Module-V

Network Operating Systems

and Troubleshooting Networks
• A network operating system (NOS) is a computer operating system that is
designed mainly to support a workstation, personal computer and in some
instances, older terminals that are connected on a local area network
(LAN).

• It is also defined as a software that runs on a server and defines how

resources are shared on the network.

• A NOS facilitates
• printer sharing,
• common file system and database sharing,
• application sharing
• manage a network name directory, security and other housekeeping aspects of a
network.
• Examples : AppleShare Microsoft Windows Server Novell Netware
Features of Network Operating Systems
• NOS manages the users, devices and utilities which are connected together in a network.
• It includes utilities that help to ensure whether the data is transmitted to the correct user or
computer.
• It provides support for the multiple processors, applications and hardware that make up the
system.
• It provides security during transmitting the data and also manages the authorisation and
authentication information about individuals and other devices accessing the network.
• It enables the services which are related to user access (such as who can access what) and creates
user accounts with their log-in details within and outside the network system.
• It handles services which are related to storage, backup, printing, etc., for systems and users
accessing a network.

• It manages access to LAN, WAN, the Internet and Intranet (web services).
• The main features to consider when selecting a NOS include:
•Performance
•Management and monitoring tools
•Security
•Scalability
•Robustness/fault tolerance
Microsoft Operating System
• Operating systems developed by Microsoft firm are categorised into
two groups:
• 1. MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System):
• a non-graphical command line operating system
• deals with the textual interface and runs applications by executing commands through
the command prompt.
• 2. Microsoft Windows:
• a GUI-based operating system
• It is commonly used in personal computers (PCs).
• It has become the standard for individual users in most corporations as well as at homes.
Windows NT Server
• it has the capacity to manage workgroups similar to Windows for
Workgroups/Windows 95.

• Windows NT server is a client/server networking OS.

• This OS makes use of routable protocols, which enables the server or

network administrator to establish a connection between the LANs
and WANs
Features of Windows NT Server
• Windows NT server also provides services to the Novell NetWare
clients.
• Windows NT server robust.
• Windows NT server provides network security, it allows the network
administrator (server) to not only set a password for resources
available in a network but also to individuals or groups.
• The Windows NT OS server stores all the information and manages
access to all other services making the OS more efficient.
•
Security in the Windows NT Server
• No access for unauthorised users.
• Access that restricts the user to read-only capabilities.
• Access that allows read and write usage.
• Access that allows user to change access permissions for network users.
• Log-in details essential to access services on the network for each user.
• Windows NT Server allows to have a centralised control over network
Windows NT domain model:
• Primary domain controller (PDC)
• controls security policies and users database.

• Backup domain controller (BDC)

• BDC keeps a copy of the PDC; if failure of PDC occurs, then BDC easily
switches to the PDC.
Novell NetWare
• Novell NetWare OS is based on a client/server NOS

• Enables sharing, translating, managing and synchronization of data all

over the network-computing environment.
Features of Novell NetWare
• NetWare directory services (NDS), this allows a user to log on from anywhere on the network
• NLMs:
• NetWare loadable modules (NLMs).
• NLMs are programs or processes that execute in the background on the server like daemons.
• NLMs programs run on the server to provide services to the network
• PCI Hot Plug:
• This enables the dynamic configuration of PCI network equipment while the system is running.
• Interoperability:
• Novell NetWare can set Novell clients for Windows OS
• Authentication:
• It provides centralised login authentication. This helps to restrict unauthorised access to the network.
• Security:
• Novell NetWare NOS provides su
• pport for a public key infrastructure that helps to manage encryption of data across the network and
allows usage of data only by those who have that public key
UNIX Operating System
• used in either peer-to-peer network or client/server network.
• Fully protected multitasking:
• UNIX OS can simultaneously execute multiple applications. It does not cause any OS crash while
processing multiple processes.
• High performance and stability:
• UNIX OS is the best choice for a server because it has the ability to run for several years without
crashing.
• Multiuser/ Multitasking capabilities:
• Tons of high-quality software: Linux is packed with free, high-quality software
• Easy customization: UNIX and LINUX allow users to customize their OS kernel.
• Modular architecture:
• UNIX OS architecture is built with kernel that allows adding modules or programs based on the user
needs.
• A shell interface:
• where users can type commands and execute those commands.
• A graphical user interface: All the versions of UNIX provide graphical user interface.
• Support for dumb terminals:
• Dumb terminals are output devices that accept output result from CPU.
LINUX Operating System
• Linux is mainly popular for its use in servers.

• It is also used as an OS for a variety of devices such as

supercomputers, video games, computer hardware, embedded
services such as routers and mobile phones.

• Linux is tightly integrated with networking and provides a wide variety

of tools and applications.
Networking Features of LINUX Operating Systems are

• Network configuration files

• Firewalls and intrusion detection
• Supported networking protocols
• Secure execution of remote applications
• Remote execution of commands
• Commands for configuring and probing the network
• Daemons and client programs enabling different network applications
• File sharing and printing
• Basic network interconnection
Macintosh Networking
• Features of Mac OS:
• AppleShare provides network services for the Mac OS operating systems.

