Jeff Carrell, Electronic Communications Chairman
Network Operating Systems (NOS) are basically defined as the core operating system (hardware and software) that run on the LAN. There are basically two types: Server NOS and Peer-to-Peer NOS.
The Server NOS runs on a central computer system called the file server, that provides storage all of the client data files, print queuing and printer sharing, data security, data backups, and shared network applications services for LAN connected clients. This can also afford the clients to be less powerful PCs, while still performing the jobs for which they are intended.
Network Operating Systems are analogous to operating systems like MSDOS or OS/2 or Windows 95, but they are designed to support multitasking, which allows the file server to perform multiple/independent tasks at the same time. One process may be retrieving a file, another request may be processing data movement between the local network and the wide area network, and yet another task may be printing files. The NOS is a very important part of a smooth operating LAN.
Some folks argue that they don't want all their "eggs in one basket," and prefer to distribute the data and services around the network. The Peer-to-Peer network design solves this particular concern. In this case, the network is simply the sum of all the parts. Each workstation has data, some workstations "share" or make their hard drives available to others on the LAN, and even some others share their locally attached printers on the LAN for others. Although this makes for an easier to assemble network, there is very little physical security or data security available, and if someone is using your shared resource, your PC's performance is impacted.
There are occasions where some networks start out as peer-to-peer, but evolve into a client/server model. The primary difference is that a server NOS is not used, the network still operates on the peer level.
Examples of some Network Operating Systems in table below.
LAN - Local Area Network
Multitasking - multiple jobs performed on a single processor
NOS - Network Operating System
| Server NOS | Peer-to-Peer NOS |
|---|---|
| Novell NetWare | Microsoft Windows for Workgroups |
| Microsoft Windows NT | Microsoft Windows 95 |
| Banyan Vines | LANtastic |
| AppleShare | Novell Personal NetWare |
| IBM LAN Server | |
| UNIX | |
| Microsoft Msnet | |
| 3Com 3+ Share / 3+ Open |
Copyright (c) 1997 Jeffrey L. Carrell All Rights Reserved
Every year, a new management fad seems to emerge that "guarantees" success. But, those looking to succeed in the upper levels of management may want to consider a more traditional approach that many of today's top executives have used - a degree in engineering. According to a recent ranking by Business Week of CEOs of the top 1,000 publicly held US companies, more chief executive officers majored in engineering - not marketing, not finance, not law - than any other discipline.
To determine why engineers are "suddenly" leading major corporations, perhaps one first needs to look back in time. In fact, at the height of the industrial revolution in the late 1800s and early 1900s, engineers were much more visible as business leaders. These entrepreneurs - such as Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and the Wright brothers, to name a few - not only invented new products, but developed the means to produce them. These organizations were usually led by the engineers who founded them.
Today, a second industrial revolution, this one in communications, is also being led by engineers. Like their predecessors, they are founding and leading corporations that are at the forefront of communications revolution.
Another reason that so many engineers are advancing from the drafting room to the boardroom is that there are so many of them. According to some estimates, there are nearly two million engineers in the United States - making it the second-largest profession in the country (behind only teaching).
In fact, some may even view an engineering degree much the way law and medical degrees are - as a "marketable skill" that could be applied in a variety of careers. Four members of the 104th United States Congress were registered professional engineers - Joe Barton (R-TX), John Hostettler (R-IN), Jay Kim (R-CA), and Lewis Payne (D-VA) - and five other Congressmen are engineers by education or experience. In addition, two governors are engineers: Jim Gerringer (Wyoming) and Kirk Fordice (Mississippi). Three of the country's Presidents have had engineering backgrounds. Jimmy Carter, Herbert Hoover, and George Washington.
Even in established multi-billion dollar corporations, engineers are at the forefront. One just needs to look at a roster of today's top corporations - General Electric (Jack Welch), Xerox (Paul Allaire), Lockheed-Martin (Norm Augustine), Eastman Chemical (Earnest Deavenport), Chevron (Ken Derr), Phillips Petroleum (Wayne Allen), and 3M (Desi DeSimone) are all led by CEOs with engineering degrees. In corporations that produce technical products and services, it's probably to be expected that engineers will lead them into the next millennium; after all, engineers are the ones most familiar with the technical attributes of their products.
But what about other companies? Ben & Jerry's CEO, Robert Holland, is a mechanical engineer and Coca-Cola's Roberto Goizueta was a chemical engineering graduate. The problem-solving skills mastered through an engineering education are often essential in balancing objectives and priorities and developing an action plan.
Regardless of specific area of study, engineering is concerned with a disciplined approach to analyzing data to permit conclusive and appropriate action. These same requirements are also essential in business management.
