Computer Science

Nanosecond
One billionth of one second. Time increment used to measure access speed of the memory chip. Represented as ns.

Narrow-Band Radio
Single Frequency Radio. The transmitter and receiver are tuned to the same frequency. Much like your local radio station.

NBSTAT
NetBIOS Statistics

NDS
NetWare Directory Services

Net
Abbreviation for Internet

Netiquette
Term that describes Internet etiquette.

Netizen
Term that describes a citizen of the Internet, usually referring to an "upstanding" citizen of the Internet.

Netscape
A branded name of a popular browser. It was originally based on MOSAIC. Netscape is also the name of the company that developed it.

Network
A group of computers linked together for the purpose of sharing resources.

Network Adapter Card
Also known as a network interface card. Provides the physical connection to the network cable.

Network Administrator
The individual who has complete responsibility for maintaining a network.

Network Card
Same as a network adapter card and network interface card. - An expansion card that allows several computers to connect to each other and share information and programs.

Network Interface Card (NIC)
An adapter circuit board installed in a computer that provides a physical connection to a network.

Network Layer
The hardware that is used to construct the network plays an important role at this layer. The network layer handles all the routing information as packets travel from one network to another.

Newsgroups
Also called usenets, they are groups that often have nothing to do with news. Newsgroups are ongoing discussion groups among people on the Internet who share a mutual interest.

NIC
(Networked Information Center) -- Generally, any office that handles information for a network. The most famous of these on the Internet is the InterNIC, which is where new domain names are registered.

Another definition: NIC also refers to Network Interface Card which plugs into a computer and adapts the network interface to the appropriate standard. ISA, PCI, and PCMCIA cards are all examples of NICs.

NNTP
Network News Transport Protocol - Client and Server protocol used to carry Usenet postings.

Node
Any single computer connected to a network.

Non-Routable Protocol
A protocol that cannot be routed or passed through routers on a network.

NOS
Network Operating System

NTFS
NT File System

NTSTAT
A TCP/IP utility command that will return information regarding the status of a network.

NWLink
A Windows NT service that allows for interoperability with the NetWare NOS.