1.

Network Operating Systems

In order to transmit signals across a network, it is necessary for the computer to communicate
with its modem or Network Interface Card. Network Operating Systems (NOS) provide the
protocols necessary to achieve this goal, but each different type of modem or NIC needs to be
able to communicate with the particular NOS. It is therefore necessary to install the special
software that comes with the interface device. This software is often referred to as a driver.
Computers made today usually come with both the interface and necessary drivers installed.
Occasionally, you must install the modem or NIC yourself. It is necessary to install the correct
driver for that interface device. Failure to so install the driver means that the device will be
unable to communicate over the network or with the computer it is installed in.

Network Operating Systems not only allow communication across a network, they also allow a
network administrator to organize resources, control access, and ensure that the network is
operating efficiently.

Sharing of network resources can be peer-to-peer or client/server. Which one is the best is
dependent on the end goal of the network.

In peer-to-peer networking there is a complete sharing of resources, both hardware and software.
All systems act as both users of resources and providers of resources, but no one system is
dedicated to a single function. Peer-to-peer networks are generally best suited to small networks
and usually are less expensive than client/server networks.

Client/server networks dictate that systems are most often dedicated to a single function. They
are either users of network resources or providers of resources. Client/server networks are
typically more expensive and robust than peer-to-peer networks and generally support the
building of larger networks.

Discussion of Internetworking Operating Systems will cover the four major systems currently in
use: Windows, Novell, UNIX/LINUX, and Mac.
Windows Server 2008

Windows Server 2008 (sometimes abbreviated as "Win2K8" or "W2K8") is one of Microsoft

Windows' server line of operating systems. Released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008, and
officially released on February 27, 2008, it is the successor to Windows Server 2003, released
nearly five years earlier. A second release, named Windows Server 2008 R2, was released to
manufacturing on July 22, 2009. Like Windows Vista and Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 is
based on Windows NT 6.x.

Windows Server 2008 introduces next generation web tools, built-in virtualization technologies,
and security and server management enhancements that will help customers more efficiently
manage their IT operations, reduce costs and improve performance of business-critical systems.

UNIX/LINUX

UNIX is the oldest network operating system still being widely used today. It can be used on
either peer-to-peer or client/server networks. LINUX is basically a free version of UNIX, which
is developed cooperatively by a community of expert programmers. Various computer
manufacturers have released proprietary versions of UNIX which run on their particular
hardware platforms. Because of differences in processor hardware and variations from UNIX
standards, each company’s operating system has its own “flavor”. End user applications for
UNIX must be individually compiled for each different hardware platform and operating system
variant. The networking components in UNIX have been under development for many years, and
are based on the collaborative efforts of many developers. Consequently, UNIX networking is e
xtremely reliable. This is why many companies use UNIX to provide their primary networking
services and interface to the Internet. In spite of the rise in popularity of Web and Internet
services deployed on Windows NT, for security and reliability UNIX is a popular choice in
commercial and university environments. Networking under UNIX is based on the TCP/IP
protocol, which has only been integrated into the Microsoft Windows network operating systems
in recent years. The early work, which established the Internet, was based on UNIX platforms.
Most of the TCP/IP services used in UNIX are also commonly used on Microsoft Windows
operating systems, with a few exceptions:
 2. Network Computer Groups

Workgroup—Group of devices logically networked together as a single unit. This simplifies

network management by segmenting and organizing users into defined groups that can be
managed as one. For example, everyone in the accounting department may be considered a
workgroup. One change in security for the group changes security for all users.

Domains: On a local area network (LAN), a domain is a sub network made up of a group of
clients and servers under the control of one central security database. Within a domain, users
authenticate once to a centralized server known as a domain controller, rather than repeatedly
authenticating to individual servers and services. Individual servers and services accept the user
based on the approval of the domain controller.

3. Types of Servers

The multiple types of servers or types of network servers are as follows:

 File Server Provides convenient, centralized access to files and directories for individual
users, departments, and entire organizations. Choosing this option allows you to manage
user disk space by enabling and configuring disk quota management and to provide
improved file system.
 Print Server Provides centralized and managed access to printing devices by serving
shared printers and printer drivers to client computers..
 Application Server (IIS, ASP.NET) Provides infrastructure components required to
support the hosting of Web applications.
 Mail Server (POP3, SMTP) Installs POP3 and SMTP so that the server can act as an e-
mail server for POP3 clients.
 Terminal Server Provides applications and server resources, such as printers and
storage, to multiple users as if those applications and resources were installed on their
own computers.
 Remote Access/VPN Server Provides multiple-protocol routing and remote access
services for dial-in, local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs).
  Domain Controller (Active Directory) Provides directory services to clients in the
network.
 DHCP Server Provides automatic IP addressing services to clients configured to use
dynamic IP addressing.

4. Directory Service

A network service that identifies all resources on a network and makes them accessible to users
and applications. Resources include e-mail addresses, computers, and peripheral devices such as
printers. Ideally, the directory service should make the physical network topology and protocols
transparent so that a user on a network can access any resource without knowing where or how it
is physically connected.

There are a number of directory services that are used widely. Two of the most important ones
are LDAP, which is used primarily for e-mail addresses, and Netware Directory Service (NDS),
which is used on Novell Netware networks. Virtually all directory services are based on the
X.500 ITU standard, although the standard is so large and complex that no vendor complies with
it fully.
A simple directory service called a naming service, maps the names of network resources to their
respective network addresses. With the name service type of directory, a user doesn't have to
remember the physical address of a network resource; providing a name will locate the resource.
Each resource on the network is considered an object on the directory server. Information about a
particular resource is stored as attributes of that object. Information within objects can be made
secure so that only users with the available permissions are able to access it. More sophisticated
directories are designed with namespaces as Subscribers, Services, Devices, Entitlements,
Preferences, Content and so on. This design process is highly related to Identity management.

A directory service defines the namespace for the network. A namespace in this context is the
term that is used to hold one or more objects as named entries. The directory design process
normally has a set of rules that determine how network resources are named and identified. The
rules specify that the names be unique and unambiguous. In X.500 (the directory service
standards) and LDAP the name is called the Distinguished name (DN) and is used to refer to a
collection of attributes (relative distinguished names) which make up the name of a directory
entry.

A directory service is a shared information infrastructure for locating, managing, administering,

and organizing common items and network resources, which can include volumes, folders, files,
printers, users, groups, devices, telephone numbers and other objects. A directory service is an
important component of a NOS (Network Operating System). In the more complex cases a
directory service is the central information repository for a Service Delivery Platform. For
example, looking up "computers" using a directory service might yield a list of available
computers and information for accessing them.

Replication and Distribution have very distinct meanings in the design and management of a
directory service. The term replication is used to indicate that the same directory namespace (the
same objects) are copied to another directory server for redundancy and throughput reasons. The
replicated namespace is governed by the same authority. The term distribution is used to indicate
that multiple directory servers, that hold different namespaces, are interconnected to form a
distributed directory service. Each distinct namespace can be governed by different authorities.