Understanding a NOS
A NOS is software capable of managing, maintaining, and providing services within a network. Additionally, a NOS can share files and applications, provide web services, provide authentication and authorization, control access to resources, administer users and computers, provide tools for configuration, maintain and provide resources, and perform other functions related to network resources. With that in mind, a NOS is crucial for managing computer network resources.
These days, Windows Server, Linux Server, and macOS Server versions are all considered NOSes because they can provide network services. So, let’s understand each one of them individually.
Windows Server overview
As you know, in general, Windows OS is a Microsoft product. The same applies to Windows Server. Therefore, its server line began with Windows NT 3.5 in the early 1990s, followed by other Windows Server versions, starting with Windows 2000 Server. Windows Server has a Graphical User Interface (GUI)-based OS at its core. However, as of Windows Server 2008, a Server Core edition has been introduced, a Command-Line Interface (CLI)-based OS. From Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, the architecture was 32-bit and 64-bit; however, since Windows Server 2012, it’s only 64-bit. The New Technology File System (NTFS) remains its native filesystem. However, with Windows Server 2012, the Resilient File System (ReFS) was introduced to replace NTFS. Regardless, in Windows Server 2022 (see Figure 1.10), NTFS is a native filesystem, whereas ReFS is used in database applications. Nowadays, Windows Server powers both on-premises and cloud network services:
Figure 1.10 – The NTFS continues to be used by Windows Server 2022
An overview of ReFS can be found at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/refs/refs-overview.
Linux Server overview
If something is interesting to talk about in the world of OSs, the Linux OS is unequivocal. That is because the world of technology does not recognize any innovative initiatives as having gathered more volunteers than Linux has. Everything started as a desire to improve functionality in an existing OS such as MINIX. Instead of an enhanced MINIX, it turned out that, in the early 1990s, Linus Torvalds had developed a new OS called Linux. So, the GNU GPL project took over the licensing of Linux, and a penguin became the Linux mascot. The first Linux booklet published was called Linux Installation and Getting Started, and the first Linux virus was Bliss.
Journal and Linux Weekly News marked the first-release Linux magazines. And just like that, many other global activities followed that would form the so-called Linux community, which turned out to be one of the world’s largest volunteer communities, contributing globally to the further development of Linux. Nowadays, Linux servers (see Figure 1.11) power most web servers and supercomputers due to their security and open source nature, both on-premises and on cloud:
Figure 1.11 – Downloading Ubuntu Server from ubuntu.com
You can find out how to run the Linux subsystem on Windows Server 2022 at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-on-server.
macOS Server overview
Although macOS Server might have a smaller percentage of use than the Windows Server and Linux Server OSs, its most positive characteristic is its reliability. At its core, macOS Server is a modified Unix OS that already conforms to the familiar Apple GUI for Mac computers. Like Windows and Linux, macOS Server is also offered on 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. However, since Apple was designated to use Intel processors for their computers and servers, macOS Server is distributed only on 64-bit. Although we cannot tell the exact number of servers powered by macOS Server, Apple continues to release new versions of its macOS Server (see Figure 1.12) and support it:
Figure 1.12 – Downloading macOS Server from the Mac App Store
You can learn more about macOS servers at https://www.apple.com/macos/server/.
In this section, we have understood what a server is and learned about server hardware such as CPUs, memory, disks, and network interfaces. Additionally, we have understood server sizes, form factors, shapes, and NOSs. Moreover, we have become acquainted with Windows Server, Linux Server, and macOS Server. In the next section, we will extend our learning of Windows Server.