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I'm considering the possibility of using an ethernet-connected (SNMP would be a bonus) microcontroller board of some sort to monitor a RAID card inside a server that doesn't have OS support; the card has LED headers and an I2C header. So:

  1. Which board? Arduino or something more specialised? I'd be OK with a through-hole kit but would prefer pre-assembled to save time; SMT or etching a board are right out.

  2. Where should I mount the board? should I run wires through ventilation holes and have the board outside, or make up some sort of expansion slot mounting bracket and have the board physically inside? Being inside the server does give me access to +5V/+12V for power.

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Andrew
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  • Are you wanting to make this to ultimately be a marketable product or just something you are doing for this once case? I only ask as it will probably make a difference in what chips to use and where to place it. – Kellenjb Oct 27 '10 at 01:36
  • @Kellenjb just a once-off, the "marketable product" is called the licensed version of VMWare ESX ;) – Andrew Oct 27 '10 at 12:43

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For a one time board, I think an Arduino with a ethernet shield is going to be your easiest path for you. If you are wanting to produce and market you should look into a more specialized/customized solution for the aspect of cost.

Placing the board inside is good because you will be keeping your SPI lines short and have power close by, but putting your board outside will give you less of a concern of shorting to other electronics in the server.

Kellenjb
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