Instead of a dvd drive (in a laptop), a network card for 1 or more ports via Sata. Is there in nature?

Question

Iron

I decided to put the old laptop under the server

Answer 1

Only drives can be connected via SATA. Peripherals are not allowed.
If you do not want to use standard features (like ready-made USB, FireWIre and PC Card network cards), then you can move the PCIe port outside the laptop and connect a desktop network to it.
You can do it with the help of such an exotic device
amfeltec.com/products/flexible-minipci-express-to-...

Answer 2

From SATA to Ethernet - no, it's impossible.
There are USB, FireWIre and PC Card network cards.

Answer 3

The Sata port is the port of the disk controller, other data cannot be sent through it.
You need to look at general purpose ports: PCI (miniPCI in the case of a laptop), USB, etc.

Answer 4

I'd sell the laptop and get a raspberry pi or something +/or a good router with external hard drive support (saving power). If the laptop is quite ancient, then even more so, using it for a server is a bad idea. In nature, what you are looking for is not. What exactly is planned to be deployed on a server? It is necessary to build on this, it may turn out that it will be enough to buy and / or configure a router and the need for ethernet sata will disappear.