Help setting up External Library
Hello all, I've come here after failing to find any instructions on how to setup a folder inside my external hard drive as a external library in Immich on macOS. I've added lines to both docker-compose and the env file but when I go to immich administration and add an external library path, the path isn't validated by Immich at all.
It would mean the world to me as I am trying to move around 500 GBs of my old google photos over to Immich. Happy to send/paste any information needed to solve this issue.
Thank you.
44 Replies
:wave: Hey @fuzzy,
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Information
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Disk: Seagate Expansion
Formatted with exFAT.
First and foremost, the right hand side of the mount is completely free to choose (apart from internal map conflicts), so you can go for something much simpler like
- ${EXTERNAL_PATH}:/mnt/gbackup
in my docker compose?
yes
and then in the gui you put /mnt/gbackup or whatever it is you choose
Second, on MacOS I believe you have to create a volume mount in docker desktop for it to be able to access it
Oh
I heard about this
creating a volume mount
Can't figure out how to though
Do I have to do anything on the env file?
is my env file okay?
Are the files getting properly uploaded to
/Volumes/Seagate 5TB/immich-uploads ?Yes
I've been using my external hard drive as immich storage
only the postgres, docker compose and env files are on my macbook internal storage
wouldn't doing docker compose while running immich create a volume itself?
No, it's all a bit confusingly named I guess
If your disk is exFAT formatted you'll want to use https://docs.immich.app/install/requirements/#special-requirements-for-windows-users though
You can do a database backup-restore or start fresh
Because you will run into DB corruption sooner or later
but my database is on APFS
Apple native filesystem
ah right 🤔
not on exFAT
Anyway if the uploads folder works, then so should the external path one @fuzzy , the only thing I can think of is it being fussy about the ( or . in the name
This has been spinning my head since the past week ðŸ˜
it shouldn't be an issue but yeah
hmmm
Could you check the env file I uploaded?
Yes, looks good
I'll simplify the path and check back in again with you here
So to make life easier, I'd just rename the folder something easier, no spaces, no . no () and make the internal path super simple
yeah sure
compose up after that and it should recreate the container just fine
If it still refuses to see the images, you can verify it at least mounted correctly with
docker exec -i immich_server ls -la /right/handed/pathwhat is the right handed path?
the path to ?
sorry I'm new to this
in
${EXTERNAL_PATH}:/mnt/gbackup
${EXTERNAL_PATH} is left hand
/mnt/gbackup is right hand
Left and right of the :validated
holy shit
inside of immich at least
I have 50k sidecar metadata now inside of jobs, does that mean it's working?
Looks like it is 🙂
When in doubt, just keep it simple 👀
Yessirrrr
One last question
My photos are like this in folders, these are extracted takeout files. Now that the external library works, would uploading these also upload the relevant metadata contained within the pictures?
Unfortunately no, I don't know any third party solution for metadata in a gphotos takeout for external libraries eithes
The issue is that Immich supports XMP sidecars, but the takout metadata is in a library-wide JSON if I recall correctly
What if I use immich-go to add it to immich? Would that retain metadata somewhat?
Yes, but that will upload to the internal library
Ah okay, my internal library is on the external hard drive so I think I'll try that
Thank you so much for all the help!
No problem, feel free to come back with any questions
I will, soon 🤣
As a word of warning, with your setup, if your external disk loses connection Immich will keep running and will not know it disconnected
Yes, understood.
I'll soon move everything over to a PC 🙂
PC? Or server?
Because Windows is terrible for this 😛
Well, I can run Linux on it dual boot no?
My macbook only has 500 gigs of internal storage, that's why I've made my external hard drive as the storage for immich uploads
On a PC, I can just have a bigger size hard drive and put all my photos there. Macbook currently limits me with the storage.
Yeah dual boot is fine of course
Just warning about Windows
Any chance someone can help with similar issue? That's what I have in the docker and webUI. Same path but it not recognized.
the GUI part should probably be /libraries
so not /mnt/uesr/Storage ...
Thank you. Yes, I did tried /libraries as well. Still, same results. Also, buy some reason, today, when one WebUI, nothing is happening. Nothing can be clicked on. But still have an access to Immich app on mobile and looks like it work just fine.
