Network Operating System Essay

A Network Operating System is an operating system that includes special functions for connecting computers and devices into a network. The term network operating system, however, is generally reserved for software that enhances a basic operating system by adding networking features. Network operating system implements protocol stacks as well as device drivers for networking hardware. This paper will identify the Domain Name Server (DNS), Web Server, Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), and the Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS). Domain Name Server (DNS)Domain Name Server, also known as DNS, is an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. All addresses in the internet are bases on IP addresses. The job of the DNS is to translate the IP Addresses into domain names. DNS are very important but completely hidden from the internet. For example instead of typing 69.147.11.210 we can type www.yahoo.com and get the same result. The Domain Name Server (DNS) distributes the responsibility for assigning domain names and mapping them to IP networks by allowing an authoritative server for each domain to keep track of its own changes, avoiding the need for a central registrar to be continually consulted and updated. DNS is a database system that translates a fully qualified domain name into an IP address. If a DNS does not know how to translate a particular domain name it will asks another DNS until the correct IP address is returned. Web ServerA web server is a computer that delivers Web pages. Every Web server has an IP address and possibly a domain name. For example, if you enter the URL http://www.yahoo.com in your browser, this sends a request to the server whose domain name is yahoo.com/mail.html. The server then fetches the page named mail.html and sends it to your browser. Any computer can be turned into a Web server by installing server software and connecting the machine to the Internet. There are many Web server software applications, including public domain software from NCSA and Apache, and commercial packages from Microsoft, Netscape and others. Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS)WINS is a service run on Windows NT servers to provide Windows clients a way to find other Windows computers. WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) resolves Windows network computer names (also known as NetBIOS names) to Internet IP addresses, allowing Windows computers on a network to easily find and communicate with each other. Using a WINS server is essential for any Windows client computer to work with other Windows computers over the Internet. In addition, using a WINS server is essential for any Windows client computer at Indiana University that intends to use Microsoft network resources. To use WINS services, you must insert into your TCP/IP networking configuration the IP address of the WINS servers you wish to use. Cisco Internetwork Operating System (IOS)One of Cisco’s strongest commitments in technology has been Internet Protocol (IP). Internet Protocol routing is the foundation for the internet. It is probably the most important technology in the past twenty years. Creating efficient use of network bandwidth by forwarding packets of data to the appropriate networks is what Internet Protocol routing is all about. The management team at Cisco is planning for the future with products like its Internetworking Operating System (IOS) software, which was created to provide the intelligence on the network, a basis for quality of service, and security on the internet. Services like Cisco’s IOS software help to drive the growth of the internet by creating new applications like real time trading, interactive support, and on demand media (Cisco Innovation & Technology News). Cisco IOS is a package of outing, switching, internetworking and telecommunications functions integrated with a multitasking operating system. Cisco IOS is the most common software used on most of Cisco routers and switches. Most Cisco products that run IOS also have one or more â€Å"feature sets† or â€Å"packages†, typically eight packages for Cisco routers and five packages for Cisco switches. One of the main characteristics of Cisco IOS is that it is command line interface (CLI). This style has been copied by other networking products. It provides a fixed set of multiple-word commands. The set of command available depends on the privilege level of each user. ConclusionNetwork Operating Systems are essential part for todayÂ’s network. This paper only covered some of these operating systems that are currently used and most of them are invisible to the regular user. Most users donÂ’t even know that they existed or how they work. 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