd like to do a partial backup. Let's say I export 10GB of titles at time. Once the first 10GB of data is safely backed up in the cloud, I can delete those titles from my calibre library and then move on the the next batch. How can I do such a partial backup while keeping all metadata.

ownedbycats · 12-31-2020, 12:27 AM

Create a new library, Backup #1, with the option to keep the same columns. Copy the books you want to the new library. Zip up the new library folder, dump it in the cloud, then delete it. Then do the same, but with Backup #2, then Backup #3, rinse and repeat.

I also suggest making a catalog of each Backup library.

Sirtel · 12-31-2020, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droopy

Your suggestion does not work, because, as you write, it requires more storage than I have.
Again, I'd like to do a partial backup. Let's say I export 10GB of titles at time. Once the first 10GB of data is safely backed up in the cloud, I can delete those titles from my calibre library and then move on the the next batch. How can I do such a partial backup while keeping all metadata.

Create a new, empty library (keeping the structure of your old library). Copy the books you want to back up to the new library. Zip the new library folder up and upload to the cloud. Delete the copied books from the old library.

When restoring, extract the second library from the .zip file. Point Calibre to it (switch/create library -> use the existing library at the new location). Copy the books there to your main library. Delete the second library.

BetterRed · 12-31-2020, 02:20 AM

1. how will droopy know which books are in which archives in the cloud.
2. droopy's problem is lack of space on his single SSD drive, what happens when there is insufficient space to restore and expand one of these archives from the cloud.

A better solution might be to use Save to Disk to copy the format files of the 'low priority' books to the cloud in an 'Author/Title/' folder structure. Put links to the cloud storage format files in a long text column, delete the format files from the library.

The library would continue to serve as single catalogue. Decisions as to which books to Save to Disk (Cloud) can be made individually (no batching), the books can be Tagged in the database. Format files can be reinstated individually or as a group if they are 'buddy files'.

The 'downside' is that to read a book that has been saved to the cloud one would have to click a link in the Book Details panel and wait for the format to download, but that would be a lot easier than restoring and unpacking archived libraries, etc.

BR

Or droopy could buy a 256GB external flash drive and move his library to that

ownedbycats · 12-31-2020, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

1. how will droopy know which books are in which archives in the cloud.

That's why I suggested naming the libraries Backup #x and then making a catalog of each.

droopy · 12-31-2020, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

1. how will droopy know which books are in which archives in the cloud.

By creating a catalog of the books that have been uploaded to my Google Drive cloud.

In my google drive, I plan to create a folder called Calibre_partial_backup_January_2021. Within that folder will be the following subfolders:
a) A subfolder named PDFs. My PDFs add up to 10GB.
b) a subfolder named CBZ (6 titles; around 2 GB)
c) a subfolder named low_priority_epub_a (10GB)
d) low_priority_b (next 10GB)
e) low_priority_c (another 10GB)
f) low_priority_d (same)
g) low_priority_e (same)

Each subfolder will contain a spreadsheet of the catalogue. And the main folder should probably have a spreadsheet of all these books too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

2. droopy's problem is lack of space on his single SSD drive, what happens when there is insufficient space to restore and expand one of these archives from the cloud.

I don't plan to restore/expand all the books that will be in the cloud.
And further, I don't plan to restore even one book that will be in the cloud. I think trimming my current 88GB to even 10 GB will still give me more than I can read in 2 years. (In 2 years, I hope to be reunited to my desktop computer, which has more storage space.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

A better solution might be to use Save to Disk to copy the format files of the 'low priority' books to the cloud in an 'Author/Title/' folder structure. Put links to the cloud storage format files in a long text column, delete the format files from the library.

The library would continue to serve as single catalogue. Decisions as to which books to Save to Disk (Cloud) can be made individually (no batching), the books can be Tagged in the database. Format files can be reinstated individually or as a group if they are 'buddy files'.

The 'downside' is that to read a book that has been saved to the cloud one would have to click a link in the Book Details panel and wait for the format to download, but that would be a lot easier than restoring and unpacking archived libraries, etc.

