Glossary N-O

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NA: See Numerical Aperture
NAK: See Negative Acknowledgment
Name Binding Protocol: (NBP) AppleTalk protocol for translating devices names to addresses.
Nanometer: (nm) One billionth of a meter = 10^-9 meter.
Nanosecond: One billionth of a second.
National Electrical Code: (NEC) which defines building flammatory requirements for indoor cables.
National Television System Committee: (NTSC) One of the standards for television signals, developed in 1941. Has 486 visible horizontal lines. Sometimes referred to as 480i
NBP: See Name Binding Protocol
NCC: See Network Control Center
NDIS: See Network Driver Interface Specification
Near End Crosstalk: (NEXT) Crosstalk measured at the end from which the disturbing signal is transmitted.
NEC: See National Electrical Code
Negative Acknowledgment: (NAK) A data link control character transmitted by the receiver as a negative response to the sender. The response may relate to data or control information.
NEMA: National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
Neoprene: A synthetic rubber with good resistance to oil, chemical, & flame. Also called polychloroprene.
Net Id: See Network Identification
NetBIOS: See Network Basic Input/Output System
Netview: An IBM mainframe network management product that integrated the function of several earlier IBM network management products.
NetWare: Novell's network operating system using IPX (Internetwork Packet Exchange) & SPX (Sequential Packet Exchange) protocols.
Network: A set of communication channels inter-connecting several devices and/or locations.
Network Architecture: A description of data formats & procedures used for communication between nodes.
Network Basic Input/Output System: (NetBIOS) A widely-used protocol governing data exchange & network access.
Network Control Center: (NCC) Any centralized network diagnostic & management station or site, such as that of a packet-switching network.
Network Driver Interface Specification: (NDIS) Specification for a generic device driver for network interface cards that are independent of hardware & protocol.
Network File System: (NFS) Sun Microsystems' network operating system based on TCP/IP protocols.
Network Identification: (Net Id) The first part of the 32-bit IP address.
Network Information Frame: (NIF) determines which FDDI station is upstream & which is downstream when two stations are talking.
Network Interface Card: See Network Interface Controller
Network Interface Controller: (NIC) Electronic circuitry that connects a workstation to a network, usually a card that fits into one of the expansion slots inside a personal computer. It works with the network software & computer operating system to transmit & receive messages on the network.
Network Interface Module: See Adapter Card
Network Layer: Layer 3 of the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model; it defines protocols governing data routing.
Network Loadable Module: (NLM) An application or driver that resides on a NetWare server to provide additional resource management capabilities.
Network Management System: (NMS) Systems equipment used in monitoring, controlling & managing a data communications network.
Network Operating Systems: (NOS) Software that provides users with a variety of data communication service including file sharing, electronic mail, security systems & methods for connecting network systems.
Network Topology: The arrangement of nodes usually forming a star, ring, tree, or bus pattern.
NEXT: See Near End Crosstalk
NFS: See Network File System
NIC: See Network Interface Controller
NIF: See Network Information Frame
NIM: (Network Interface Module) See Adapter Card
NLM: See Network Loadable Module
NM: See Nanometer
NMS: See Network Management System
Nodes: A device connected to the network which can be addressed by other nodes.
Noise: In a cable or circuit, any extraneous signal which tends to interfere with the signal normally present in or passing through the system.
Non-Return to Zero: (NRZ) Binary coding transmission with no return to neutral state after each bit is transmitted.
Nondedicated server: A node on which user applications are available while network resources maintenance applications execute in the background.
NOS: See Network Operating Systems
NRZ: See Non-Return to Zero
NTSC: See National Television System Committee
Null Modem: A device that connects two DTE's directly by emulating the physical connections of a DCE.
Numerical Aperture: (NA) A measure of the angular acceptance for a fiber. It is approximately the sine of the half angle of the acceptance cone.
Nylon: An abrasion-resistant thermoplastic with good chemical resistance.
ODI: See Open Datalink Interface
Ohm: The electrical unit of resistance. The value of resistance through which a potential difference of one volt will maintain a current of one ampere.
Open Datalink Interface: (ODI) a standard interface specification developed by Novell to enable PC adapter cards to run multiple protocol stacks.
Open Shortest Path First: (OSPF) A distribution algorithm & routing protocol used by routers to compute the best path to be used to forward packets through an internetwork. It is derived from the OSI Shortest Path First (SPF) algorithm.
Open System: A networked computer or software which can easily be extended or enhanced with precuts from another vendor or technology source. Open systems usually imply the use of standard, replaceable protocols & hardware components, & well-defined interfaces.
Open Systems Interconnection: (OSI). A standard developed by the ISO (International Standards Organization) for a logical network operations structure.
Operating System: A program which controls the operation, scheduling & various other related functions of other programs within the computer.
Optical Disk: A very high-density information storage medium that uses light to read & write digital information. (CD and DVD are examples)
Optical Fiber Cable: An assembly consisting of one or more optical fibers (glass or plastic) with strengthening material & an outer jacket.
Optical Fiber Duplex Connection: A mated assembly of two duplex connectors & a duplex adapter.
Optical Fiber Duplex Connector: A mechanical media termination device designed to transfer optical power between two pairs of optical fibers.
Optical Time Domain Reflection: An instrument that measures transmission characteristics of fiber by sending a pulse of light down the fiber & measuring the light scattered across the length & reflected back from the end as a function of time.
OS/2: The third generation operating system developed by IBM & Microsoft for use with the Intel 80286 & 80386 microprocessors. Unlike its predecessor (PC MS-DOS), OS/2 is a multitasking operating software that will run on the Personal System/2. OS/2 Standard Edition is a joint Microsoft & IBM development, while OS/2 Extended Edition is the IBM proprietary extension to include communications & database managers.
OSI: See Open Systems Interconnection
OSINET: A test network, sponsored by the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), designed to provide vendors of products based on the OSI model a forum for inter-operability testing.
OSPF: See Open Shortest Path First
Overhead: In communications, all information, such as control, routing, & error-checking characters, that is in addition to user transmitted data; includes information that carries network status or operational instructions, network routing information, & retransmission of user data messages that are received in error.
Ozone: Extremely reactive form of oxygen, normally occurring around electrical discharges & present in the atmosphere in small but active quantities. In sufficient concentrations it can break down certain rubber insulation's under tension (such as a bent cable).

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