<s>
A	O
multiseat	O
,	O
multi-station	B-Operating_System
or	O
multiterminal	B-Operating_System
system	O
is	O
a	O
single	O
computer	O
which	O
supports	O
multiple	O
independent	O
local	O
users	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
"	O
seat	O
"	O
consists	O
of	O
all	O
hardware	B-Architecture
devices	O
assigned	O
to	O
a	O
specific	O
workplace	O
at	O
which	O
one	O
user	O
sits	O
at	O
and	O
interacts	O
with	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
HDMI/VGA/DisplayPort	O
port	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
attached	O
monitor/video	O
projector	O
)	O
for	O
the	O
output	O
and	O
a	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
for	O
the	O
input	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Especially	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
days	O
of	O
computing	O
when	O
computers	O
were	O
extremely	O
expensive	O
the	O
usual	O
paradigm	O
was	O
a	O
central	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
connected	O
to	O
numerous	O
terminals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiseat	O
setups	O
are	O
a	O
return	O
to	O
this	O
multiuser	B-Operating_System
paradigm	O
but	O
based	O
around	O
a	O
PC	O
which	O
supports	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
zero-clients	B-Device
usually	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
terminal	O
per	O
user	O
(	O
screen	O
,	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
mouse	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
some	O
situations	O
such	O
multiseat	O
are	O
cost-effective	O
because	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
necessary	O
to	O
buy	O
separate	O
motherboards	B-Device
,	O
microprocessors	O
,	O
RAM	O
,	O
hard	B-Device
disks	I-Device
and	O
other	O
components	O
for	O
each	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
buying	O
one	O
high	O
speed	O
CPU	B-Device
,	O
usually	O
costs	O
less	O
than	O
buying	O
several	O
slower	O
CPUs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
1970s	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
very	O
commonplace	O
to	O
connect	O
multiple	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminals	I-General_Concept
to	O
a	O
single	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
,	O
even	O
graphical	O
terminals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
terminals	O
were	O
connected	O
with	O
RS-232	O
type	O
serial	B-Protocol
connections	I-Protocol
,	O
either	O
directly	O
,	O
or	O
through	O
modems	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
advent	O
of	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
based	O
networking	B-Architecture
,	O
it	O
became	O
possible	O
for	O
multiple	B-Operating_System
users	I-Operating_System
to	O
log	O
into	O
a	O
host	O
using	O
telnet	B-Protocol
or	O
–	O
for	O
a	O
graphic	O
environment	O
–	O
an	O
X	B-Operating_System
Window	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
"	O
server	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
systems	O
would	O
retain	O
a	O
physically	O
secure	O
"	O
root	B-Device
console	I-Device
"	O
for	O
system	O
administration	O
and	O
direct	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
host	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
multiple	O
consoles	B-Application
in	O
a	O
PC	O
running	O
the	O
X	B-Operating_System
interface	O
was	O
implemented	O
in	O
2001	O
by	O
Miguel	O
Freitas	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
and	O
the	O
X11	B-Operating_System
graphical	O
system	O
(	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
maintained	O
by	O
XFree86	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
done	O
using	O
a	O
patch	O
in	O
the	O
display	O
server	O
to	O
execute	O
several	O
instances	O
of	O
X	B-Operating_System
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
such	O
that	O
each	O
one	O
captures	O
specific	O
mouse	B-Device
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
events	O
and	O
the	O
graphical	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
method	O
received	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
multiseat	O
or	O
multiterminal	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2002	O
a	O
Canadian	O
company	O
,	O
Userful	O
Corporation	O
,	O
released	O
Userful	O
Multiplier	O
,	O
a	O
multiseat	O
Linux	B-Application
software	B-Application
solution	O
that	O
enables	O
up	O
to	O
10	O
users	O
to	O
simultaneously	O
share	O
