Repurposing a HP MicroServer N36L as an SAS/DAS Drive Enclosure
So, I have a Dell T3610 I've been meaning to use as a base for my next Linux KVM host. It's got the processing power and memory, but not much physical disk storage. I decided on getting some sort of external disk enclosure, but one that exposed the individual disks so I could still us a 4-disk BTRFS RAID10 array that existed in my 'old' KVM host. Not many modern encloses seemed to offer this, with most just exposing a USB port. I decided the best course of action was to procrastinate on the problem for a while and sure enough, a week or so later, I came across my old HP MicroServer, languishing in an upstairs wardrobe. I'd had a chat with a friend about NAS/DAS solutions and he'd mentioned SAS, which I hadn't really heard of / understood before then. A quick dismantle of the N36L revealed it connected it's 4-disk array to it's clapped out motherboard via a Mini-SAS connector. Amazon came through with an "Internal Mini SAS SFF8087 to External SF...