I now have most of my n40l server setup, from a hardware and OS point of view. I have a 64GB SSD drive stuck to the top of my optical drive, connected via an eSATA to SATA cable from the outside port.
The first thing I did was to update the BIOS to the 'bay' BIOS, so I downloaded the HP BIOS, followed the instructions and substituted the HP BIOS file for the modded BIOS file. Rebooted with the USB stick and the BIOS 'seemed' to update OK. Now when the computer boots, the post screen seems to mention the Bay bios as it loads up, so I assume that it has installed correctly.
However, within BIOS, I do not seem to be getting some of the menus that some of the threads in various forums seem to suggest I should be getting. For example, this thread shows a photo of a Sothbridge screen:
http://homeservershow.com/forums/index.php?/topic/3397-modified-bios-for-microserver-n40l-enables-hidden-features/Now I do get a Southbridge page in the BIOS, but there are only two options there. I am at work now so I don't have the n40l next to me to know exactly what it says, but for sure there are none of the options shown in that picture.
Does this sound normal?
One thing I do notice with the machine is that it isn't as quiet as I was hoping it might be. This machine will sit beneath my TV in the living room, so I wanted something as quiet as possible. I have seen a thread about changing the case fan for something quieter (which isn't as straightforward as it should be due to the arrangement of pins on the fan/motherboard connector. However, the thread suggests that a good portion of the noise comes from the small PSU fan rather than the case fan, and this, of course, cannot be changed. A pity it is as loud as it is.