Nano Technology

Nano Technology refers to very small machines, so small that they are constructed by arranging individual atoms in carefully designed patterns. This is a rapidly developing technology which promises to be very valuable in the 21st century for such fields as medical surgury and construction of computers and robots.

NAP

Network Access Point, is a public network exchange facility where ISPs can connect with one another in peering arrangements.  It is a key component of the Internet backbone.

NAS

Network-Attached Storage, is a server that is dedicated to nothing more than file sharing. NAS does not provide any of the activities that a server in a server-centric system typically provides, such as e-mail, authentication or file management. NAS allows more hard disk storage space to be added to a network that already utilises servers without shutting them down for maintenance and upgrades. With a NAS device, storage is not an integral part of the server. Instead, in this storage-centric design, the server still handles all of the processing of data but a NAS device delivers the data to the user.

NAT

Network Address Translation, an Internet standard that enables a LAN to use one set of IP addresses for internal traffic and a second set of addresses for external traffic. A NAT box located where the LAN meets the Internet makes all necessary IP address translations.

NBP

(1) Name Binding Protocol.
(2) Network Boot Program.
(3) NetBIOS Protocol.
(4) Network Boundary Point.

NCSC

National Computing Security Center. A US government organisation within the NSA that developed the TCSEC and TNIEG.

NDIS

Network Driver Interface Specification. Specification that defines a standard interface for communicatiation between the media access control sublayer and protocol drivers.

NDS

Novell Directory Services.

NetBEUI

NetBIOS Extended User Interface. An improved version of the NetBIOS protocol used in a number of network operating systems.

NetBIOS

Network Basic Input/Output System. A session layer protocol used for application communication on LANs. It is an API that can be used by applications to request network services.

Netiquette

The code of conduct or etiquette governing behaviour on the Net. Examples of bad netiquette include supplying incorrect or out-of-date e-mail addresses, and posting a message to dozens of newsgroups (spamming), and writing emails in capitals.

Network

Name for any two or more computers are connected together by cables or other means and using software to enable them to share devices and information.

Network Meltdown

A state in which a network grinds to a halt due to excessive traffic. A network meltdown generally starts as a broadcast storm that gets out of control, but even legitimate network messages can cause a meltdown if the network hasn't been designed to accommodate that level of traffic.

Newbie

Someone who is new to the Internet.

Newsgroup

Groups of people getting together on the Internet to discuss a particular subject.

Newsreader

A program that allows users to read Usenet newsgroups. Some Web browsers have the ability to read and post articles in addition to browsing the Web.

NFC

Near Field Communication, is a short-range wireless connectivity standard (Ecma-340, ISO/IEC 18092) that uses magnetic field induction to enable communication between devices when they're touched together, or brought within a few centimeters of each other. Smartphones and contactless payments use it.

NFS

Network File System, an open operating system designed by Sun Microsystems that allows all network users to access shared files stored on computers of different types. NFS provides access to shared files through an interface called the Virtual File System (VFS) that runs on top of TCP/IP. Users can manipulate shared files as if they were stored locally on the user's own hard disk.

NFT

Non-Fungible Token is a special type of cryptographic token which represents something unique. NFTs are called non-fungible because they are not mutually interchangeable.

NGFF

Next Generation Form Factor, is a specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards and associated connectors. Now better known as M.2

NGSFF

Next Generation Small Form Factor.

NHRP

Next Hop Resolution Protocol, is a protocol or method that can be used so that a computer sending data to another computer can learn the most direct route to the receiving computer.

NHTCU

National Hi-Tech Crime Unit.

Nibble

4 bits.

NIC

Network Interface Card. An expansion board you insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network.

NIST

National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Nit

A unit of measurement of luminance, or the intensity of visible light, where one nit is equal to one candela per square meter. Nits are used to describe the brightness of computer displays, such as LCD and CRT monitor.

NLP

Natural Language Processing. A branch of artificial intelligence that deals with analysing, understanding and generating the languages that humans use naturally in order to interface with computers in both written and spoken contexts using natural human languages instead of computer languages. NLP is also referred to as computational linguistics.

NNTP

Network News Transfer Protocol. The protocol used to post, distribute, and retrieve USENET messages.

Node

(1) 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.
(2) In tree structures, a point where two or more lines meet.

Northbridge

Northbridge is an Intel chipset that communicates with the computer processor and controls interaction with memory, the PCI bus, Level 2 cache, and all AGP activities. Northbridge communicates with the processor using the FSB. Northbridge is one part of a two-part chipset called Northbridge/Southbridge.
See Southbridge.

NOW

Network of Workstations.

NSA

Nation Security Agency, is the official U.S. cryptologic organisation.

NSAPI

Netscape Server Application Program Interface, an API for Netscape's Web servers. NSAPI enables programmers to create Web-based applications that are more sophisticated and run much faster than applications based on CGI scripts.

NSFW

Not Safe For Work.

Nslookup

A program that allows a user to find out the internet address for an entered hostname, or vice versa.

NSP

Network Service Provider, is a business that provides access to the Internet backbone.

NTFS

NT File System. It is one of the file systems 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 systems such as DOS. For large applications, NTFS supports spanning volumes, which means files and directories can be spread out across several physical disks.

NTLDR

NT Loader, is a program loaded from the hard drive boot sector that displays the Microsoft Windows NT startup menu and helps Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP load.

NTP

Network Time Protocol, is a protocol used to synchronize computer clocks across multiple systems.

NUMA

Non-Uniform Memory Access, a type of parallel processing architecture in which each processor has its own local memory but can also access memory owned by other processors. It's called non-uniform because the memory access times are faster when a processor accesses its own memory than when it borrows memory from another processor. NUMA computers offer the scalability of MPP and the programming ease of SMP.

NVM

Non-Volatile Memory.

NVRAM

Non-Volatile Random Access Memory, a type of memory that retains its contents when power is turned off.

NYM

A shortened form of the word pseudonym, a nym is an anonymous invented name that a person can use in e-mail or in online discussions arenas, such as chat rooms or newsgroups. Some people create nyms because they want to protect their privacy on the Internet, while others create nyms to keep from being identified because they are involved in unethical practices, such as spam.

NYM Server

A computer that allows a subscribing user to send and receive e-mail messages using a nym, or assumed name, without revealing the user's true identity.