Glossary of Data Communications Terms

Courtesy Enterprise-Wide Computing, Inc.

Term: network operating system (NOS)
Definition: a control program that usually resides in a file server within a local area network. It handles the requests for data from all the users (workstations) on the network; on a peer-to-peer LAN the NOS may be distributed across all the attached worksations. An operating system installed on a server in a local area network that coordinates the activities of providing services to the computers and other devices attached to the network. Unlike a single-user operating system, a network operating system must acknowledge and respond to requests from many workstations, managing such details as network access and communications, resource allocation and sharing, data protection, and error control.

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Last Modified:
Wednesday, April 22, 1998