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Network Operating System

A network operating system (NOS) manages network resources and enables computers and devices to connect to a local area network. It provides functions for sharing resources like files, printers, and applications between multiple users simultaneously. There are two main types of NOS - peer-to-peer, where users share resources directly between computers, and client-server, where a centralized server controls access to shared resources. Common features of NOS include user administration, printing/file sharing, security controls, and internetworking capabilities. Popular examples of NOS include Novell NetWare, Microsoft Windows Server, and Linux.

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Patrick Okeke
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295 views

Network Operating System

A network operating system (NOS) manages network resources and enables computers and devices to connect to a local area network. It provides functions for sharing resources like files, printers, and applications between multiple users simultaneously. There are two main types of NOS - peer-to-peer, where users share resources directly between computers, and client-server, where a centralized server controls access to shared resources. Common features of NOS include user administration, printing/file sharing, security controls, and internetworking capabilities. Popular examples of NOS include Novell NetWare, Microsoft Windows Server, and Linux.

Uploaded by

Patrick Okeke
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Network operating system

Network operating system (NOS) is an operating system that manages


network resources: essentially, an operating system that includes special
functions for connecting computers and devices into a local area network
(LAN). Network operating system (NOS) also is a computer operating system
(OS) that is designed primarily to support workstations, personal computers and
in some instances, older terminals that are connected on local area network
(LAN).
he composition of hardware that typically uses a NOS includes a number of
personal computers, a printer, a server and file server with a local network that
connects them together. The role of the NOS is to then provide basic network
services and features that support multiple input requests simultaneously in a
multiuser environment.
These systems run on a server and provide the capability to manage data,
users, groups, security, applications, and other networking functions. These
types of operating systems allow shared access of files, printers, security,
applications, and other networking functions over a small private network.
One more important aspect of Network Operating Systems is that all the users
are well aware of the underlying configuration, of all other users within the
network, their individual connections, etc. and that’s why these computers are
popularly known as tightly coupled systems
Network Operating Systems are based on a client/server architecture in which
a server enables multiple clients to share resources.

Due to earlier versions of basic operating systems not being designed for
network use, network operating systems emerged as a solution for single-user
computers.

Types of network operating systems


The two major types of network operating systems are:

Peer-to-Peer 

Client/Server  
Nearly all modern networks are a combination of both. The networking
designcan be considered independent of the servers and workstations that will
share it.
Peer-to-Peer
Peer-to- peer network operating systems allow users to share resources and files
located on their computers and to access shared resources found on other
computers. However, they do not have a file server or a centralized management
source (See fig. 1). In a peer-to-peer network, all computers are considered
equal; they all have the same abilities to use the resources available on the
network. Peer-to-peer networks are designed primarily for small to medium
local area networks. Nearly all modern desktop operating systems, such as
Macintosh OSX, Linux, and Windows, can function as peer-to-peer network
operating systems
Client/server
Client/server network operating systems provide users with access to resources
through a server. In this architecture, all functions and applications are unified
under one file server that can be used to execute individual client actions
regardless of physical location. Client/server tends to be most expensive to
implement and requires a large amount of technical maintenance. An advantage
to the client/server model is that the network is controlled centrally, makes
changes or additions to technology easier to incorporate.

Common features of network operating systems


Features of network operating systems are typically associated with user
administration, system maintenance and resource management functionality.
This includes:

 Basic support for operating systems like protocol and processor


support, hardware detection and multiprocessing.
 Printer and application sharing.
 Common file system and database sharing.
 Network security capabilities such as user authentication and access
control.
 Directory
 Backup and web services.
 Internetworking.

Examples of network operating systems


True network operating systems are categorized as software that enhances the
functionality of operating systems by providing added network features. A few
examples of these network operating systems and their service providers are:
 Artisoft’s LANtastic- This is a simple, user-friendly NOS that
supports most PC operating systems.
 Banyan’s VINES- This uses a client-server architecture to request
specific functions and services.
 Novell’s NetWare- This was the first network operating system to be
released and is designed based on XNS protocol architecture.
 Microsoft’s LAN Manager- This operates as a server application and
was developed to run under the Microsoft OS. Now, most of the
functionality of LAN Manager is included in the Windows OS itself.
 Microsoft Windows Server 2003
 Microsoft Windows Server 2008
 UNIX
 Linux
 Mac OS X
 BSD

In addition, some multi-purpose operating systems, such as Windows NT and


Digital's OpenVMS come with capabilities that enable them to be described as a
network operating system. Further, the most popular operating systems
like Windows, Unix, Linux and Mac include built-in networking functions that
may not require additional network services

Characteristics of Network operating system (NOS)


1. Network Operating Systems (NOSs) distribute their functions over a
number of networked computers.
2. It adds functions that allow access to shared resources by a number of
users concurrently.
3. Client systems contain specialized software that allows them to request
shared resources that are controlled by server systems responding to a
client request.
4. The NOS enhances the reach of the client PC by making remote services
available as extensions of the local native operating system.
5. NOS supports multiple user accounts at the same time and enables
concurrent access to shared resources by multiple clients.
6. A NOS server is a multitasking Internally, the OS must be capable of
executing multiple tasks or processes at the same time
7. Some systems are equipped with more than one processor, called
multiprocessing systems. They are capable of executing multiple tasks in
parallel by assigning each task to a different processor.
8. NOS servers are computers with additional memory to support multiple
tasks that are all active, or resident, in memory at the same time.
9. Additional disk space is also required on servers to hold shared files and
to function as an extension to the internal memory on the system.

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