Computer file organization

[gstangier]

I have just started and it has been great how many people have shared their sequences.  I got the message about backing up, but what best practices do you use to organize the sequence files?    Every song has 3 files.  I think the .lms is the sequence but what is the .lms.lsv and .lmc.lcs?  Then I have one that has a 4th file .lms.bak.  Do I just back up the whole sequence and audio file folders or are there other critical folders I need to back up also?

Thank you so much for your help. 

[dibblejr]

You can place them all within the correct LOR dedicated files or like I do , have them where I can reach them quickly. I just do not like digging through stuff. Each sequences has its own folder with mp3, mp3 audacity, lms, lcc, vis ect.

Is that the "proper" way, does it matter? As long as I select a sequence and I am periodically happy with having to find a music file while trying to add to my show, its all good with me.

However I believe with Showtime Director they have to be centrally located to wherever LOR branches out to.

I back up everything even the papagayo files used for syncing faces, way to much work to do any of it 2x

 

Edited January 22, 2017 by dibblejr

[k6ccc]

OK, here is what I do.  To start with, my sequences are all created in SuperStar.  The sequences are exported to Sequence Editor as intensity files.  Lastly I have my LOR files in a directory that is a mapped network drive on my server and appears as L:  So here we go.

First of all, under L: is a SuperStar directory, and a Sequences directory under that.  Those are created at installation.  Under the Sequences directory I create a directory for each year - for example: L:\SuperStar\Sequences\2016 Sequences.  All my 2016 SuperStar sequences are in that directory.  If I did anything of significance for a holiday other than Christmas, I would have separate directories for Christmas vs the other holiday - example: 2016 Christmas and 2016 Halloween.  When I'm sequencing, I save regularly with new files names that reflect the date and revision - for example:  Carol of the Bells 2016-12-11a.sup.  That would be the first save on December 11th of 2016 for Carol of the Bells.  During an evening of sequencing, I may have as many as 20 saved versions.  At the end of the evening, I upload the latest version to Google Drive for off-site backup.  The next time I'm sequencing that song, AFTER I am sure that there were no oops issues (that might require going back to an earlier version), I delete the intermediate files from the previous session, leaving only the last version.  When I have a sequence completed, I export it to Sequence Editor as an intensity files into a new sequence.  That new sequence will be the name of the song and year, but not any revision date or letter.  I'll explain why later.

Like the SuperStar directory, there is a L:\Sequences directory, that is created at installation and under that I create a directory for each year - for example: L:\Sequences\Christmas 2016.  Within that directory, all the sequences (including .lms, .lms.bak, .lms.lcs, and .lms.lsv) for each song are there.  I upload the .lms, and .lms.lcs files to Google Drive for off-site backup.  In the same directory is the show files for the year.  Those are also uploaded to Google Drive for off-site backup.

The reason that there is no revision date for the .lms file is that all the song data will be in the intensity file, not in the .lms file.  Since the .lms file will not change, even if I revise the song during the season, there is no need to have different versions for each song.  There is only one channel in each .lms file (since you can't have zero channels).  The one channel is used for a fan that cools my column lights and is simply on for the entirety of each sequence.  If I revise the sequence during the season, that will result in a new .sup file in the SuperStar directory, but when export it to Sequence Editor, I am exporting to the existing .lms file. The advantage of this is that I can change a sequence right in the middle of my show.  The only limitation is that the revise export can't be done while that sequence is playing.

The last part I will mention is Visualizations.  When LOR is installed it creates a Visualizations Directory.  In that directory, I have all my visualizations  There are several visualizations for each year.  There are row and real visualizations that are used to import into SuperStar of all the lights, and also a slightly stripped down versions of each that are required for my overnight lights.  Lastly there is a single version of just my landscape lighting that is used for my year round landscape lighting.  The last one generally only changes if I need to re-arrange some of the channel configurations (which I did in early 2016 after changing the network configurations of my two LOR networks that are used year round).  The Christmas ones change at least some every year.  The current versions of those are also uploaded to Google Docs for off-site backup.

One last note.  I have mentioned that I upload files to Google Docs several times.  In addition to that, the files are stored locally on my server.  The hard drives in the server are RAID-1 arrays which means that there are two hard drives that are a mirror of each other.  That means that if a hard drive fails, I only lose redundancy, but no data is lost.  I will be adding a hot standby drive to each RAID array so that in the event of a hard drive failure, the RAID controller will removed the failed drive from service and put the hot standby into service, and then copy all the data to it so that it is now the mirror copy.  It will also alert me to the drive failure so I can replace the failed drive.  Additionally, every weekend, the RAID arrays in the server are backed up to an external hard drive and that is driven into work where it is stored as an additional off-site backup.  I have two such external hard drives, and alternate them.  That means that there is always a backup in my office that is no more than a week old.

