分布式操作系统（Distributed operating system），是分布式软件系统的重要组成部分，负责管理分布式处理系统资源、控制分布式进程运行等。

分布式软件系统是支持分布式处理的软件系统，包括分布式操作系统、分布式进程设计语言及其编译(解释)系统、分布式文档系统和分布式数据库系统等。

A distributed operating system is a software over a collection of independent, networked, communicating, and physically separate computational nodes. Each individual node holds a specific software subset of the global aggregate operating system. Each subset is a composite of two distinct service provisioners. The first is a ubiquitous minimal kernel, or microkernel, that directly controls that node’s hardware. Second is a higher-level collection of system management components that coordinate the node's individual and collaborative activities. These components abstract microkernel functions and support user applications.