Mehrnutzer

Mehrnutzer is a German term that describes software, systems, or environments that support multiple users who can log in and use resources concurrently. In contrast to single-user systems, Mehrnutzer-Umgebungen provide separate accounts, permissions, and data isolation for each user.

Historically, Mehrnutzerfähigkeiten emerged with time-sharing systems in the 1960s and 1970s, which enabled several users to interact with a central computer. UNIX, Linux and other operating systems are designed as Mehrnutzer-Systeme, with user accounts identified by user IDs and group IDs, and with mechanisms for authentication, authorization, and auditing.

Key features include user authentication (passwords, SSH keys, tokens), authorization and access control (permissions, access control lists, roles), process and resource isolation, quotas for storage and compute resources, and activity auditing. Licensing models commonly associated with Mehrnutzer setups include per-user or concurrent-user licenses, where the number of active users or named users is restricted.

Applications span operating systems, database servers, web servers, enterprise collaboration platforms, and content management systems, where multiple employees, customers, or partners access the service through individual accounts. In cloud and enterprise environments, Mehrnutzer concepts intersect with multi-user and multi-tenant considerations: multi-tenancy focuses on isolating separate customers' data within shared infrastructure, while Mehrnutzer emphasizes concurrent access by distinct users within the same instance.