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Network Operating System (NOS)

Definition - What does Network Operating System (NOS) mean?

A network operating system is an operating system designed for the sole purpose of supporting workstations, database sharing, application sharing and file and printer access sharing among multiple computers in a network. Certain standalone operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows NT and Digital’s OpenVMS, come with multipurpose capabilities and can also act as network operating systems. Some of the most well-known network operating systems include Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Linux and Mac OS X.

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Techopedia explains Network Operating System (NOS)

The salient features of network operating systems are:
  • Basic operating system features support like protocol support, processor support, hardware detection and multiprocessing support for applications
  • Security features like authentication, restrictions, authorizations and access control
  • Features for file, Web service, printing and replication
  • Directory and name services management
  • User management features along with provisions for remote access and system management
  • Internetworking features like routing and WAN ports
  • Clustering capabilities
Common tasks associated with network operating systems include:

  • User administration
  • System maintenance activities like backup
  • Tasks associated with file management
  • Security monitoring on all resources in the network
  • Setting priority to print jobs in the network
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