Zweiterminal

Zweiterminal is a German term used to refer to a second terminal interface or session on a computer. The word combines Zweit- meaning "second" with Terminal, and in this usage it is descriptive rather than the name of a specific product or standard. In German-language IT documentation, zweiter Terminal may appear as a way to describe an additional access point to a system beyond the primary console.

In practical terms, a zweiter terminal can be a physical second terminal device or a software-based virtual terminal. On Unix-like systems, multiple virtual terminals such as /dev/tty1, /dev/tty2, and so on provide separate login sessions. The second terminal (/dev/tty2) is commonly used for administrative tasks or parallel user access. Users can switch to it on many systems with keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+Alt+F2, with additional consoles available on subsequent function keys.

Historically, multi-user time-sharing and mainframe environments often operated with several terminals connected to a single host, making the notion of a zweiter Terminal routine for describing secondary user interfaces. In modern contexts, the term remains a descriptive label in German for multiterminal setups, remote sessions, or within terminal multiplexers (such as tmux or screen) when referring to an additional terminal view or session.

Zweiterminal is not a standardized product name in English or a universal technical term; translations such as "secondary terminal" or "second console" are typically used in non-German contexts.