Since 2016, I’ve had a fileserver mostly just for backups. System is on 1 drive, RAID6 for files, and semi-annual cold backup.
I was playing with Photoprism, and their docs say “we recommend placing the storage folder on a local SSD drive for best performance.” In this case, the storage folder holds basically everything but the pictures themselves such as the database files.
Up until now, if I lost any database files, it was just a matter of rebuilding them by re-indexing my photos or whatever, but I’m looking for something more robust since I’ll have some friends/family using Pixelfed, Matrix, etc.
So my question is: Is it a valid strategy to keep database files on the SSD with some kind of nightly backup to RAID, or should I just store the whole lot on the RAID from the get go? Or does it even matter if all of these databases can fit in RAM anyway?
edit: I’m just now learning of ZFS caching which might be my answer.
Both your RAID and NVMe data should be getting backed up daily to 2 different destinations, if it’s irreplaceable.
But to answer your question, just place the DB and cache files for Photoprism on the NVMe, and the photos themselves on the RAID.
Can you suggest a method for two-destination daily backups that don’t involve a 3rd party service? At the moment, I’m doing every six months or so on two sets of cold storage, one offsite.
That sounds reasonable, although I’d be worried about not having an extra local daily backup in case files get corrupted or accidentally deleted.