Chapter 20. Network Operating Systems
IN THIS CHAPTER
Network operating system protocols and services
Important features of a network operating system
UNIX, Linux, Solaris, Novel NetWare, and Windows servers
A network operating system, or NOS, is one that is optimized to provide network services. The development of network operating systems has driven the development of computer networks, and vice versa. Both are intimately related.
Each NOS must provide operating system support for hardware, run protocols and services, and provide those services or applications for client systems. Beyond these basic services, an NOS may offer administration and management utilities, naming and directory services, file and print services, Web services, backup, security, and network routing, as well as serve as the operating system upon which network applications can be installed and run.
An NOS that has a broad range of capabilities is typically referred to as a platform. Examples of platforms are UNIX, Linux, and Microsoft Windows. Some NOSs are optimized for special purposes; an example of this kind of NOS is Cisco's IOS operating system that runs on its routers and switches.
In this chapter, different NOSs are described, and several of the more commonly found and popular NOSs are described in some detail, particularly those that are deployed on server hardware and in the client/server or n-tiered architectural model.
UNIX is the prototype NOS and has had the greatest impact on all of the other NOSs that ...
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