Just for good measure, the server has redundant power supplies, each of which is powered from a separate UPS.

 

[dibblejr]

/\/\/\

Jim

 I'm sweating from just reading that, JK. Now that is one backup plan.

 My wife and I thought she was good with backing up the boys pictures and videos on the external passport, that crashed on us though it was used only about 10 times in 3 years, just to upload pics and put it in the safe. Now I am in data recovery mode.

I did learn from her mistake though, I need several places and types of backups.

Whatever happen to a backup just being a backup?

I plan on reorganizing some day but its like my house. During the holidays we had Halloween party, Thanksgiving, 2 Birthdays in Dec, Christmas and New Years. On top of surgery, being sick and 2 little boys. Going to take a while to get it back under control. The bad part is, other than the surgery and being sick everything else is routine.

Nice insight

JR

[mpageler]

Under both audio and sequence folders, I have subfolders of "halloween" and "christmas".  Under these 2 folders, I have "song" subfolders where the sequences files are keep.  I also have a stockpile of "shared" sequences that I used to help built my sequence.  These are stored in a "other tracts' folder withing the song subfolder.  To reduce clutter, I only keep the lms file. For backup, I copy the song's folder over to a 2nd PC.   As I edit a sequence, I "save" often and will backup my work to a flashdrive.  I only put updated work on the flashdrive and after I do a number of sequence edits, I then copy just those updated song folders to the 2nd pc.  That way, I keeping track of what needs to go to the 2nd PC without copying everything form one PC to another. 

 

If you have internet on both PCs, you could use cloud base storage like Goodgle Drive in place a flash drive in copying between 2 PCs.

 

 

[dibblejr]

10 hours ago, dibblejr said:

/\/\/\

Jim

 I'm sweating from just reading that, JK. Now that is one backup plan.

 My wife and I thought she was good with backing up the boys pictures and videos on the external passport, that crashed on us though it was used only about 10 times in 3 years, just to upload pics and put it in the safe. Now I am in data recovery mode.

I did learn from her mistake though, I need several places and types of backups.

Whatever happen to a backup just being a backup?

I plan on reorganizing some day but its like my house. During the holidays we had Halloween party, Thanksgiving, 2 Birthdays in Dec, Christmas and New Years. On top of surgery, being sick and 2 little boys. Going to take a while to get it back under control. The bad part is, other than the surgery and being sick everything else is routine.

Nice insight

JR

Oh and I forgot my brother n law got married Nov, just to add to my adventure. Knew I was missing something.

[gstangier]

On 1/22/2017 at 6:02 PM, k6ccc said:

OK, here is what I do.  To start with, my sequences are all created in SuperStar.  The sequences are exported to Sequence Editor as intensity files.  Lastly I have my LOR files in a directory that is a mapped network drive on my server and appears as L:  So here we go.

First of all, under L: is a SuperStar directory, and a Sequences directory under that.  Those are created at installation.  Under the Sequences directory I create a directory for each year - for example: L:\SuperStar\Sequences\2016 Sequences.  All my 2016 SuperStar sequences are in that directory.  If I did anything of significance for a holiday other than Christmas, I would have separate directories for Christmas vs the other holiday - example: 2016 Christmas and 2016 Halloween.  When I'm sequencing, I save regularly with new files names that reflect the date and revision - for example:  Carol of the Bells 2016-12-11a.sup.  That would be the first save on December 11th of 2016 for Carol of the Bells.  During an evening of sequencing, I may have as many as 20 saved versions.  At the end of the evening, I upload the latest version to Google Drive for off-site backup.  The next time I'm sequencing that song, AFTER I am sure that there were no oops issues (that might require going back to an earlier version), I delete the intermediate files from the previous session, leaving only the last version.  When I have a sequence completed, I export it to Sequence Editor as an intensity files into a new sequence.  That new sequence will be the name of the song and year, but not any revision date or letter.  I'll explain why later.

Like the SuperStar directory, there is a L:\Sequences directory, that is created at installation and under that I create a directory for each year - for example: L:\Sequences\Christmas 2016.  Within that directory, all the sequences (including .lms, .lms.bak, .lms.lcs, and .lms.lsv) for each song are there.  I upload the .lms, and .lms.lcs files to Google Drive for off-site backup.  In the same directory is the show files for the year.  Those are also uploaded to Google Drive for off-site backup.

