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NACS:
Stands for Netware Asynchronous Communication Services.
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Nanosecond:
A billionth of a second. Many computer operations, such as the speed of
memory chips, are measured in nanoseconds. Nanosecond is often abbreviated
as ns.
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Native:
The relationship between a transport user and a transport provider, both
being based on the same transport protocol. Also, a specific software could
be written to run on a specific processor, which would make that software
'native' to that processor.
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Netbeui:
Netbeui is short for NetBios Enhanced User Interface. It is an enhanced
version of the NetBIOS protocol used by network operating systems such as
LAN Manager, LAN Server, Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 and Windows NT.
Netbeui was originally designed by IBM for their Lan Manager server and
later extended by Microsoft and Novell.
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Network:
This a system that sends and receives data.
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Network
Adapter:
This is a hardware unit that connects a device to a communication line.
For wide area networks (WAN), these adapters connect routers to the specific
type of connection (T1, BRI) that is installed. For local area networks
(LAN), these adapters connect workstations to the LAN (Ethernet or TokenRing)
cabling.
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Network
Card:
Also, Network Interface Card or NIC. This is a component of a computer
that enables the computer to communicate with other computers via a direct
network connection.
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Newsgroup:
An online discussion community found on the USENET system. These groups
cover thousands of different topics of information and are offered free of
charge.
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NLX:
New Low-Profile eXtended (motherboard form factor). The NLX form factor
features a number of improvements over the previous design LPX form factor
and began heavy usage in late 1997. The popularity of the design was
confirmed by massive design use in 1998. The popularity has made it Intel's
flagship line and one of the profit leaders in chipsets. Its features
include:
1. Support for larger memory modules and DIMMs.
2. Support for the newest microprocessors, including the Pentium II using
SEC packaging.
3. Support for AGP video cards.
4. Better access to motherboard components.
5. Support for dockable designs in which the motherboard can be removed
without tools.
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Node:
In networks, a processing location. A node can be a computer or some
other device, such as a printer. Every node has a unique network address,
sometimes called a Data Link Control (DLC) address or Media Access Control
(MAC) address.
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Noise:
Interference (static) that destroys the integrity of signals on a line.
Noise can come from a variety of sources, including radio waves, nearby
electrical wires, lightning, and bad connections. One of the major
advantages of fiber optic cables over metal cables is that they are much
less susceptible to noise.
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NTFS:
Short for NT File System, one of the file system for the Windows NT
operating system (Windows NT also supports the FAT file system). NTFS has
features to improve reliability, such as transaction logs to help recover
from disk failures. To control access to files, you can set permissions for
directories and/or individual files. NTFS files are not accessible from
other operating such as DOS.
For large applications, NTFS supports spanning volumes, which means files
and directories can be spread out across several physical disks.
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NTLDR:
Short for NT Loader, a program loaded from the hard drive boot sector
that displays the Microsoft Windows NT startup menu and helps Windows NT
load.
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Null Value:
In computer programming, this represents something of no value. A null
value could also indicate that the value for a row is either missing or not
known. Placing a zero in a row would not be representative of a null value
because zero is a value.
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NUMA
(Non-Uniform Memory Access):
A method of configuring a cluster of microprocessor in a multiprocessing
system so that they can communicate with each other, this improves
performance and its expansion ability.
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NVRAM:
(Non-Volatile Random Access Memory) Any type of memory that is made
non-volatile by connecting it to a constant power source, such as a battery.
Therefore, non-volatile memory does not lose its contents when the main
power is turned off.