Computer networks used in health care and elsewhere are described with a variety of
terms. In this section you will be introduced to many of these terms. Again, this is
not an exhaustive list. As you read these sections, keep in mind that a computer
network is a collection of devices (sometimes called nodes) that are connected to
one another for the purpose of transmitting data. A network operating system (NOS) is a special type of system software that controls the devices on a network and allows the devices to communicate with one another. Some of the most common network
operating systems on the market today are Microsoft’s Windows and Novell’s
NetWare (Stair & Reynolds, 2003).