NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEM (NOS)

•Software that controls a network and its message (e.g. packet) traffic and queues, controls access by multiple users to network resources such as files, and provides for certain administrative functions, including security.
•coordinate the activities of multiple computers across a network.
•acts as a director to keep the network running smoothly.

•A NOS is not the same as the networking tools provided by some existing OSs, Windows XP for instance.
•An NOS is an OS that has been specifically written to keep networks running at optimal performance.
•Some popular NOSs include:
•Windows NT , IBM AIX, Sun Solaris, Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003,Inferno Novell NetWare, Red Hat Linux, BSD

•The two major types of network operating systems are: :
–Peer-to-Peer
–Client/Server