I suppose the thing that I feel most passionate about atm is gPXE.

Its a project to build a better PXE loader.

Prior to gPXE I ran PXELinux, and so far, after about two days of tinkering, I can...

Use the local interface rather (or in addition to) than the localhost ip, since as stated above, packets can be spoofed from external hosts to look like they are from the loopback address.

if you are okay with the apache name based vhost config (see end of the default httpd.conf for an example)

The name resolution (so your server knows its got other names) is also fairly simple.
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If you use the command 'mount' with no arguments you will see what filesystems are mounted and where they are mounted.

iptstate might also be able to point you to the culprit.

Iptstate allows you to look at the iptables connection tracking table and see what connections are currently being seen by iptables.
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Gparted is available as a live CD which can do most of what PartitionMagic can do... and is free.

If you don't want to install a second OS, then why not just use a CD/DVD distro? Something like ubuntu/knoppix or even some of the more recent Fedora Spins?

RAM may be an issue, but you can...

Debian can use kickstart files in addition to its native preseed format.

I frequently use both for headless network installs using DHCP/PXE/TFTP + HTTP installs

You might also consider using a...

Codeweaver's Crossover Linux is slightly better than raw wine in getting Windows apps running.

They have a 30 day trial if you want to have a play, there is a reasonable fee if you want to keep...

You install stuff remotely using ssh and apt-get/aptitude, no gui required, just make sure you prefix the commands with sudo though, since both apps require root privileges.

TBH, I would say that...

I have to wonder what you are actually trying to accomplish as your end goal. Using a GUI on a server is generally a bad idea since it increases your attack surface considerably, but may be justified...