I'm thinking of setting up a file server in the house. The machines will be running linux and Windows. I've read up on Samba and think that it'll do the job. I've got 2 questions:

1) The server (and old-ish PC) will be under the staircase so access and space is limited. Is there software that I can run on the server which will allow me to operate it remotely? Would prefer to be able to have at least some GUI capabilities.

2) I saw that there is a utility which helps reduce energy consumption of a linux machine by slowing down the harddisk etc. when it's under light load. What is it and where can I find this pls?

Thanks in advance.

to answer question #1, Samba will work great as a file server for windows networks. also look at the program 'vncserver' to open a graphical X window on your headless machine under the stairs.

I'm not sure on #2, are you asking about ACPI? CPU auto-throttling?

Ed

Check this for your second question.
http://acpi.sourceforge.net/

Use samba for the Windows boxes and nfs for the llinux boxes, that way you are able to retain permissions and ownership when accessing the files from a linux machine

You could also use x forwarding over ssh for the remote control