N A| B| C| D| E| F| G| H| I| J| K| L| M| N| O| P| Q| R| S| T| U| V| W| X| Y| Z| Numerical Listing| N+1 Disk Shadowing/Mirroring A system or storage subsystem-level facility to provide significantly improved apparent disk reliability without the cost of two-times disk shadowing (e.g., N+1 redundant array of independent disks). N-ISDN (Narrowband-ISDN) ISDN speed up to 1.544 Mbps. As speeds get faster, the definition of narrowband ISDN applies to faster speeds. Named Pipes One of several OS/2 facilities for interprocess communication. NAS (Network Applications Support) A collection of Digital Equipment Corp. architectures and development programs intended to provide a high degree of affinity between VAX systems (both VMS- and Ultrix-based) and a variety of workstations, including Apple’s Macintosh and IBM’s PCs running MS-DOS and OS/2. NAS (Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Program) Located at NASA Ames Research Center. NCP (Network Control Program) The IBM licensed program that controls the operation of an IBM 37XX front-end processor. Communication with the host is through advanced communication function/virtual terminal access method via a channel interface, and communications with terminals or another front-end processor is via telecommunications lines. NCP offloads certain line protocol and routing functions from the host CPU. Version 5 includes PU 2.1 support. TOP OF PAGE NDL (Network Data Language) The skeletal standard developed by CODASYL (Conference on Data Systems Languages) for an application programming interface to network-model database management systems. It has since been abandoned. NDS (NetWare Directory Service) The NDS Directory is globally oriented and maintains information about network resources, including users, groups, servers, volumes, printers, multiple servers and provides a naming service. NDS replaces the bindery file used in previous versions of NetWare. NetBIOS (Network Basic Input/Output System) Extension of IBM’s PC BIOS. NetBIOS traps calls to the BIOS and, when necessary, reroutes them to the local-area network. It was developed as the interface for the PC Network program, but is supported on the Token-Ring Network and a number of non-IBM systems. It will likely be a long-term tactical solution for local networking; the long-term strategic solution will be APPC/LU 6.2. NetView An IBM SNA network management product that includes some of the functions of NCCF, NLDM, NPDA, NMPF and VTAM node control application. Announced mid-1986 for VM and OS operating systems. NetView 2.0 (announced June 1987) enables central management of distributed 9370 systems. When introduced in May 1986, NetView was only a repackaging of IBM’s network management software. During June 1987, NetView became a formal MVS/XA subsystem, a key enabler to its addressing overall systems management. NetView Peer Interface Network management as a peer Systems Network Architecture node to the focal point of IBM’s NetView. NetView/PC Connect A network management interface to IBM’s NetView network management system through the IBM NetView/PC service point. NetWare A network operating system by Novell. The dominant local-area networking system for peripheral sharing and application communications. TOP OF PAGE Network Database A database organized according to ownership of records, allowing records to have multiple owners and, thus, providing multiple access paths to the data. Database management systems (DBMSs) providing such capabilities are also known as CODASYL (Conference on Data Systems Languages) DBMSs. Network Layer In the Open Systems Interconnection model, the logical network entity that services the transport layer. It is responsible for ensuring that data passed to it from the transport layer is routed and delivered through the network. Network Management Administrative services performed in managing a network — e.g., network topology and software configuration, downloading of software, monitoring network performance, maintaining network operations, and diagnosing and troubleshooting problems. Network Performance Tuning/Configuring Facilities The ability to configure combinations of local-area networks and wide-area networks centrally and dynamically based on anticipation and prioritization of data traffic volumes. Physical data paths could be configured based on data traffic content (i.e., transaction type). This is particularly important for on-line transaction processing applications. Network-Based Storage Backup Facilities — Midrange A system facility for defining and executing predetermined backup processes of data from other midrange systems of the same supplier in the network. Networking Software and hardware which link a number of devices, such as computers, workstations and printers, into a network (system) for the purpose of sharing resources. NeWS Sun Microsystems’ initial graphical user interface product. NewWave An environment developed by Hewlett-Packard in cooperation with Microsoft