Network operating system: What is it, what is it for and which are the best known?

The network operating system, Network Operating System, NOS or SOR they are different ways of referring to the same concept, which is what we are going to see today in this post.

Analyzing the concept you will soon discover that it is a resource designed to connect several computers, so that we can make use of their resources by creating a computer network.

Do you want to know more about this concept? Has it made you curious? Read on and discover what exactly it is, how it is made, what is its difference with a conventional operating system andof course, which are the best and most used of the moment.

What is a NOS (Network Operating System) and what is it used for in computing?

The network operating system is a type of software of the many that we can find. This, in particular, is responsible for enable the operation of a computer network. It would be the equivalent of the operating system of our computer but, as we say, for a network.

Thus, access and use of the different resources that each of the network points include is possibleconsidering as such both its software and hardware elements (the equipment itself or peripheral elements), the users themselves, the databases and even information security.

What it does is, after all, allow a computer system communication to take placethat is, two or more computers, physically or wirelessly.

The characteristics common to all of them and those that, therefore, define it with computing resources are:

• All resources are connected, whatever type they are, corresponding to the elements that make up the network. These can be those of computers, but also other devices and the services they offer (telephones, peripherals…), as long as they act as servers.
• These too They are sharing, being able to make use of them as privileges are granted to each user. For this, there will be a main team.
• You can make one centralized user management.
• If you have an iron access control to resources and data with which they work. There must be a access validation and security policies are always followed.
• We monitor the activity In the net.
• We manage the network.
• functions are coordinated network, including those that are intrinsic to each device.
• Usually offers a interface that simplifies the use of resourcesalthough this does not always have to be the case.

In short, a SOR is a software, installable or integrated into the OS of a device that communicates different devices forming a computer network that can be managed, at the same time that the management of both the resources of said devices and of the users is possible.

Types of network systems

We found that there are two types of NOS depending on their integration in the SOC:

• One of them would be the next integrated in the own OS that each computer has. A) Yes, each of the computers would have its own for the simple fact of having an operating system. There are a large number of OSs that currently integrate their own NOS. Some are those from Apple and Microsoft for both desktops and laptops and servers, Windows Phone, iOS, Android, practically any Linux distribution.
• The second would be the SOR installablewhich is nothing more than a software that we would install on the clientafterwards, when necessary for the communication to take place of the computers on the network, as we have explained, enabling, only then, the network functions.

On the other hand, we have to make another classification of NOS types depending on the connection between the parties:

• Use in routers. They are embedded in hardware firewalls or routers.
• peer to peer. Its users share the resources and files. A server is required and the hardware requirements are low.
• client-server. It is an architecture that allows the centralization of functions and applications in one or more dedicated servers, allowing several clients to have access to different resources. The servers are quite stable, these are the ones that provide the level of security and can remotely access the rest of the equipment.

Components of a network operating system What are its main characteristics?

The network operating system environment is made up of:

• servers. These are the teams that they have the NOS. They have different resources. that, thanks, precisely and as we have explained, to the use of the network operating system, are shared with clients and also with other servers.
• Customers. In this case, they would be the teams that have a Single-user OS and that connect with the servers (previously validating) and, sometimes, between themselves (this will depend on the type of architecture used). They can make use of the resources granted.
• domains. A domain is a management of a group of computers with which you have the ability to manage them centrally, that is, from a single location. It is also done with your services and resources.

How is a network system different from an operating system?

Any OS assumes a management environment for software elements included within a computer or device. There are some for applications, machine input-output structure, use of memory and other hardware elements, etc.

A) Yes, the operating system would be general while the network system would be a specialized operating systemin this case, in the use of networks for team communication.

The operating system of our computer is really called a centralized operating system and it is also another specialized OS, this time in the management of equipment resources at the individual level, with execution in privileged mode.

List of the most used NOS to improve the connection between the computers of a network

So that you can get a more specific idea of ​​what is on the market, we want to end by telling you a little about each of the SORs that are most used today:

LANtastic, Artisoft

Its features include:

• is of type peer to peer.
• Works on Windows, DOS and OS/2.
• Offers a VERY easy setupas is its maintenance, positioning itself as one of the most suitable options for those who are not experts and must use it (for example, teachers in institutes).
• allows the access to computers from clients.
• This, moreover, is multi platform.
• It allows the restriction of characteristics according to date.
• Can be used for more than 500 users.
• Offers capacity to control up to 32 computers at the same time.
• Its level of peer-too-peer security is very high.
• Its price is very low.

LANManager, Microsoft

It is characteristic for:

• Runs on OS/2 by connecting UNIX, DOS and OS-2.
• very suitable for mainframes.
• group domain file servers.
• It has various file servers.
• Also with dedicated and non-dedicated servers.
• It is slow.
• Your security level is low.

Microsoft Windows Server

From this we can say that:

• It is developed in assembler, C and C++.
• It’s about a multiprocess system.
• Of very easy to use and manage.
• The learning curve is really hopeful for use by non-professionals.
• It has support for ASP.NET, the framework par excellence in web development.
• The price of the license is high.
• The support is unbeatable.
• Requires restart after each update.
• consume enough means.
• allows the application development in a very short time.
• Its security is among the lowest, which is logical if we consider its commercial use.

Linux for servers

Linux includes:

• A open source developmentso that it is ideal for those who have knowledge in development, since it can be modified at will.
• It is not a single OS but a set of them, with widely used distributions for the subject that concerns us today, such as SUSE Linux, Debian, Ubuntu or CentOS.
• Noted for its stability.
• It is also very fast.
• Now it is much easier to use, with configuration programs.
• Does not offer support for hard drive partitions Windows nor for the programs that run under it.

Novell’s NetWare

Finally, from Novell we can say that:

• It was designed to be used on a large scalein huge corporations.
• Works on DOS and MAC.
• Noted for its access reliability to the network and to the resources themselves.
• It is considered one of the best large-scale network administrators.
• Result hardware independent.
• supports software through loadable modules.
• Its installation and administration are complex.
• Has a very simple platformmaybe too much in some cases.
• Requires additional software from Novell to make use of its FTP and HTTP services.
• It is expensive if you want to use it in small networks.