Earnest Deavenport, a chemical engineer and CEO of Eastman Chemical Company, the eleventh largest chemical producer in the United States, feels that the leap from engineer to manager is a subtle but direct one. "Supervisory jobs often involve significant technical contributions. One eventually evolves through these jobs, starting from a '100 percent technical' position to something like '80 percent technical and 20 percent supervisory.' As time goes on, one's role becomes less technical, with more significant supervisory opportunities," Deavenport said. "Even today as CEO of our company, I would consider that a segment of my job continues to be technical. Not that I would come up with the technical ideas, but I clearly see how my technical background enables me to understand the marriage between technology and business, an understanding that is vital for a company executive," he added.
"There was a time when we may have thought about our chemical scientists and engineers in terms of sheer technical knowledge. In a total quality environment, you expect more than that. Your employees work in a team environment and must be able to lead and to support effectively. A major shift is how technically trained employees have taken on more interpersonal responsibilities, including networking and collaboration. These people skills are important areas in the professional evolution of all our employees," Deavenport said.
No matter what the course of study, all engineering graduates are well schooled in the art of problem solving. Engineers are taught to identify a problem, consider all the variables, and develop the best solution based on the information available. This is, essentially the same process involved in managerial decision-making.
Another advantage engineers may have over other potential leaders is their ability to understand and manage risk. In "over-designing," engineers are essentially stating they have anticipated "worst-case scenarios." This foresight may also help prepare engineers for weighing risks and benefits in managerial decisions. Deavenport, for one, has described himself a calculated risk-taker, someone who carefully analyzes all the data before making a decision. However, he added: "Life would be very dull if you did not take any risks."
Despite the solid managerial training that an engineering background can provide, many experts also suggest additional education in specific areas of business management. (An MBA was the most popular postgraduate degree among the top 1,000 CEOs according to Business Week).
Of course, an engineering education doesn't guarantee a quick rise into upper management - or even success in the field. Other characteristics - such as perseverance, dedication, and teamwork - are vital to eventual success. But, great engineering is a combination of technical and analytical skills and the ability to sell them. And, the same skills are often required by leaders in the business community.
Fort Worth Section's annual student paper contest is designed to encourage students to hone the writing and presentation skills so necessary for success in the business world.
The contest is open to undergraduate and graduate students who belong to Student Branches of IEEE at UTA, UNT and TCU. Student Branch membership is required. Papers should be technical in content, but can relate to a hobby or interest. Under graduate entries will be judged on paper content including format (50%) and oral presentation (50%). The oral portion of the contest, limited to the top papers from the written portion of the competition, will be held as an evening Section meeting. Graduate papers will be judged on the written portion alone. Detail guidelines on format and presentation are available in the Student Branch Handbook on the IEEE Region 5 Home Page at www.ieee.org/regional/r5/. Students may also request copies of the guidelines directly (see below).
Winning entries will receive a cash prize and advance to the Area competition, then possibly on to the Region Contest. Awards will be $100 for First Place, $50 for Second, and $25 for Third.
Prospective authors should submit five copies of their completed paper by Friday, January 16, 1998 to Diane Bowen Collier, 4406 Oak Knoll Ct., Arlington, TX 76016-4512. If you have questions call Diane at 214-812-8471 or E-mail dcollie1@tuelectric.com.
Fort Worth Section members who would be interested in judging either the oral or written portions of the Undergraduate or Graduate divisions of the contest should contact Diane (see above). Your participation is greatly appreciated. Top
IT'S FREE! SIGN UP NOW - Extra! Extra! The first issue of Today's Engineer will soon be rolling off the press and you can get a free sample copy. In the spirit of 25 years of IEEE-USA, we invite you to preview Today's Engineer, the new professional career magazine for all engineering disciplines, debuting in January 1998. Call (toll-free) 888-624-2943 and leave your name, address, telephone, IEEE member number and company name. You can also send this information by fax at 202-785-0835. This offer expires on Dec. 15, 1997.
UTILITY RESTRUCTURING SYMPOSIUM REPORT AVAILABLE - IEEE-USA's 1997 Technology Policy Symposium addressed the role the Federal government in restructuring the electric power industry, with a specific focus on technical implications of the proposed restructuring. A summary report of the Symposium is now available on-line at www.ieee.org/usab/ FORUM/PAPERS/97tps.html.
GET WISE ABOUT TECH POLICY - The IEEE is looking for two outstanding student members (juniors) with strong leadership skills and a keen interest in public policy to participate in the 1998 Washington Internships for Students of Engineering (WISE), ranked by Princeton Review as one of America's Top 100 Internships. WISE selects up to 16 engineering or computer science students each year to spend the Summer in Washington, DC, learning first-hand how engineers can contribute to public policy decisions. Applications for 1998 Summer Internships are due 19 Dec. 1997. See www.ieee.org/wise or contact: Anne Hickox, 412-776-4841, anne@sae.org or Chris Brantley, 202-785-0017, c.brantley@ieee.org.
