Network Systems

1842 Words4 Pages

NT

Introduction

When mainframe and minicomputers provided the backbone of business computing, there were essentially networked environments in the sense that "dumb" terminals shared access to a single processor (the minicomputer or mainframe), printer (or printers) and other peripheral devices. Files could be shared among users because they were stored on the same machine. Electrical and operational connections were available in common and shared applications, and implementation of new hardware, software and users was a simple task so long as a single vendor was used. With the proliferation of microcomputers in the business environment, information became distributed, located on the various hard drives attached to personal computers in an office, and difficult for other users to access. Today, network systems which connect disparate hardware, software and peripherals are commonplace, but the communication program which makes using these systems has not kept up with the demand for such environments, although a number of companies are now participating in the field. This research considers two of the most popular network operating systems (NOS), NetWare by Novell and Windows NT by Microsoft, and considers which is appropriate for business applications.

Network Operating Systems

Operating systems are the interface between individual programs and the user. Through the operating system, the user is able to name files, move them and otherwise manipulate them, and issue commands to the computer as to what the user wants to do. Network operating systems are similar to this, but exist (as the name implies) in the network environment. Thus a network operating system is used to issue commands to shared devices, and to provide a background against which scarce resources are divided among competing users. Ideally, the network operating system is transparent to the user, who is only aware of the ability to share information and resources. An efficient NOS can make the difference between a productive and an unproductive office, and between workers who are difficult to replace when they leave and those who are likely to be familiar with the NOS of choice.

Despite their importance, network operating systems have faced challenges in the market because of the diverse hardware requirements that they must meet. Because of this, several different operatin...

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...ncludes a number of geographic locations and information and requests for functions is passed among sophisticated applications, a richer and more robust environment is needed. A number of organizations have turned to combining network operating systems in order to support these more sophisticated needs. In these situations, the users gain the strengths of both systems while eliminating their weaknesses (the domain dependence of Windows NT, for example).

Bibliography

Dryden, Patrick. "Server Tune-Up Helps NT, NetWare Efficiency." Computerworld, November 11, 1996, 65-66.

"Microsoft Support." http://www.microsoft.com/support/.

Newman, David and David Hurd. "SMP: Expect the Unexpected." Data Communications, 21 March 1996, 56-63.

Stanczak, Mark. "NetWare, NT Server Command-Central." PC Week, 15 January 1996, N1-N2.

"NOSes Challenge the Power of Next-Generation Hardware." PC Week, 1 April 1996, 75-76.

"Support." http://support.novell.com.

Surkan, Michael. "NetWare SMP Can't Keep Up with the Competition." PC Week, 1 April 1996, 78.

Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. "Web-Server Beats Novell's NetWare Entry in Both Versatility and Capacity." Byte, May 1996, 113-115.

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