and built upon Windows 2.0. NewWave is remarkable for two technologies: Object Management Facility (OMF) and agents. OMF is a collection of system routines that enable "objects" to exist and be managed under the NewWave environment. An object is an entity that comprises data and the name of an executable file that knows how to interpret that data. Agents are intelligent functions that facilitate movement across applications to execute user-defined tasks (essentially, macros). Within the NewWave architecture, application programming interfaces are defined to enable interaction between applications and agents. NewWave Office Hewlett-Packard’s third-generation office information system built around the NewWave user environment on the workstation and HP-UX-, MPE/XL- and OS/2-based servers. NFS (Network File System) A method of sharing files across a computer network. Pioneered by Sun Microsystems, it is now a de facto standard in the Unix environment. NFS is built upon TCP/IP (Transaction Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) and Ethernet. NIC (Network Interface Card) An attachment that connects a device to a network, similar to an adapter. TOP OF PAGE NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology) An agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously called the National Bureau of Standards. NLM (NetWare Loadable Module) Software that provides additional functions to a NetWare server -- for example, an application (such as a DBMS) running directly under NetWare. NLS (National Language Support) Mechanisms provided for the straightforward internationalization of both system and application user-visible interfaces. X/Open’s Native Language System is an example. NMOS (N-Channel Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) A microelectronic circuit used for logic and memory chips and in CMOS design. NMOS transistors are faster than the PMOS counterpart and more of them can be put on a single chip. NMVT (Network Management Vector Tables) A systems network architecture management protocol which provides alert problem determination statistics and network management data. NNI (Network Node Interface) NNI is the network interface between two public networks (contrast that to UNI, which stands for User Network Interface). NNI is originally an asynchronous transfer mode term. TOP OF PAGE Node A termination point for two or more communications links. The node can serve as the control location for forwarding data among the elements of a network or multiple networks, as well as performing other networking and, in some cases, local processing functions. In systems network architecture, it is an endpoint of a link or a junction common to two or more links in a network. Nodes can be host processors, communications controllers, cluster controllers, work group computers or terminals. NonStop SQL (NonStop Structured Query Language) Leading-edge relational database management system (DBMS) software from Tandem Computers. Working in concert with Tandem’s message-passing Guardian operating system, NonStop SQL supports near-linear expandability and high up-times for applications by tolerating single points of failure. NonStop SQL was the first DBMS to support engine-based (as opposed to front-end tool-based) truly distributed databases. Version 2, announced in 1989, supports decomposition of large queries and batch jobs across multiple processors. NOS (Network Operating System) The software program that provides the local-area network (LAN) user interface and controls network operation. An operating system communicates with the LAN hardware and enables users to communicate with one another and share files and peripherals. Novell NetWare Implementation A facility that provides server functions and program-to-program application programming interfaces on the midrange system. NRZI (Nonreturn to Zero Inverted) Encoding by inverting a signal on a high voltage (on) pulse, leaving the signal unchanged for the low (off). NSAP (Network Service Access Point) In the semantics of the open systems interconnect addressing scheme, the point at which the OSI network service is made available to the transport entity. NSM (Networked Systems Management) The intersection of networking, network management and systems management. The vision of NSM is to enable the management of a distributed set of systems similarly to the way in which many centralized data centers are managed. This vision remains far from fulfillment. TOP OF PAGE NT (New Technology) The designation used by Microsoft for its future, microkernel-based, portable operating system. Often referred to as Windows-NT, it was known as OS/2 Version 3 before Microsoft’s rift with IBM. Comments? Questions? Entire contents Copyright © 1997, 1998 by Gartner Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this publication in any form without prior written permission is forbidden. Please read the guidelines for customer use of GartnerGroup intellecual property.