Concurrent user
Encyclopedia
In computer science
, the number of concurrent users for a resource in a location, with the location being a computing network
or a single computer, refers to the total number of people
using the resource within predefined period of time. The resource can, for example, be a computer program
, a file
, or the computer as a whole.
A computer operating system
that allows several users to access a resource on the computer at the same time is a multiuser multitasking
operating system, historically called a time-sharing
operating system. The capacity of a system can also be measured in terms of maximum concurrent users, at which point system performance begins to degrade noticeably.
Commercial vendors often license a software product
by means of a concurrent users restriction. This allows a fixed number of users access to the product at a given time, and is in contrast with an unlimited user license.
Concurrent user licensing allows firms to purchase computer systems and software at a lower cost because the maximum number of concurrent users expected to use the system or software at any given time (those users all logged in together) is only a portion of the total system users employed at a company. The concurrent licenses are global and shared by anyone who needs to use the system. This contrasts with "named-seats" licensing in which one license must be purchased for each and every individual user whether they are using the system or not.
If a company employs 400 system users in which 275 work during the day and 125 work at night, then they can opt to purchase only 275 concurrent user licenses since there will never be more than 275 users on the system during a normal work day. The day workers and the night workers share the available licenses to use the system. For named-seat licenses, this same company would have to purchase 400 individual licenses, one for each user, that are not globally shared. The available options for licensing are entirely at the discretion of the vendor selling the product.
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, the number of concurrent users for a resource in a location, with the location being a computing network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
or a single computer, refers to the total number of people
Person
A person is a human being, or an entity that has certain capacities or attributes strongly associated with being human , for example in a particular moral or legal context...
using the resource within predefined period of time. The resource can, for example, be a computer program
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
, a file
Computer file
A computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
, or the computer as a whole.
A computer operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
that allows several users to access a resource on the computer at the same time is a multiuser multitasking
Computer multitasking
In computing, multitasking is a method where multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. In the case of a computer with a single CPU, only one task is said to be running at any point in time, meaning that the CPU is actively executing instructions for...
operating system, historically called a time-sharing
Time-sharing
Time-sharing is the sharing of a computing resource among many users by means of multiprogramming and multi-tasking. Its introduction in the 1960s, and emergence as the prominent model of computing in the 1970s, represents a major technological shift in the history of computing.By allowing a large...
operating system. The capacity of a system can also be measured in terms of maximum concurrent users, at which point system performance begins to degrade noticeably.
Commercial vendors often license a software product
Software licensing
A software license is a legal instrument governing the usage or redistribution of software. All software is copyright protected, except material in the public domain. Contractual confidentiality is another way of protecting software...
by means of a concurrent users restriction. This allows a fixed number of users access to the product at a given time, and is in contrast with an unlimited user license.
Concurrent user licensing allows firms to purchase computer systems and software at a lower cost because the maximum number of concurrent users expected to use the system or software at any given time (those users all logged in together) is only a portion of the total system users employed at a company. The concurrent licenses are global and shared by anyone who needs to use the system. This contrasts with "named-seats" licensing in which one license must be purchased for each and every individual user whether they are using the system or not.
If a company employs 400 system users in which 275 work during the day and 125 work at night, then they can opt to purchase only 275 concurrent user licenses since there will never be more than 275 users on the system during a normal work day. The day workers and the night workers share the available licenses to use the system. For named-seat licenses, this same company would have to purchase 400 individual licenses, one for each user, that are not globally shared. The available options for licensing are entirely at the discretion of the vendor selling the product.