one	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Earlier	O
they	O
worked	O
on	O
a	O
kernel-based	O
approach	O
to	O
a	O
multi-station	B-Operating_System
platform	O
computer	O
,	O
but	O
abandoned	O
the	O
idea	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
problem	O
with	O
multiple	O
video	O
card	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
solutions	O
appeared	O
in	O
2003	O
,	O
such	O
Svetoslav	O
Slavtchev	O
,	O
Aivils	O
Stoss	O
and	O
James	O
Simmons	O
worked	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
evdev	B-Application
and	O
Faketty	O
approach	O
modifying	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
and	O
letting	O
more	O
than	O
one	O
user	O
independently	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
Console	O
Project	O
also	O
proposed	O
an	O
idea	O
to	O
use	O
multiple	O
independent	O
consoles	B-Application
and	O
then	O
multiple	O
independent	O
keyboards	B-Device
and	O
mice	B-Device
in	O
a	O
project	O
called	O
"	O
Backstreet	O
Ruby	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Backstreet	O
Ruby	O
is	O
a	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
patch	O
for	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
a	O
back	O
port	O
to	O
Linux-2.4	O
of	O
the	O
Ruby	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
tree	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
aim	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
Console	O
developers	O
is	O
to	O
enhance	O
and	O
reorganize	O
the	O
input	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
the	O
framebuffer	O
subsystems	O
in	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
so	O
they	O
can	O
work	O
independent	O
from	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
to	O
allow	O
multi-desktop	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2005	O
,	O
the	O
C3SL	O
team	O
(	O
Center	O
for	O
Scientific	O
Computing	O
and	O
Free	O
Software	B-Application
)	O
,	O
from	O
the	O
Federal	O
University	O
of	O
Parana	O
in	O
Brazil	O
,	O
created	O
a	O
solution	O
based	O
on	O
nested	O
display	O
servers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Xnest	O
and	O
Xephyr	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xorg	B-Operating_System
)	O
and	O
a	O
modification	O
to	O
the	O
nested	O
servers	O
let	O
each	O
one	O
exclusively	O
acquire	O
its	O
mouse	B-Device
and	O
keyboard	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
NComputing	B-Protocol
entered	O
the	O
market	O
with	O
a	O
Windows-based	O
multiseat	O
product	O
,	O
the	O
X-series	O
or	O
Xtenda	O
system	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
a	O
PCI	O
add-in	O
card	O
to	O
connect	O
terminal	O
units	O
containing	O
video	O
,	O
keyboard	B-Device
,	O
mouse	B-Device
,	O
and	O
audio	O
jacks	O
,	O
allowing	O
3	O
to	O
6	O
additional	O
user	O
seats	O
to	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
a	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
X-series	O
also	O
offered	O
Linux	B-Application
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
began	O
offering	O
Windows	B-Application
MultiPoint	I-Application
Server	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
one	O
machine	O
to	O
host	O
multiple	B-Operating_System
users	I-Operating_System
utilizing	O
separate	O
graphics	O
cards	O
and	O
peripherals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Automatic	O
multiseat	O
with	O
USB	B-Protocol
docking	O
stations	O
is	O
a	O
feature	O
of	O
Fedora	O
17	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
user	O
will	O
require	O
a	O
monitor	B-Device
,	O
keyboard	B-Device
and	O
mouse	B-Device
connected	O
to	O
the	O
host	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
four-head	O
(	O
four	O
users	O
)	O
system	O
would	O
require	O
four	O
monitors	O
,	O
four	O
keyboards	B-Device
,	O
four	O
mice	B-Device
and	O
two	O
dual-output	O
,	O
or	O
one	O
quad-output	O
video	O
card	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
USB	B-Protocol
keyboards	B-Device
and	O
mice	B-Device
are	O
typically	O
recommended	O
instead	O
of	O
PS/2	B-Device
connections	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
connected	O
to	O
a	O
USB	B-Protocol
hub	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
alternative	O
to	O
multiple	O
physical	O
video	O
cards	O
and	O
connections	O
is	O
DisplayLink	O
over	O
USB	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Multiseat	O
on	O
modern	O
Linux	B-Application
systems	O
is	O
provided	O
by	O
systemd-logind	B-Application
