A few years ago, I decided to go all-in with iCloud Photos. My library was just over 1TB at the time, so I’ve been paying for the 2TB plan ever since (I’ve been collecting photos in my library since 2001 and while it could definitely use a bit of trimming, I don’t think there’s much I want to get rid of).
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It’s super convenient to have all my photos everywhere at all times (what’s the point in taking them if you can’t enjoy them?), but I did want to find a way to have a secondary backup solution that doesn’t rely on Photos or iCloud.
A NAS device can stop backing up on a Mac if the device fails to mount properly. To remedy the problem, see External drive stops backing up on Mac. On Mac and Linux, the Code42 app can only back up files stored on a NAS when the file verification scan runs. The Code42 app doesn't support real-time backup on network-attached drives. 'Amazing app for Synology. Worry free backup!' 'A great, simple photo backup app that just works!' 'I am using this app to upload pictures to my Synology NAS, and it works well.' 'Super simple and clear!' 'This app is super simple to use. Secures pictures and videos. I tried a couple apps.
I already have a Synology NAS for other backups and as a general storage system, so I wanted to find a way for it to always have an up-to-date copy of my Library.
Why back up the cloud?
So since I’m already paying Apple, why would I want another backup?
Well it basically boils down to wanting an independent backup: what if I lose access to my iCloud account? Or Apple loses my data somehow? Both unlikely, but it can happen.
Options considered
Direct backup
First I looked into ways to get the Synology to pull my photos down directly. There are a few command line scripts that can talk directly to your iCloud account, but they all looked a bit fragile – I want a setup that is going to work reliably and doesn’t require maintenance.
Backup Computer To Synology
Via Windows
The next option I tested was using a cheap miniPC running Windows 10 and Apple’s iCloud software to copy the files onto the mounted Synology drive.
Synology Mac Backup App Backup
In hindsight, I’m not sure what I was expecting: the cheap miniPC was temperamental, Windows never stopped updating and Apple iCloud for Windows seemed… well not their main focus, lets put it that way.
Music making apps for mac free. It sort of worked, but quickly felt like more hassle than it was worth.
Spotify how many devices download. Via a Mac
Ok so this is by far the easiest way of doing it, but it does require you have a desktop Mac or a MacBook that https://greatend620.weebly.com/download-speed-fine-upload-speed-slow.html.
a) has a full copy of your photos library
How to use mac apps on windows 7. b) Is awake and connected to your network at regular intervals to run the backup
Since my MacBook is usually closed / not plugged in and doesn’t have a full copy of my photo library, I bought a used Mac Mini and hooked it up to an external 2 TB drive. Then I configured Photos.app to store a full local copy of my library.
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(Note: Why isn’t this enough backup? My concern is that if my photos are wiped on one device accidentally, the Mac Mini’s library would also be wiped)
Synology Mac Backup App Installer
Finally I installed Synology’s Backup Mac client on the Mac Mini and told it to monitor the photos directory and mirror those files to the Synology. It’s configured to only add files, not delete them. That way, if my library is ever accidentally wiped, it won’t also delete the files from the Synology backup.
So now I have the following setup; How to change app icon on mac os x.
Backup Iphone To Synology Nas
I’ve configured the Mac Mini and Synology to wake up for a few hours every day to do this and so far it’s working really well.
Stuff used
Considerations
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