Setting up digital media masters
Digitally stored media master files
are often relatively large,
and are more likely used as-is than edited.
We use git-annex to track such files.
As an addon to git,
some of the interaction is done through git commands,
while some is done using git-annex-specific commands.
Special strings
NB! This documentation uses special strings
which you may want to adapt for your local setup:
githostref: src.ex...
gitshellhost: git.example.org
Paths
You are recommended to use path suffix "annex"
for media master projects.
Examples:
- ~/public_annex/home-videos
- ~/private_annex/friends-snoring
- ~/shared_annex_family/xmas_photos
Create
To turn a folder into a git repository
(see also alternative of (cloning)[#Clone] an existing project),
go into the folder,
and initialize its git and git-annex databases:
git init
git annex init
To use git-annex only for large files (git for smaller ones),
add e.g. the following to file .gitattributes:
git config annex.largefiles 'largerthan=100kb and not (mimetype=text/*)'
Finally, save all content:
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
(final git commit is implied by a later git annex sync or git annex move)
Clone
To collaborate on a shared git repository,
create a local clone from the shared location,
and tell git-annex to use it:
git clone git.example.org:/srv/git/src.ex.../example
git annex init
Publish
To publish a git repository initially created locally,
first create a new empty git and git annex publicly,
then tell your local git where its new origin will be,
and finally push your local git and git annex into its new public location:
ssh git.example.org git init --bare --shared /srv/git/src.ex.../example.git
ssh git.example.org GIT_DIR=/srv/git/src.ex.../example.git git annex init
git remote add origin git.example.org:/srv/git/src.ex.../example.git
git push --set-upstream origin main
git annex sync --content --all
References
