Downside to having two collections?

ficbot · 01-08-2011, 03:47 PM

I am thinking of splitting my PDFs into a separate Calibre library because the file sizes are so huge that it's maxing out my Dropbox storage. If I had a second library not located in Dropbox then I could still make use of Calibre's sorting and tagging etc. but store the files locally (and back up to a storage drive). This would be more work because Dropbox is so seamless for me, but since my PDF collection is growing (mostly old magazines I am scanning in) it has become a necessary step.

Is there any downside to this plan? Are there potential issues I am not thinking about in having two Calibre libraries?

user_none · 01-08-2011, 03:55 PM

The only downside I can think of is you won't be able to search both libraries at the same time.

Lady Fitzgerald · 01-08-2011, 05:04 PM

Are you using dropbox for a central place to store your library or are you just using it for a back up?

ficbot · 01-08-2011, 10:34 PM

My library is physically inside my Dropbox folder. The problem is that my iTunes library is there too because it has all the music and video I teach with, so between the file size of that and the file size of my growing PDF collection, I am at about 40% of my maximum with Dropbox. So I thought if I at least stored the PDFs elsewhere, that might help.

kovidgoyal · 01-08-2011, 10:39 PM

why dont you create two dropbox accounts?

Lady Fitzgerald · 01-08-2011, 11:04 PM

If feasable (in other words, having two drop box accounts is permissible), Kovid's suggestion sounds pretty good; put your books in one account and your tunes in another one. However, having only one copy of my books (and tunes) would make me nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. You should have your books and tunes backed up somewhere else, such as on an external HDD, in case your drop box account becomes compromised. On line storage, especially free ones, have been known to shut down with little or no warning. At the same time local back ups can be subject to HDD failure, fire theft, etc. The best solution is at least two back ups, with at least one off site. You are halfway there with the drop box account.

The redundancy may seem expensive but what is your data worth to you? How much would it cost to replace it all?

ficbot · 01-08-2011, 11:30 PM

I do run a backup to a drive on time machine too. I just worry about hard drive failure and don't want to ONLY rely on a hard drive either

Maybe a second Calibre account backed up to Mozy would work. I have never heard of that service so I will have to look into it.

Lady Fitzgerald · 01-09-2011, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

I do run a backup to a drive on time machine too. I just worry about hard drive failure and don't want to ONLY rely on a hard drive either

Maybe a second Calibre account backed up to Mozy would work. I have never heard of that service so I will have to look into it.

I agree about not relying on a hard drive only.

Services like Mozy and Carbonite will only back up data on hard drives actually on your machine; they will not back up external drives. That said, both are excellent services for making offsite backups of your computer. Carbonite is a bit cheaper than Mozy right now; $55/year vs. $60 year. If you go to here, you can get a 15 day free trial with Carbonite plus two months free when you actually sign up.

Btw, I do not work for Carbonite or receive any pay from them. I've just been happily using it for a little over two years.

01-08-2011, 03:47 PM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Downside to having two collections? I am thinking of splitting my PDFs into a separate Calibre library because the file sizes are so huge that it's maxing out my Dropbox storage. If I had a second library not located in Dropbox then I could still make use of Calibre's sorting and tagging etc. but store the files locally (and back up to a storage drive). This would be more work because Dropbox is so seamless for me, but since my PDF collection is growing (mostly old magazines I am scanning in) it has become a necessary step. Is there any downside to this plan? Are there potential issues I am not thinking about in having two Calibre libraries?

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01-08-2011, 03:55 PM	#2
user_none Sigil & calibre developer Posts: 2,487 Karma: 1063785 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Florida, USA Device: Nook STR	The only downside I can think of is you won't be able to search both libraries at the same time.

01-08-2011, 05:04 PM	#3
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	Are you using dropbox for a central place to store your library or are you just using it for a back up?

01-08-2011, 10:34 PM	#4
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	My library is physically inside my Dropbox folder. The problem is that my iTunes library is there too because it has all the music and video I teach with, so between the file size of that and the file size of my growing PDF collection, I am at about 40% of my maximum with Dropbox. So I thought if I at least stored the PDFs elsewhere, that might help.

01-08-2011, 10:39 PM	#5
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,201 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	why dont you create two dropbox accounts?

01-08-2011, 11:04 PM	#6
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	If feasable (in other words, having two drop box accounts is permissible), Kovid's suggestion sounds pretty good; put your books in one account and your tunes in another one. However, having only one copy of my books (and tunes) would make me nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. You should have your books and tunes backed up somewhere else, such as on an external HDD, in case your drop box account becomes compromised. On line storage, especially free ones, have been known to shut down with little or no warning. At the same time local back ups can be subject to HDD failure, fire theft, etc. The best solution is at least two back ups, with at least one off site. You are halfway there with the drop box account. The redundancy may seem expensive but what is your data worth to you? How much would it cost to replace it all?

01-08-2011, 11:30 PM	#7
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	I do run a backup to a drive on time machine too. I just worry about hard drive failure and don't want to ONLY rely on a hard drive either Maybe a second Calibre account backed up to Mozy would work. I have never heard of that service so I will have to look into it.

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