Hmmm.... that's a lot of work. Let's say I want to trim my 88GB library down to 10 GB. That means 78GB of titles that I have to manually edit metadata for. That's gonna be time-consuming. Don't think that's an option for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Or droopy could buy a 256GB external flash drive and move his library to that

There's no need to buy any more hardware. I hope to be reunited to my desktop computer one of these years.

droopy · 01-16-2021, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Create a new, empty library

What happens to my current library when I do that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

(keeping the structure of your old library).

What does it mean to keep the old library's structure? How do I do that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Copy the books you want to back up to the new library. Zip the new library folder up and upload to the cloud. Delete the copied books from the old library.

Can I switch back and forth from the "old library" (my current libray) and the "new library"?

ownedbycats · 01-16-2021, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droopy

What happens to my current library when I do that?

Nothing, unless you pick "move library to new location." It'll remain where it is otherwise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by droopy

What does it mean to keep the old library's structure? How do I do that?

It's an option in Library > Switch/Create Library. It'll keep your custom columns and plugboards and saved searches and things, but there'll be no books in the new library until you copy them in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by droopy

Can I switch back and forth from the "old library" (my current libray) and the "new library"

Use Library > Switch/Create Library.

droopy · 01-16-2021, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by droopy

What does it mean to keep the old library's structure? How do I do that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

It's an option in Library > Switch/Create Library. It'll keep your custom columns and plugboards and saved searches and things, but there'll be no books in the new library until you copy them in.

Does this look good? Pls see attached screenshot

ownedbycats · 01-16-2021, 10:59 PM

Looks right.

droopy · 01-16-2021, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Create a new, empty library (keeping the structure of your old library). Copy the books you want to back up to the new library. Zip the new library folder up and upload to the cloud. Delete the copied books from the old library.

When restoring, extract the second library from the .zip file. Point Calibre to it (switch/create library -> use the existing library at the new location). Copy the books there to your main library. Delete the second library.

Sirtel,
I created a new library and moved my CBZ and PDFs into it. It's about 11GB in size.
You advise zipping the new library folder up. How is that better than getting Calibre to "Export library" into the 1GB .data chunks?

droopy · 01-17-2021, 12:08 AM

What happens if I create a new column in one of the libraries (old or new) and merge the two libraries later on?

12-31-2020, 12:27 AM	#35
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,989 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Create a new library, Backup #1, with the option to keep the same columns. Copy the books you want to the new library. Zip up the new library folder, dump it in the cloud, then delete it. Then do the same, but with Backup #2, then Backup #3, rinse and repeat. I also suggest making a catalog of each Backup library. Last edited by ownedbycats; 12-31-2020 at 12:32 AM.

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12-31-2020, 02:20 AM	#37
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 21,738 Karma: 30237526 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	1. how will droopy know which books are in which archives in the cloud. 2. droopy's problem is lack of space on his single SSD drive, what happens when there is insufficient space to restore and expand one of these archives from the cloud. A better solution might be to use Save to Disk to copy the format files of the 'low priority' books to the cloud in an 'Author/Title/' folder structure. Put links to the cloud storage format files in a long text column, delete the format files from the library. The library would continue to serve as single catalogue. Decisions as to which books to Save to Disk (Cloud) can be made individually (no batching), the books can be Tagged in the database. Format files can be reinstated individually or as a group if they are 'buddy files'. The 'downside' is that to read a book that has been saved to the cloud one would have to click a link in the Book Details panel and wait for the format to download, but that would be a lot easier than restoring and unpacking archived libraries, etc. BR Or droopy could buy a 256GB external flash drive and move his library to that

01-16-2021, 10:59 PM	#43
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 10,989 Karma: 75337983 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Looks right.

01-17-2021, 12:08 AM	#45
droopy Guru Posts: 834 Karma: 2912460 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Kobo Forma	What happens if I create a new column in one of the libraries (old or new) and merge the two libraries later on?