---
created: 2026-05-30
modified: 2026-05-30
type: note
tags: [archive, structure, consolidation]
aliases: [folder-structure, archive-hierarchy]
---

# Proposed Archive Structure

> Target: `.13` `/mnt/ubuntu_storage_3TB/archive/`

## Design Principles

- **Top-level by category** (not by person) — categories are stable, people change
- **Numbered prefixes** — keeps folders in logical order, not alphabetical jumble
- **Person sub-folders** inside relevant categories where data is personal
- **Flat enough to navigate** — max 3 levels deep
- **Obsidian destination** — notes, ideas, configs eventually migrate there

---

## Proposed Hierarchy

```
/mnt/ubuntu_storage_3TB/archive/
│
├── 01_family/                          ← Per-person personal files
│   ├── sam/
│   │   ├── documents/                  ← Personal docs, ideas
│   │   ├── projects/                   ← Current dev work
│   │   ├── music/                      ← Band recordings, piano
│   │   └── footy/                      ← Coaching, team stuff
│   ├── jo/
│   │   ├── documents/
│   │   └── creative/
│   ├── harry/
│   │   ├── school/                     ← Schoolwork, report cards
│   │   ├── art/                        ← Artwork scans
│   │   └── sport/                      ← Footy, other sports
│   └── finn/
│       ├── school/
│       ├── art/
│       └── sport/
│
├── 02_projects/                        ← Code + hardware projects
│   ├── web/                            ← Old websites, htdocs, PHP, Flash
│   ├── iot/                            ← Arduino, ESP32, electronics
│   ├── home_design/                    ← House plans, renovations
│   └── misc/                           ← Everything else
│
├── 03_media/                           ← Shared media library
│   ├── music/                          ← All digital music (Artist/Album)
│   ├── movies/                         ← Films (future, for Jellyfin)
│   ├── tv/                             ← TV shows (future, for Jellyfin)
│   └── photos/                         ← The photo archive (already built)
│       ├── by_date/                    ← 31K sorted photos ✓
│       ├── by_subject/                 ← Topic albums ✓
│       ├── phone_dumps/                ← Raw phone exports ✓
│       └── temp_transfer/              ← Unprocessed ✓
│
├── 04_education/                       ← Academic materials
│   ├── sam_uni/                        ← Old uni essays, study
│   └── kids_school/                    ← Shared school resources
│
├── 05_documents/                       ← Non-personal documents
│   ├── family/                         ← Notes, home ideas, TODO lists
│   ├── legal/                          ← Legal docs
│   ├── financial/                      ← Financial records
│   └── sheet_music/                    ← Sheet music collection
│
├── 06_creative/                        ← Creative works
│   ├── band_recordings/                ← Old band sessions
│   ├── sams_piano/                     ← Piano recordings
│   └── phone_recordings/               ← Phone music recordings
│
├── 07_notes/                           ← Reference notes (temp — › Obsidian)
│   ├── websites/
│   ├── iot_configs/
│   └── system_configs/
│
├── 08_transfer/                        ← Staging area for moving data
│   └── incoming/                       ← Drop files here for sorting
│
└── 09_backup/                           ← Backup repos (already exists)
    ├── borg/
    └── restic/
```

---

## How the Current Data Maps In

| Current Location | New Home | Notes |
|----------------|----------|-------|
| `ALL_TRANFERS/WORK/` (130G) | `02_projects/web/` | Old websites, htdocs, Flash |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/Music/` (121G) | `03_media/music/` | After move to .35 Jellyfin? |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/MOVIES_TV/` (341G) | `03_media/movies/` + `tv/` | Already on .35 duplicate |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/sam rolfe/` (137G) | `01_family/sam/` + sort | Review contents |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/DOCUMENTS/` (2.5G) | `05_documents/` | |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/sams_piano_recordings/` | `06_creative/sams_piano/` | |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/UNI_STUDY/` | `04_education/sam_uni/` | |
| `ALL_TRANFERS/phone_recordings/` | `06_creative/phone_recordings/` | |

## What Lives Where on Active Machines

- **`.35` `/mnt/hd/`** — Runs the services (Docker data stays put). Media content is served from here directly by Jellyfin/Immich.
- **`.13` `/mnt/ubuntu_storage_3TB/archive/`** — The permanent archive. Cold/warm data lives here.
- **`.27`** — Current dev work, coding projects. Eventually pushes completed projects to archive.

## Naming Convention

| Element | Rule | Example |
|---------|------|---------|
| Top-level folders | `##_name/` | `02_projects/` |
| Sub-folders | lowercase_with_underscores | `sams_piano/` |
| Files | lowercase_with_underscores.ext | `project_notes.txt` |
| Family folders | firstname | `harry/` |

This keeps everything sortable and avoids the space-in-filename issues.