• AppleShare uses AppleTalk transport protocols such as TokenTalk, LocalTalk,

EtherTalk or FDDITalk to support sharing of files and printers over different
types of physical networks.

• Apple Macintosh computers use TCP/IP software for establishing connection

and communication throughout the Internet.

• Mac OS is based on peer-to-peer networking for organising small workgroup

settings.
MAC OS X Server features
• Client Support:
• MAC OS X server uses NFS and File Transfer Apple File Protocol 3.0 to share files with Macintosh clients
through TCP/IP.
• Interoperability:
• NFS makes files or folders available for Linux and UNIX user.
• File Sharing:
• Provides Windows clients with Server Message Block file-sharing ability by using open source SAMBA.
• File and Print Services:
• Supports the protocols such as TCP/IP, FTP and NFS to enable the sharing of files and printer services
and also enable Internet services on the Windows, UNIX and Linux users.
• Security features:
• Enable rights for user-level access.
• Provides secures client/server communication using secure socket layer (SSL) that provides features related to
encryption and authentication.
• Provides secure remote administration through secure shell (SSH) that provides authentication and encryption
mechanism.
•  Kerberos is a network authentication protocol that provides central authentication authority over a network.
Troubleshooting Networks
• Troubleshooting act of discovering and correcting problems with connectivity,
performance, security, and other aspects of networks.
• A software tool for Troubleshooting can be classified into two groups:
• In built into every operating system
• ping, tracert/traceroute, ipconfig/ifconfig, arping, nslookup/dig, hostname, route, nbstat and netstat.
• Third party tools
• packet sniffers, port scanners and throughput testers

•Command-line Interface Tools

• For example, ping is a widely used command line tool.
• This network utility provides a quick and easy way to check whether a site or
service user system is online.
• Ping is generally used to find the source of the problem
• ping www.google.co.in
• following responses is displayed based on the result:
• Ping request could not find host: Address does not exist.
• Reply from: …. Address you entered is alive and responding to pings.
• Request timed out: Address is found but is not responding to ping requests
• Advantages of using command line
• Users can check an individual item and isolate all the factors causing the
problems.
• Users can use script to automate the process.
• Use of the command line leads to more alternative options, so that users can
check the system in depth.
• Users can perform batch processes with a single command
CLI tools used to solve network problems

