What is Raiden Memories Backup for ?




Raiden Memories Backup is a set of server-side/client-side private cloud Windows software. It is a backup software and a home photo gallery server. The reason for the development of this software is that from June 1, 2021, Google cancelled the policy of unlimited upload space in high-quality mode, that is, returning to the policy of only 15GB space for free version users. This policy change has affected many people use Google Photos as the storage method of life records. I am also a user for more than 10 years. This change has made me rethink the storage method of digital assets and the meaning behind it. If you are forced to change like me, no matter if you choose to pay or switch to other storage methods in the future, the storage of photos and videos will inevitably become a topic of digital life.


Google Photos Storage Change Policy Announcement


In fact, I want to thank Google for this change, which prompted me to rethink the concept of photo storage. I learned that my family photo data is like company assets. It should be correct if my family can access and use it. It should not be confined to any framework or specific skills to handle it. It must be extensible and usable just like the concept of buying life insurance. If something disappears as people disappear, it cannot be called as an asset. Therefore, if you use a paid cloud storage service or purchase a NAS as the only means of backing up your family data, it has become irresponsible to treat photo videos as a shared asset between your family, because it only makes it convenient for you, who is responsible for the family 3C affairs, but it makes family members inconvenient. Reflecting on this point, I changed to the 3-2-1 backup thinking, put the backup media by my side, and make it simple to use, so that digital memories can really become assets that can be circulated among family members. Cloud services are defined as temporary recent files storage, and it is completed by multiple backup methods in parallel. Let me talk about the reason for this change. Maybe you will feel the same or rethink your strategy.

First of all, if you bind a credit card with a payment method to use the cloud service as the only way to back up family photos, you will care about the usage when using it. Since the photo as a record of memories is indestructible, the usage will basically only increase, so that, it must be an uninterrupted class fee to maintain the upper limit of the capacity, and this class fee is for a lifetime. To be correct, it is for the lifetime of the account user. This is what I care most about, that is, if I was gone someday, there is no way to tell the family how to deal with these digital assets. Even if there is an agent mechanism that can notify specific family member to download and backup, it can't restore the original experience. I don't expect my family to have this ability to handle it. After all, the age range of the family members is very large, and not everyone has the foundation for information. Even if the family does not use the mailbox at all in their daily life or the mobile phone is not in the same system, then the agent notification may be a mechanism that is set up but has no effect. Besides, it is important to know that the data in the Google Photo service will not be retained forever. If no one uses it for more than a year, the data will be deleted ruthlessly. That's why it is irresponsible to have digital assets online. It is very easy to use and seems to be appropriate when you are there. But when you are not there, it is likely to be your family has blank memories for more than ten years. My suggestion is that the most basic insurance method is to inform family members of the account and password of the cloud service, in order to retain the greatest flexibility of use. And I'm sorry, I can't simulate this situation, I can only imagine it. If you have encountered a similar situation, you are welcome to share your thoughts and experiences in order to get the photos saved by the person who passed away.

Then talk about NAS storage devices that many people would recommend. NAS is a very professional information product. To be honest, if you are not an IT person, the threshold for using NAS is not low. If you can usually teach your family to use NAS related settings and details, then NAS is still a reasonable solution. If not, too many bad operation examples on the Internet show the tragedy of the hard disk data to be completely destroyed. Be careful when setting the operation, because it is very likely that all the eggs are in this basket. Furthermore, its framework restriction is that when files enter the NAS, they can only be accessed through the NAS. Without the NAS, the files cannot be accessed directly by the Windows computer. The NAS machine is damaged and replaced with a new one, and you must also pay attention to the firmware compatibility. The problem is that the professional requirements are high. If you are the only 3C worker in your family, that would not be great.

I do not want to belittle the above two commonly used backup schemes. Any method has more or less advantages and disadvantages. I just want to point out that these schemes will have certain framework restrictions or technical requirements. These conditions will not be used when the parties are alive. But when the person is absent, the framework or technology originally relied on will become an obstacle to the family. Just like the company's technical assets, and the core technology will not be bound to only one person, just to avoid the core person leaving, the company's operations will face a severe test, which is a situation that no boss wants to see. Let’s take the example of Bitcoin that has risen in recent years. If no one knows your password, this digital asset will disappear after you are absent. If you have a sense of responsibility to your family, I believe this is not what you want. That is the same for those online digital bank accounts such as PAYPAL, or any account with embedded value.

Because of the above reasons, I went to understand and implemented the 3-2-1 backup mechanism thought recommended by image workers. The so-called 3 means that all backups are made into 3 copies (of course, if you want to back up more copies, then naturally It is better, this is different from person to person), 2 is to back up to 2 different media (or different places), 1 is to keep at least 1 backup offline. Take myself as an example. I currently use three hard drives for backup, one online hard drive, and regularly use the XCOPY command with the parameter /S/D/K/E/Y/C/I/H to update the file with the date Incremental backup to the other two external offline hard disks, using the 3-2-1 backup thinking to save precious digital assets, I believe it can provide high-intensity backup security and the convenience of family access and use.

Depend on the purpose, that is why Raiden Memories Backup was born. It uses Windows as the server platform, and uses pure files as the storage method without any distortion. According to the file, the moment is supplemented by the media METADATA archived on the timeline and presented in the photo album gallery. It is not only used to watch photos and videos, but also to record various files of each person’s daily affairs. Its simple task is to hope that everyone can store precious digital data with them, and avoid the pity of "the data cannot be retrieved when the person is absent", and make these digital life records become real assets shared among family members, from generation to generation. Memories exist, Love lasts.

If you are a person who are willing to buy insurance, you should know what I mean. If you are a member of the family responsible for taking pictures and backup, I know what you cherish for. If you haven't thought about the situation behind the above, please don't become a lazy generation spoiled by cloud services without knowing it, maybe start now! As long as there is a start, it is not too late.



Wrote this software as gift to my family and children. In this era of epidemics, life is full of trepidation. I regret that your life has lost some color and missed certain memories. Although the world will not be satisfactory, life is still very long and dawn will finally come. We will add more and more memories to the photo album. Let's cheer together. So do you.