IPX/SPX Programming Manual

Glossary
HP NonStop IPX/SPX Programming Manual—528022-001
Glossary-9
Network Basic I/O System
Network Basic I/O System. (NetBIOS) An interface between programs executing in the
workstation and an attached LAN.
NFS. (Network File System). A protocol developed by SUN Microsystems that uses IP to
allow a set of cooperating computers to access each other’s file systems as if they
were local. The key advantage of NFS over conventional file transfer protocols is that
NFS hides the differences between local and remote files by placing them in the same
name space. NFS is used primarily on UNIX systems but has been implemented for
many systems, including personal computers such as the IBM PC and Apple
Macintosh.
NLM. See NetWare Loadable Module.
noncritical event. A DSM event not too crucial to system or network operations. Each
subsystem determines which of its events are noncritical by setting the value of the
emphasis token to FALSE. Compare critical event.
nonsensitive command. A DSM command that can be issued by any user or program
allowed access to the target subsystem—that is, a command on which the subsystem
imposes no further security restrictions. For HP data communications subsystems, the
nonsensitive commands are all those that cannot change the state or configuration of
objects (usually information commands). Compare sensitive command.
NonStop ODBC Server. HP software product that processes ODBC requests. Replaces
the HP SQL Server Gateway product.
nowait mode. In NonStop Kernel file-system operations and in some APS operations, the
mode in which the called procedure initiates an I/O operation but does not wait for it to
complete before returning control to the caller. In order to make the called procedure
wait for the completion of the operation, the application calls a separate procedure.
Compare wait mode.
physical interface (PIF). The hardware components that connect a system node to a
network.
PIF. See physical interface (PIF).
object. (1) In general HP use, one or more of the devices, lines, processes, and files in a
HP subsystem; any entity subject to independent reference or control by one or more
subsystems. (2) In DSM use, an entity subject to independent reference and control by
a subsystem: for example, the IPXMGR process $ZMGR or the IPXPROTO process
$ZN0. An object typically has a name and a type known to the controlling subsystem.
object type. In DSM, the category of objects to which a specific object belongs: for
example, the IPXMGR process has the object type SUBSYS, and the IPXPROTO
process has the object type PROCESS. A subsystem identifies a set of object types by
the objects it manages. The SCF interfaces to HP data communications subsystems
use standard keywords to identify the types.