Section 5.1: Network Operating Systems
Learning Objectives
After completing this section, you should be able to
- discuss the functions and features of a network operating system.
Tasks
- Study “Characteristics of Network Operating Systems” in Appendix D of the TD textbook.
Study Questions
You may want to use the Personal Study Space wiki to answer these questions, which may require some Internet research. You can also post comments and queries in the Unit 5 Forum.
- What are the major functions of network operating systems?
- What layer of the OSI model do those functions belong to?
- What are some commonly used network operating systems?
- How do you choose a network operating system to meet specific needs? What major factors should be considered?
- How do you choose hardware for servers on which network operating systems will be running?
- What services are commonly provided by network operating systems?
- What does client support include?
- What communication may be involved between a client and a server?
- How does a client log onto a server?
- What is a three-tier architecture?
- What is a thin client?
- How are users and their rights managed by network operating systems?
- What are users and user groups?
- What are directories?
- What file systems are used by some common network operating systems?
- What are the main features of the FAT, FAT16, FAT32 and HPFS file systems?
- What are the significant advantages of the client/server architecture?
- Where are shared applications commonly installed?
- How do network operating systems support printer sharing?
- What are network system resources? How do network operating systems manage system resources?