ENGINEERS SUPPORT DOUBLING FEDERAL FUNDING FOR R&D OVER NEXT DECADE - The IEEE joined more than 100 other societies at a news conference on Oct. 22 calling on the federal government to double its commitment to research and development over a 10-year period to secure the economic health and prosperity of the United States. According to IEEE-USA's Technology Policy Council, federal funding for science and engineering R&D has decreased from 5.7 percent of the budget in 1965 to 1.9 percent in 1997 - even as other nations, such as Japan, are increasing government support.
NEW COMPUTER EXPORT RESTRICTIONS - On Nov. 6,Congress forwarded the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 (H.R.1119) to the White House for the president to sign, despite an outcry of protest from high-tech industry concerning provisions that would further tighten export restrictions on US computers. The new restrictions were prompted by revelations that Silicon Graphics and IBM computers sold without government approval to Russia and China were allegedly being used in nuclear weapons facilities. President Clinton has threatened to veto the bill due in part due to objections to the export provisions, which limit the president's ability to adapt computer export controls to changing security needs and technology trends.
A survey recently released by the American Management Association found that American companies are laying off fewer workers and creating more jobs because of increased use of technology.
For the first time since the survey began in 1987, a greater share of companies reported that they hired new workers as a result of the use of automation and new technologies (10.7%) than laid off employees because of that use (6.7%). Greater demand for products and services was the reason most often cited for job creation.
The survey found that nearly three-quarters of the 1,168 companies surveyed, employing about a fourth of American workers, had created new jobs over the year ending in June 1997, up from 68% in the 12 months prior. Forty-one percent reported downsizing over that period, down from 49% the previous year. Of the companies that did experience downsizing, those that provided training to their retained workers were more than twice as likely to report quality improvements and more than 75% more likely to experience increased productivity than those that did not. The study can be found at www.amanet.org.
Kenneth R. Laker has been elected IEEE president-elect for 1998. Laker received 14,990 votes, followed by Joel Snyder (14,504) and Donald Bolle (14,145). The results of the IEEE-USA election were: President, John R. Reinert; President-Elect, Paul Kostek; 1998 Member-At-Large, Jerry C. Aukland; 1998-99 Member-At-Large, Frank E. Lord.
In other IEEE election results, the following candidates were selected as Division Delegates or Regional Directors:
(taking office 1 Jan 98)
(taking office 1 Jan 99)
(taking office 1 Jan 2000)
Three constitutional amendments on the ballot were automatically defeated as a result of the voter return being less than 20%.
In Assembly elections, the following members were selected to the IEEE Board:
Selected to the IEEE-USA Board:
TAKE NOTE: MODIFICATIONS TO MEDICAL INSURANCE PLAN - IEEE's Comprehensive HealthCare Plan will now offer two open enrollment periods per year when prospective participants may apply. The first open enrollment period will be 1 Dec. - 31 Jan. (A second enrollment period TBD.) There are significant changes to the plan, including a new policy that all coverage will be "guaranteed issue" with no requirements that an applicant be medically underwritten. Additional information is available in December's The Institute on page 13, by calling 800-493-IEEE, or visiting www.ieee.org/fap/index.html.
MAKING A STAR - The STAR (Student-Teacher and Research Engineer/Scientist) program was developed to address the growing concern that girls are discouraged from careers in mathematics, science, and engineering at a young age. This educational outreach program promotes involvement of IEEE members with local junior high and high schools to inspire a positive image of engineering careers. Contact Women In Engineering Committee at women-star@ieee.org by 1 Dec 1997.
FARADAY LECTURE - On Feb. 3, 1998, the IEEE will downlink a live broadcast of this year's Faraday lecture, "Bright Sparks of the Universe - An Electron's Eye View." The lecture will document the discovery of the electron and how it affected our views of the world. This engaging, PBS-quality program, targeted at students from middle and high schools, is one hour long and includes colorful background, demonstrations and experiments using audience participants. Schools and other organizations can register for the Faraday lecture at no cost. For more information, contact: 732-562-5595, t.garnys@ieee.org.
COMPUTER SOCIETY PREVIEWS DIGITAL LIBRARY - The IEEE Computer Society has set up a free preview of 17 of the Society's publications. Beginning in 1998, access to each periodical's digital archive will be available only by subscription to Society members. Access information and a list of the publications available in the Computer Society Digital Library can be found at www.computer.org.
Recognizing our Section members for their long-time commitment to the profession on the anniversary of their joining IEEE.
30 yrs
25 yrs
20 yrs
What is the missing number in the series below? (Hint: they are all the same number in different bases.)
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, __, 100, 121, 10000
Answer to last month's Brainbuster:
To tell which bar is a magnet, make a T with them. They stick together when the unmagnetized bar is the crossbar, but not when the magnet is the crossbar.
Jean Eason, Editor