Network Operating Systems

It is critical that you are informed and make the right choices when it comes to Network Operating Systems (NOSs): the success and efficiency of your network depends on it.

Written in an understandable and non-technical style, this book will help you avoid potential pitfalls by answering the following questions for you:

• What is a network operating system and when do I need one?
• What are the main types of NOSs and how do they differ?
• Can I buy a cheap and cheerful NOS for small LANs?
• How do I choose a suitable NOS for my systems?
• Can I have more than one NOS running on my network?
• How does the NOS provide the LAN with access to other networks and computer systems?
• What is the role of NOS in network management?
• What are application programming interfaces (APIs) and how are they supported in the NOS?
• What is network computing and what is the role of the NOS in this?
• How is the NOS likely to evolve?
• What is client/server computing?

1. What is a NOS and when do I need one?
1. Introduction
2. What is an operating system?
3. How and why did network operating systems evolve?
4. Basic principles of a network operating system
2. The main types of NOS and how they differ
1. Introduction
2. The NetWare collection
3. The LAN Manager family
4. IBM LAN Server
5. UNIX
6. OS/2
7. Banyan Vines
3. Are low-cost simple NOSs available for small LANs
1. Introduction
2. Basic functions of peer-to-peer NOSs
3. Introducing the contenders
4. Powerlan from Performance Technology
5. LANtastic from Artisoft
6. 10 Net
7. Windows for Workgroups, from Microsoft
8. Personal NetWare (originally NetWare Lite)
9. Sage Mainlan version 4.0
10. AppleTalk
11. Groupware packages: Lotus Notes 3.0 and WordPerfect Office 4.0
4. How do I choose a suitable NOS for my systems?
1. Introduction
2. Business strategies
3. Request for proposals (RFP)
4. Supply channels
5. Assessing suppliers
6. Role of consultants in helping choose NOSs
7. Importance of reliable NOS performance
8. Catering for future expansion
9. Support for industry standards and ability to integrate with other networks
10. Training
11. Sources of information about the NOS: user groups and bulletin boards
5. Can I have more than one NOS running on my network?
1. Introduction
2. Situations where different NOSs interoperate, or where this is desirable
3. What needs to be done to integrate two NOSs
4. How different NOSs actually interoperate
5. Work done by different NOS vendors to enable their products to interoperate
6. Standard protocols that allow different NOSs to interoperate
6. How the NOS provides the LAN with access to other networks and computer systems
1. Introduction
2. Defining the problem: what sort of access do users need across the network?
3. LAN interconnection
4. How the NOS supports interconnection of LANs
5. How the NOS enables PCs and LANs to access remote host systems
7. What is the role of the NOS in network management?
1. Introduction
2. Functions of network management
3. What elements of a network need to be managed?
4. Defining the role of the NOS in the larger network management picture
5. What standards are there in network management and how does the NOS support them?
8. What are the application programming interfaces and how are they supported in the NOS?
1. Introduction
2. What are APIs and why are they important?
3. Main categories of API
4. How NOSs relate to and support APIs
5. How APIs relate to other key components of the network, such as data transport protocols
6. Is SQL an API?
7. What is middleware?
8. How does Novell's AppWare fit into all this?
9. How does Microsoft Win32 API fit in?
10. What APIs are being developed or endorsed by standards groups such as Posix and X/Open?
9. What is network computing and what is the role of the NOS in this?
1. Introduction
2. What is network computing?
3. Why network computing?
4. What are the ingredients?
5. What is the role of the NOS in network computing
6. Is client/server the same as network computing?
10. How is the NOS likely to evolve?
1. Introduction
2. Summarizing what organizations and users want
3. What are the main technology directions in networking?
4. What are the NOS vendors doing to support these technologies?
5. How operating systems and particular NOS will evolve

• Case study: Bass plc
• Appendix 1: Key internetworking technologies
• Appendix 2: Major network protocol stacks
• Appendix 3: OSi seven-layer model
• Appendix 4: Basic LAN cabling structures such as 10BaseT
• Appendix 5: LAN topologies
• Appendix 6: DOS file and directory structure
• Appendix 7: Network interface cards.
• Appendix 8: Role of expanded and extended memory in Intel PCs and microprocessor developments related to the NOS field
• Appendix 9: Key aspects of disk drive technology
• Appendix 10: Groups involved in OSI standards
• Appendix 11: What is client/server computing?

Hopelessly out-of-date. Avoid.