• Ipconfig
• Netstat
• Nslookup
• Nbtstat
• Tracert
Network and Internet Troubleshooting
1. How to troubleshoot network Internet problem- Internet is not
working?
• Perform the following task in the Windows command line and execute it
ping google.com
▪When the above command line is run, a user will get a reply from Google.
▪This reply indicates that the Internet is working;
▪Problem is with the web browser that is used to browse the Internet.
▪Then try to use alternative web browsers.
▪If there is no reply from Google, then it indicates that the modem or
router is not reaching the Internet.
▪Ensure that the router has DHCP enabled and there should be proper ISP
address for the WAN
• 2. Resetting netsh winsock reset catalog and solving a network
problem
• used to reset winsock catalog to clean state or back to default setting.
• This tool can be used to analyse the following network problems
• Internet connection problems after removing all kind of threats
• Loss of network connection after installing antivirus software
• Problem while accessing web pages
• No network connectivity due to registry errors
• Network problem related to DNS lookup
• 3. Determine the quality of Internet connection
• The speedtest.net and pingtest.net are examples of websites which provide
tools that are used to determine the quality of the Internet and availability of
bandwidth to a specific host.
 Basic Network Troubleshooting
✔ Step 1: Information gathering-identify symptoms and problems.
✔ Step 2: Identify the affected areas of the network.
✔ Step 3: Determine if anything has changed.
✔ Step 4: Establish the most probable cause.
✔ Step 5: Determine if escalation is necessary.
✔ Step 6: Create an action plan and solution identifying potential effects.
✔ Step 7: Implement and test the solution.
✔ Step 8: Identify the results and effects of the solution.
✔ Step 9: Document the solution and the entire process. (Date, Why, What, Results,
Who)
Probable Cause and Implement a Solution
• Cause 1: Cables are not connected properly.
• Solution:
• a) Verify whether the cables are properly connected or not.
• b) Cables between the hub or router and the computer.
• c) Cables between the all-in-one printer and the hub or router.
• d) Cables to and from modem or printer.
• Cause 2: Local Area Network card (LAN card) is not set up properly.
• Solution:
• Check the setup of LAN card.
In Windows: To check LAN card In Macintosh: To check LAN card
 Open the control panel.  Click the Apple icon on the menu bar.
 Double-click system.  Select ‘About This Mac’ and then click on more info.
 In the system properties dialog box, click the The system profiler is
hardware tab. displayed.
 Click device manager.  In the system profiler, click network.
 Make sure that the card shows up under network  Make sure the LAN card appears in the list.
adapters.
 Refer to the documentation that came with the card.
• Probable Cause 3: System does not have an active network
connection.
• Solution:
• Check the two Ethernet indicator lights on the top and bottom of the
RJ-45 Ethernet jack on the back of the printer. The lights indicate the
following:
• Top light: If this light is a solid green, the device is properly connected to the
network and communications have been established. If the top light is off, there is
no network connection.
• Bottom light: This yellow light flashes when data is being sent or received by the
device over the network.
Network Utilities
1. Ping
• used to test basic connectivity between the source host (requesting host) and
a destination host.
• ICMP protocol is used to perform this task which has the ability to send a
packet to a destination host and has a mechanism to listen for a response
from the host.
• Ping command can be useful for troubleshooting problems with remote hosts.
• Ping indicates whether the host can be reached and how long it takes for the
host to send a return message.
• For Example, if an Internet connection is down, ping utility can be used to
check whether a problem exists within the LAN or with the network of the
internet service provider.
•Here domain name www.google.com is
the 32-bit IP address of the source
computer.
• If the user gets a reply from a remote
computer, it suggests that the physical
connection between computers is quite
good.
•A message such as “Request Time Out”
means that there is a physical
connectivity problem between the two
systems.
2. Traceroute/Tracert
• Tracert short for “trace route”.
• It traces the route for communication between two computers.
• Tracert enables users to check the route/path to the destination IP address
that a user wants to reach to record the results.
• It uses TRACERT hostname command to execute, where hostname refers to
the name or IP address of the user system.
• Trace route shows the route that is taken while connecting two computers
over the Internet.
• Trace route helps to analyse whether it is an ISP problem (local problem) or
other issues, when a system cannot connect to a certain system or site in a
network.
3. Ipconfig
• Used to get the network settings that is currently being assigned and set by a
network.
• This tool generally helps to check a network connection and also to verify
system network settings.
4. ARP
• used to discover the physical address of a destination NIC by sending a
message.
• The application software that needs to send data will have the IP address of
the destination.
• It gets the address by broadcasting an ARP request packet that announces the
IP address of the destination NIC.
5. Nslookup
• A name server lookup (nslookup) is a tool for testing and troubleshooting DNS
servers.
• It will look up the IP addresses associated with a domain name.
6. Netstat (network statistics)
• Used to get information about incoming and outgoing network connections
and also other network information.
• Netstat shows network status by giving the contents of various
network-related data structure in different formats.
• It displays protocol statistics and current TCP/IP network connections.
7. Nbtstat
• is a diagnostic tool for NetBIOS over TCP/IP. It is designed to troubleshoot
NetBIOS name resolution problems.
 Hardware
Networki Function
Troubleshooting Tools
Troubleshooting and Failure
ng Device Signs
Hubs Used with star network •When a hub fails in a network, all devices connected to it will
topology. be unable to access the network.
uses twisted pair to connect various systems •When the network traffic is high because of broadcast and
to a server. network is operating slowly, then it might be essential to
replace slow hubs

Switches These are also used with star topology A failed switch disables several network devices to access the
network
Routers Routers usually separate broadcast device cannot access remote networks if a router used to
domains and connect multiple networks connect it.
Testing router connectivity can be done using ping and tracert
Bridges used to connect networksegments within the A failed bridge would not allow the flow of traffic between
same network. network
Bridges are used to control the flow of segments
data between these network segments
Wireless used to establish the bridge between the A failed access point cannot allow aclient to access the wired
Access wired and wirelessnetwork network.
Points In case of failure, verify the different configuration settings
System Monitoring Tools
• Mainly used to monitor system performance.

• System monitoring tools assist in troubleshooting network hardware

and enforcing network security measures.

• These tools can also be used to analyse the network traffic.

•
• The monitoring tool, gather vital information on system statistics,
analyse it and display it graphically.
Some popular system monitoring tools
• IBM Tivoli Monitoring:
• Tivoli monitoring is an enterprise system monitoring tool.
• It provides management of distributed and host systems through one
enterprise comfort.
• This tool allows a user or client to monitor and view the entire enterprise.
• It gathers data related to applications from agents and then passes the data
to the management server for collection and filtering.
• Its database runs on DB2 (DataBase2).
• It has connections with applications and databases, such as Oracle, enabling
support outside of standard server monitoring.
• Big Brother:
• Used in a production environment is Big Brother from Big Brother Software.
• Available in both shareware and for-fee versions, Big Brother is a web-based
system that allows monitoring virtually any kind of server;
• it supports more than 200 types of devices.
• System monitoring available in linux
• Top:
• This tool is used when a system user wants to overview all the processes or
threads running in the system.
• powertop:
• This helps detect problems that are related to power consumption and power
management.
• It can also help experiment with power management settings to achieve the
most efficient settings for the server.
• df:
• disk free(df) is a pre-installed program in all UNIX systems
• used to display the amount of available disk space for file systems which the
user has access to.
• Net-SNMP:
• The Net-SNMP is a tool used to gather accurate information about a server
using SNMP protocol.
• It supports IPv4, IPv6, IPX, Unix domain sockets and other transports.
• It contains a generic client library, a suite of command line applications, a
highly extensible SNMP agent