I recently modified an HP t630 thin client to work as a network router/firewall. What surprised me
was how little of a fight the t630 put up. One of those no-name Realtek split-design cards from China
went right in. The characteristics of these expansion cards are:
Ethernet port on its own circuit board to fix to the rear panel.
Interface circuitry on an m.2 card which can be fitted in the slot normally occupied by the Wi-Fi card.
Ribbon cable(s) to join the two together.
I was able to attach the socket to the threaded openings that normally hold the optional VGA connector in
place (I used regular M3 screws; 5mm of length was sufficient). In the photo above, the add-on ethernet
port is the one on the right (the one on the left is the stock NIC, also Realtek).
For the time being, I left the stock 16 GB SSD in place and installed OPNsense nano on it. The mod,
however, did not happen without a (minor) sacrifice. I had to break off two thin metal strips on the body
of the t630 and the corresponding thin metal part on the detachable back panel. Those appear to form a part
of the locking system designed to keep the back panel in place.
You should note that Nick's t630 was fitted with the optional VGA port and so was fitted with a back
panel that included a cut-out for the VGA socket - whose opening conveniently matched the ethernet socket. If
you have a standard t630 then you have two options:
Use your t630 without the back panel cover in place.
Cut a suitable hole in the plastic back panel to reveal the ethernet port.
I recently modified an HP t630 thin client to work as a network router/firewall. What surprised me was how little of a fight the t630 put up. One of those no-name Realtek split-design cards from China went right in. The characteristics of these expansion cards are:
