Archiving System

[Bob Woodhead]

[pasted from my answer to a similiar question on FCP forum]

Here’s my folder templates (these are below the “main” folder for each project). Each time I start a new project, these are copied & pasted:

3D
AFX
Art
Audio
client review
Consolidated Project
Do Not Archive
DVD
encodes
FCP project
Motion
QT refs
Reference
renders
SFX
Shake
Stills
Stock
TEMP
Text

All media is initially captured on my RAID. DV media may be transferred to external FW drives as needed to free space on the RAID. Media at rates higher than DV stays on the RAID. All project files are on the RAID. IMPORTANT – the RAID is Mode 3, so any single drive can fail without losing data. Just replace failed drive & the RAID goes back to full speed. Thus I’ve no need for “intermediate” backups; the critical project data is secured by the RAID. My next step will be to add a SATA RAID 0 (no safety net) on which to place higher resolution media requiring faster than FW throughput. The critical aspect is that all project data is on a safe RAID 3 box, while easily re-digz’d media files on are on “non-protected” drives.

After the project is done, I archive project data in the above folder structure to data DVDs. If multiple dvds are needed for 1 project, the top-level project folder name is used across the dvds, but with data subsets. These are then databased via Disktracker software. It never takes me more than a few seconds to locate anything from a past project.

(In case you’re wondering, “Do Not Archive” folder is for data coming in via CD/DVD, so not needing redundant backup/archiving).

“Constituo, ergo sum”

Bob Woodhead / Atlanta
http://www.CoolNewMedia.net
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[Andrew Armstrong]

awesome thanks.