Tom's Hardware > All Reviews > Storage > Storage Solutions > RAID on Rye

RAID on Rye

5:06 AM - December 1, 2005 by Dave Goeke

1. A Linux Network File Server With RAID Storage... Inside A Toaster!
2. Why A Toaster?
3. Lord Of The RAIDs - The Two Toasters
4. Parts, Pieces And Ingredients Of Toaster RAID
5. About The Rails

6. Getting Started
7. Run The Disassembled Toaster Parts Through The Dish Washer
8. Fit The Drives And Motherboard
9. Cooling Fans
10. Power Up And Pray

The one on the left was built in 2001; the other was just completed.

At first glance they resemble a pair of toasters, but don't fail to look in the slots. There you'll find a jumble of wires, a fan, an Ethernet interface, and a PCB. Inside each of these toasters is a complete x86 computer, a pair of hard drives in a mirrored RAID set, running a headless network attached Linux file server. And no, this is not a joke, this is crisply serious.

From the outside, they look like a toaster. Inside is an x86 computer.

We had the opportunity to look at some of Dave Goeke's storage projects, which deal with placing a complete file server solution into a toaster. Dave provided enough information to make this article a beginners' guide to building your own Toaster RAID.