Controlling a Network

A network operating system, also called a network OS or NOS (pronounced nauce), is an operating system that supports a network.

As discussed in Chapter 1, a network is a collection of computers and devices connected together via communications media and devices such as cable, telephone lines, and modems.

In some networks, the server is the computer that controls access to the hardware and software on the network and provides a centralized storage area for programs, data, and information.

The other computers on the network, called clients, reply on the server(s) for resources such as files, devices, processing power, and storage.