How to check distributed cache size?

[Ian]

Bridge 2.1.1 cache can be set "smaller to larger".    I assume that if a central cache is used this a percentage of the free capacity of the cache drive.

If however a distributed cache is used how is one supposed to know how large the cache files total and hence where to set the slider?

Ian

[markpirozzi]

Hopefully someone knowledgeable about Bridge CS3 will post.  I think the a central cache is used for some functions even if you use a distributed cache, but not 100% sure.  I sometimes open 30-40 RAW files at a time and I believe opening RAW files requires a temporary cache of its own.  I wish you could set the actual size of the central cache.

Mark

[michael_stewart]

You need to know where your central cache folders are located.  Bridge and Camera Raw caching is actually much more complicated then it initially seems.  Peter Krogh knows this inside out on a Mac and he explained it to me in depth  over the phone. 
Peter, I know your busy, but if you start with the same explanation you gave me on the phone, I'll fill in with what I know about Windows.  Maybe we can make this into a Bridge, ACR, Lightroom caching white paper.  If you have already written this up can you please point it out?

[markpirozzi]

I moved my central cache to a folder where my working pictures are to try to understand what it's doing. Mine is around 3.4 Gigs with the slider 1/4 the way from Smaller.  I wish you could set a specific size.  I forgot that CR has its own cache, so the Bridge central cache probably isn't filling up with CR previews.

One thing I've noticed with Bridge CS3 and distributed cache is that if you visit a number a folders before coming back to one that you have already built a distributed cache for, it seems like that folder goes through a process similar to totally rebuilding from scratch.  I would have thought that wouldn't be the case with distributed cache.

The way you can estimate the size of a hidden distributed cache is to select all the photos in folder while in Bridge and note the size, and then check the size of the folder as reported by the OS. (That is if you only have photos in that folder and some other software isn't creating hidden previews, etc.)

Mark

[Louie Sherwin]

Ian,

I don't know the platform you are running on, but for Mac OS the distributed cache is stored in two hidden files in each folder of images. They are named  .BridgeCache and .BridgeCacheT. You can see these in a Terminal window using the Unix ls -a command. There are also several utilities that will let you see hidden files. I am not sure how these are handled in Windows.

I suggest that you create a signature in your forum profile that shows your hardware and software configuration. That will make it easier for others to accurately answer your questions.

-louie

[peterkrogh]

Louie is right thaabout distributed cache.

As to size, I can't remember precisely (1 GB to 4 GB?), but I keep it small on the laptop which will generally only see the files once, and big on the workstation since I generally have a lot of works in progress.
Purge cache when things get flaky, both ACR cache and Bridge cache.

Peter

[Ian]

Louie,

I know where the distributed cache files are but my question was relating to their combined total size.   If I am using a distributed cache I thought that the setting for cache size "small - large" related to this not the central cache size.

Now I'm confused as I realise that the central cache is used regardless and in my case is presently 3.5GB 

Ian

[peterkrogh]

Ian,
There is *always* a central cache.
You can also specify that the information be saved out to local caches.
The size setting is only about central, and it will purge older files from the cache once it fills up.
The distributed cache will be what it will be.
Peter

[Ian]

Peter,

Understood,

thanks

Ian