The reason that there is no revision date for the .lms file is that all the song data will be in the intensity file, not in the .lms file.  Since the .lms file will not change, even if I revise the song during the season, there is no need to have different versions for each song.  There is only one channel in each .lms file (since you can't have zero channels).  The one channel is used for a fan that cools my column lights and is simply on for the entirety of each sequence.  If I revise the sequence during the season, that will result in a new .sup file in the SuperStar directory, but when export it to Sequence Editor, I am exporting to the existing .lms file. The advantage of this is that I can change a sequence right in the middle of my show.  The only limitation is that the revise export can't be done while that sequence is playing.

The last part I will mention is Visualizations.  When LOR is installed it creates a Visualizations Directory.  In that directory, I have all my visualizations  There are several visualizations for each year.  There are row and real visualizations that are used to import into SuperStar of all the lights, and also a slightly stripped down versions of each that are required for my overnight lights.  Lastly there is a single version of just my landscape lighting that is used for my year round landscape lighting.  The last one generally only changes if I need to re-arrange some of the channel configurations (which I did in early 2016 after changing the network configurations of my two LOR networks that are used year round).  The Christmas ones change at least some every year.  The current versions of those are also uploaded to Google Docs for off-site backup.

One last note.  I have mentioned that I upload files to Google Docs several times.  In addition to that, the files are stored locally on my server.  The hard drives in the server are RAID-1 arrays which means that there are two hard drives that are a mirror of each other.  That means that if a hard drive fails, I only lose redundancy, but no data is lost.  I will be adding a hot standby drive to each RAID array so that in the event of a hard drive failure, the RAID controller will removed the failed drive from service and put the hot standby into service, and then copy all the data to it so that it is now the mirror copy.  It will also alert me to the drive failure so I can replace the failed drive.  Additionally, every weekend, the RAID arrays in the server are backed up to an external hard drive and that is driven into work where it is stored as an additional off-site backup.  I have two such external hard drives, and alternate them.  That means that there is always a backup in my office that is no more than a week old.

Just for good measure, the server has redundant power supplies, each of which is powered from a separate UPS.

 

Wow there was a lot that I hadn't considered.  Thank you for the time it took to describe that.  Have started putting parts in place.

[gstangier]

On 1/22/2017 at 2:37 PM, dibblejr said:

You can place them all within the correct LOR dedicated files or like I do , have them where I can reach them quickly. I just do not like digging through stuff. Each sequences has its own folder with mp3, mp3 audacity, lms, lcc, vis ect.

Is that the "proper" way, does it matter? As long as I select a sequence and I am periodically happy with having to find a music file while trying to add to my show, its all good with me.

However I believe with Showtime Director they have to be centrally located to wherever LOR branches out to.

I back up everything even the papagayo files used for syncing faces, way to much work to do any of it 2x

 

Thank you for the point about the director.  I will look into that before making the folders.

 

[gstangier]

On 1/22/2017 at 8:53 PM, mpageler said:

Under both audio and sequence folders, I have subfolders of "halloween" and "christmas".  Under these 2 folders, I have "song" subfolders where the sequences files are keep.  I also have a stockpile of "shared" sequences that I used to help built my sequence.  These are stored in a "other tracts' folder withing the song subfolder.  To reduce clutter, I only keep the lms file. For backup, I copy the song's folder over to a 2nd PC.   As I edit a sequence, I "save" often and will backup my work to a flashdrive.  I only put updated work on the flashdrive and after I do a number of sequence edits, I then copy just those updated song folders to the 2nd pc.  That way, I keeping track of what needs to go to the 2nd PC without copying everything form one PC to another. 

 

If you have internet on both PCs, you could use cloud base storage like Goodgle Drive in place a flash drive in copying between 2 PCs.

 

 

Thanks for the tip.  I've put it all in the cloud and later this week will try and load it into a different computer.  Hope it works.

[bdwillie]

I found working on two different computers confusing as I don't remember which one has the most current work on it.  So I have placed a working directory on our server, and have all the working sequence files there.   Sometimes there is a small lag when saving or changing channel configurations but a small price to pay for not having to figure out on which computer I worked with last.  I also have file duplication turned on for my "lightorama" folder on the server.  This will "raid" the data across all drives in the drive pool so if I loose a drive, won't lose the files.  Server dies and I can pop any of the drives into an external dock and get my sequences.  Then when it is time to run the show, download the sequences from the server to the old shed computer and away we go!!!!  So far this has worked for us.

[Steven]

I have a separate DropBox folder that has the normal LOR sub-folders (Audio, Sequences, SuperStar, Clipboards). I edit sequences on several computers depending on where I am. When the sequence is "golden", then I copy it to the DropBox folder, and then copy it from the DropBox folder to the working folder on the show computer. I don't store the LSV or LCS files.

DropBox keeps the last versions of a file for 30 days or so, so I can go back if needed. I also use a backup service on one of my computers (CrashPlan), so if I need to go back further, I can use that.

Everything's in the cloud.