Interaction of TCP/IP and Other Protocols It is possible to
classify applications as being network-aware or network-unaware.
The distinction can be made because some applications, such as
Web browsers and client/server applications, need to make
explicit use of an underlying network protocol. Other
applications, such as standard Windows application suites,
simply function within the confines of a workstation's own
operating system. For these applications to make use of network
file and print services, it is necessary for the NOS to provide
extensions to the functions of the local operating system. The
next section examines how these different types of applications
can make use of the underlying network. Application Programming
Interface (API): Application developers can write network-aware
applications by accessing a set of standard procedures and
functions through an Application Programming Interface (API).
This interface specifies software-defined entry points that
developers can use to access the functiona