Editing Network operating system (section)

{{Short description|Computer software for running local area networks}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}

A '''network operating system''' ('''NOS''') is a specialized [[operating system]] for a network device such as a [[Router (computing)|router]], [[Network switch|switch]] or firewall.

Historically operating systems with networking capabilities were described as network operating systems, because they allowed personal computers (PCs) to participate in [[computer network]]s and [[Shared resource|shared file and printer access]] within a local area network (LAN). This description of operating systems is now largely historical, as common operating systems include a [[network stack]] to support a client–server model.