Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some guidance on efficiently managing my media collection across multiple drives in a Linux environment. My setup involves multiple drives, but not all of them are connected simultaneously. This poses a challenge when I need to locate specific files, determine if I already own something, or simply find out where a particular file is stored.

I prefer using generic tools that allow me to leave my files wherever they are, avoiding programs specific to media types that may require duplicating files when importing like Calibre.

I use Linux as my operating system and would appreciate any tips, tools, or strategies that can help me streamline the organization and tracking of my media files. Whether it’s software recommendations, best practices, or any other advice that can simplify the process of managing a dispersed media library, I’m open to suggestions.

Thank you in advance for your help!

  • AnEilifintChorcra@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    5·
    7 months ago

    I use tags and categories in qbittorrent to know if I have made copies of the files to other disks, you could do something similar by naming with a sticky note/ label and making a corresponding category in qb

    I also use tree to list all of my TV episodes individually so I can mark off the ones that I’ve reencoded and added subtitles to. You could keep similar text files with trees of each drive in your home directory to quickly search them to see which drive has the file you’re looking for

  • Trailblazing Braille Taser@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    3·
    7 months ago

    Check out git-annex: https://git-annex.branchable.com/

    It’s super cool if you know git. It lets you track where your files are without having them all in the same place. You could have a bunch of disconnected hard disks, and git-annex will remember where you put your stuff.

    You can also set a minimum number of copies and it will only let you delete stuff from one place when it’s sure there are sufficient copies elsewhere.

    I do not recommend using the assistant (edit: nor the webapp) if you’re planning on ever reviewing the repo’s history. It generated a bajillion automatic commits that drown out any handwritten commit messages.