Is this setup possible?

[Battousai001]

Hi, I know this sounds quite ridiculous and impossible but I just want your opinions; Is this scenario possible, two users using only 1 cpu with two keyboards, two mouse (either one is plugged in usb or ps/2) and two monitors. Basically the users are sharing the power of the single cpu equally splitting resources for each user and each user is using the computer simultaneously? is this achievable? say two operating system running at the same time or a single operating system being used by two simultaneous users doing different things for example the other one is surfing the web, the other is on word processing?

 

[mpilchfamily]

I have heard of an old DOS based application that would enable that but don't think its possible with windows. A PC isn't desigend to run dual OSes at the same time to allow for such an idea. Maybe there is an application for Windows that allows 2 users at the same time but i've never seen it myself.

 

[corkyg]

Looks like it is possible:

KVM

Pay attention to the 4th sentence in the first para.

KVM is hardware, but there are also software alternatives mentioned.

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Looks like it is possible:

KVM

Pay attention to the 4th sentence in the first para.

KVM is hardware, but there are also software alternatives mentioned.

A KVM with support for multiple monitors/keyboards/mice just lets you switch back and forth. You still only have one operating environvment, and the switch takes a nontrivial amount of time. What the OP is describing is an environment where two users can simultaneously and transparently share a computer.

And yes, it's been done. Here is an example. Someone else (Iwill?) produced a somewhat better-known but similar system. They never took off; one would guess that the implementation was not perfectly reliable. Proprietary voodoo was required to make it work, and there is no general-purpose way to make any arbitrary PC behave the same way.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: Aluvus

Originally posted by: corkyg
Looks like it is possible:

KVM

Pay attention to the 4th sentence in the first para.

KVM is hardware, but there are also software alternatives mentioned.

A KVM with support for multiple monitors/keyboards/mice just lets you switch back and forth. You still only have one operating environvment, and the switch takes a nontrivial amount of time. What the OP is describing is an environment where two users can simultaneously and transparently share a computer.

And yes, it's been done. Here is an example. Someone else (Iwill?) produced a somewhat better-known but similar system. They never took off; one would guess that the implementation was not perfectly reliable. Proprietary voodoo was required to make it work, and there is no general-purpose way to make any arbitrary PC behave the same way.

Right, kvm is not at all what the OP is asking for. What the OP wants is possible. I've come across software + hardware addon (pci card for hooking up the additional monitors/mouse/keyboard) that looked pretty good, but I don't remember the name.

 

[Nothinman]

It's possible but it'll be a huge PITA with Windows.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Battousai001
Hi, I know this sounds quite ridiculous and impossible but I just want your opinions; Is this scenario possible, two users using only 1 cpu with two keyboards, two mouse (either one is plugged in usb or ps/2) and two monitors. Basically the users are sharing the power of the single cpu equally splitting resources for each user and each user is using the computer simultaneously? is this achievable? say two operating system running at the same time or a single operating system being used by two simultaneous users doing different things for example the other one is surfing the web, the other is on word processing?

A terminal server is the only option. An example would be using Windows 2003 Server, installing all needed applications and using RDP through a thin client to connect. You can get thin clients from HP and they are quite cheap.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc...1959-338927-89307.html

 

[Nothinman]

A terminal server is the only option.

Not at all. http://cs.senecac.on.ca/~ctyler/ruby/

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

A terminal server is the only option.

Not at all. http://cs.senecac.on.ca/~ctyler/ruby/

For Windows it is...

 

[Nothinman]

Funny, I don't see any mention of Windows in the OP at all...

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Originally posted by: Nothinman

A terminal server is the only option.

Not at all. http://cs.senecac.on.ca/~ctyler/ruby/

For Windows it is...

No it's not.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Nothinman
Funny, I don't see any mention of Windows in the OP at all...

I'm not going to waste my time on that comment.

 

[jonmcc33]

Originally posted by: Brazen

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Originally posted by: Nothinman

A terminal server is the only option.

Not at all. http://cs.senecac.on.ca/~ctyler/ruby/

For Windows it is...

No it's not.

Don't say something without anything to back it up. I'll take the Linux post as another alternative but you have given me nothing. I'll toss the infamous word "troll" in because everyone likes to use it.

 

[Nothinman]

I'm not going to waste my time on that comment.

Then why say anything at all about it?

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: jonmcc33

Don't say something without anything to back it up. I'll take the Linux post as another alternative but you have given me nothing. I'll toss the infamous word "troll" in because everyone likes to use it.

There's already a link further up to a Windows option. It's not like this thread is so long you couldn't have read the whole thing.

You're really on a roll for making yourself look like a dufus in multiple threads...

 

[Brazen]

OP, I just happened to stumble upon this: http://www.ncomputing.com