lightroom catalog and external drive problem

[avengine]

I am using a lightroom 5 in mac osx and store all the photos and the catalogue on the 1T 3.5" external drive that need power supply. I name the drive 1T tm
(I like it this way since I can plug this drive to any mac has the lightroom5 to edit the photos)

recently I got a 500g 2.5" portable drive, and I use it with carbon copy cloner to backup the picture folder with the lightroom 5 catalog.

Now that I like this 2.5" portable drive and want to use this as my work drive and swap the 1T big drive for my backup. But the question is when I hook this up to lightroom it is ?? mark on all the photos, since the link is not right.
If I rename the portable drive to 1T tm then it is ok, but I hope to find a better way to fix this problem.
please suggest what is the best way to add external drive that is already has all the photos on it and using it.
I saw some people like to keep the LR catalog in the system. but I am worry about if the system down than I have nothing to work with, how do you fix this problem.
thanks.

 

[MCAsan]

There are two distinct parts to LR. The first is the catalog files that usually set in your Pictures folder of your home drive (which may or may not be your boot drive). The second part is the set of folders that contain the raw and jpeg images...the originals or masters. I have my LR catalog files sitting in my Pictures folder of my boot/OS/app drive. I have all the image files (mostly raw) in a Pictures folder on external drive. I also have LR do its catalog backup to the external drive. And of course Time Machine backs up both the internal main drive and the external library drive.

Is this the time of layout you want to achieve? Lr catalog files on the main drive and the folders of referenced raw and jpg files sitting on an external drive?

IF so, I would erase or reformat the portable drive. Then I would put a Pictures folder on the drive and then use LR to move the folders of original/master files from the 3.5" drive to the portable drive. If LR moves the images, it will know where they are. Do NOT move folders of pictures via the Finder.

Once the folders of images are moved, use LR to open a few to make sure every thing is OK. Then you are ready to erase or format the large 3.5" drive. Once it is ready you can use CC or Time Machine to define it as the target backup drive. Be sure to include both the internal drive and the portable drive in the backups.

Make sense?

 

[ChrisA]

...
IF so, I would erase or reformat the portable drive. Then I would put a Pictures folder on the drive and then use LR to move the folders of original/master files from the 3.5" drive to the portable drive.....

Sounds reasonable BUT no not erase your only good backup. While you are doing this process make sure you still have a REDUNDENT backup. and make sure it is far away it some other room and unplugged. (mistakes happen.)

In general you always want at least two backups with one of them off-site.

At the very least always have one backup copy off-line in a fire safe or the like. especially while you are updating the backup you need another that is off like.