and	O
configured	O
through	O
the	O
loginctl	O
command	O
or	O
through	O
ID_SEAT	O
or	O
ID_AUTOSEAT	O
udev	B-Application
variables	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
specialized	O
USB	B-Protocol
hubs	O
,	O
when	O
connected	O
,	O
automatically	O
results	O
in	O
a	O
seat	O
without	O
any	O
configuration	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
XP	B-Application
and	O
Vista	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
,	O
there	O
are	O
several	O
commercial	O
products	O
to	O
implement	O
multiseat	B-Operating_System
configurations	I-Operating_System
for	O
two	O
or	O
more	O
seats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
operating	O
system	O
designed	O
specifically	O
for	O
multiseat	O
setups	O
entitled	O
Windows	B-Application
MultiPoint	I-Application
Server	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
on	O
February	O
24	O
,	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
uses	O
Remote	O
Desktop	O
(	O
Terminal	O
Services	O
)	O
technologies	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	O
R2	O
to	O
provide	O
multiseat	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
functionality	O
was	O
incorporated	O
into	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
proper	O
as	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2016	I-Device
in	O
a	O
new	O
server	O
role	O
entitled	O
MultiPoint	O
Services	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
server	O
role	O
was	O
removed	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2019	I-Device
owing	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
ceasing	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
service	O
in	O
2018	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
of	O
relying	O
on	O
operating	O
system	O
support	O
for	O
multiseat	B-Operating_System
configuration	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
hypervisor	O
can	O
be	O
configured	O
to	O
run	O
multiple	O
virtual	O
machines	O
,	O
each	O
configured	O
to	O
interface	O
one	O
connected	O
seat	O
by	O
I/O	O
virtualization	O
methods	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Input	O
devices	O
can	O
be	O
attached	O
to	O
the	O
virtual	O
machines	O
through	O
USB	B-Protocol
Redirection	O
,	O
and	O
entire	O
GPUs	O
can	O
be	O
attached	O
through	O
Intel	O
VT-d	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
virtualization-based	O
2-seat	O
and	O
7-seat	O
systems	O
with	O
Unraid	B-Application
as	O
the	O
host	O
operating	O
system	O
has	O
been	O
demonstrated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
The	O
Brazil	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Education	O
committed	O
to	O
deploy	O
350,000	O
Linux-based	O
multiseat	O
computing	O
stations	O
in	O
more	O
than	O
45,000	O
rural	O
and	O
urban	O
schools	O
across	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chosen	O
companies	O
to	O
implement	O
this	O
project	O
were	O
the	O
Canadian	O
multiseat	O
Linux	B-Application
software	B-Application
company	O
Userful	O
Corporation	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
Brazilian	O
IT	O
partner	O
ThinNetworks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
multiterminal	B-Operating_System
's	O
successful	O
cases	O
is	O
happening	O
at	O
Paraná	O
Digital	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
creating	O
multiterminal	B-Operating_System
laboratories	O
on	O
2000	O
public	O
schools	O
of	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
Paraná	O
(	O
Brazil	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
laboratories	O
have	O
four-head	O
multiterminals	B-Operating_System
running	O
Debian	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cost	O
of	O
all	O
the	O
hardware	B-Architecture
is	O
50%	O
less	O
than	O
the	O
normal	O
price	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
is	O
absolutely	O
no	O
cost	O
with	O
software	B-Application
.	I-Application
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2008	O
,	O
electrical	O
and	O
computer	O
engineering	O
students	O
from	O
Michigan	O
State	O
University	O
have	O
installed	O
multiterminal	B-Operating_System
systems	O
with	O
internet	O
access	O
in	O
three	O
schools	O
in	O
Mto	O
wa	O
Mbu	O
,	O
Tanzania	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
computer	O
systems	O
run	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
8.04	O
32-bit	O
and	O
utilize	O
the	O
open	O
source	O
Multiseat	O
Display	O
Manager	O
created	O
by	O
.	O
</s>
