Can many domain clients use same username?

I am looking into setting up an internet cafe with a total of about Win XP
Pro boxes. I expect to set up a domain controller simply because of the size
of the network (>10 machine workgroup limit). I'll be using software call
Smartlaunch which likes run like a shell but wants to be logged in as
administrator.

Can 20 machines be logged into a domain using the same user account? Do I
have to create 20 different admin group user accounts?

Also, I already own Win2000 Server, will this suffice?

Thanks.
Eno

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3Rdqc.4714046$(E-Mail Removed)...
: I am looking into setting up an internet cafe with a total of about Win XP
: Pro boxes. I expect to set up a domain controller simply because of the
size
: of the network (>10 machine workgroup limit). I'll be using software call
: Smartlaunch which likes run like a shell but wants to be logged in as
: administrator.
:
: Can 20 machines be logged into a domain using the same user account? Do I
: have to create 20 different admin group user accounts?
:
: Also, I already own Win2000 Server, will this suffice?

You're going to give admin rights to everyone who logs onto your LAN in an
Internet Cafe environment?
There are no group user accounts. There are groups and there are users.
Please clarify.

You will also need licenses for each workstation along with CAL to the
server if they're going to logon.

First, why would you put anyone in the same workgroup or domain? What is
the reason you feel that is a requirement?

--
Roland Hall
/* This information is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability
or fitness for a particular purpose. */
Online Support for IT Professionals -
http://support.microsoft.com/service...p?fr=0&sd=tech
How-to: Windows 2000 DNS:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308201

"Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> You're going to give admin rights to everyone who logs onto your LAN in an
> Internet Cafe environment?
> There are no group user accounts. There are groups and there are users.
> Please clarify.
>
> You will also need licenses for each workstation along with CAL to the
> server if they're going to logon.
>
> First, why would you put anyone in the same workgroup or domain? What is
> the reason you feel that is a requirement?

The Cafe software we will be using is called Smartlaunch. it runs as admin
and creates a shell for users to login to using an account stored in the
smartlaunch accounting database. I'm just trying to do a little homework to
better plan my shopping list as I jump into this.

So can i have a single user, say ADMIN, log into a winodws domain
simultaneously from 20 different machines?

Thanks.

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:dcwqc.15732617$(E-Mail Removed).. .
: "Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere> wrote in message
: news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
: > You're going to give admin rights to everyone who logs onto your LAN in
an
: > Internet Cafe environment?
: > There are no group user accounts. There are groups and there are users.
: > Please clarify.
: >
: > You will also need licenses for each workstation along with CAL to the
: > server if they're going to logon.
: >
: > First, why would you put anyone in the same workgroup or domain? What
is
: > the reason you feel that is a requirement?
:
: The Cafe software we will be using is called Smartlaunch. it runs as admin
: and creates a shell for users to login to using an account stored in the
: smartlaunch accounting database. I'm just trying to do a little homework
to
: better plan my shopping list as I jump into this.
:
: So can i have a single user, say ADMIN, log into a winodws domain
: simultaneously from 20 different machines?

You can set a restriction of how many or where a particular user can logon
but I don't think these are set by default.

The software runs as the name 'admin' or an account with administrative
privileges?

--
Roland Hall
/* This information is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability
or fitness for a particular purpose. */
Online Support for IT Professionals -
http://support.microsoft.com/service...p?fr=0&sd=tech
How-to: Windows 2000 DNS:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308201
FAQ W2K/2K3 DNS:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;291382

"Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> : So can i have a single user, say ADMIN, log into a winodws domain
> : simultaneously from 20 different machines?
>
> You can set a restriction of how many or where a particular user can logon
> but I don't think these are set by default.
>
> The software runs as the name 'admin' or an account with administrative
> privileges?

Yep, thats right. It doesn't necessarily have to be called 'admin'. Right
now the place is running with a bunch of XP Pro boxes in a workgroup. the
only user account is the one that was created during installation. from
there we installed whatever cafe friendly apps were appropriate (the
different "messengers" and flash and quicktime etc). Once the Smartlaunch
client is installed it becomes the only environment the users know. The SL
server offers admin, accounting, and monitoring tools.

i experienced strange network happenings when all the machines were fired
up, like large filecopies would consistently fail until I'd turn off a bunch
of boxes.This is why I'm thinking about setting up a domain as more machines
are expected to be added. i also would like to use the network for
after-hours network rendering (ie After Effects) and so i need to be moving
large files (uncompressed graphics) across it.

thanks for your input

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:G95rc.15860894$(E-Mail Removed).. .
: "Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere> wrote in message
: news:(E-Mail Removed)...
: > : So can i have a single user, say ADMIN, log into a winodws domain
: > : simultaneously from 20 different machines?
: >
: > You can set a restriction of how many or where a particular user can
logon
: > but I don't think these are set by default.
: >
: > The software runs as the name 'admin' or an account with administrative
: > privileges?
:
: Yep, thats right. It doesn't necessarily have to be called 'admin'.

Does that imply it needs administrative rights or are you just using admin
as an example and it could be called Barney?

: i experienced strange network happenings when all the machines were fired
: up, like large filecopies would consistently fail until I'd turn off a
bunch
: of boxes.

This could be any number of things but hard to say since most about your
network is unknown to me.

: This is why I'm thinking about setting up a domain as more machines
: are expected to be added. i also would like to use the network for
: after-hours network rendering (ie After Effects)

I'm not sure what 'network rendering' is unless you're referring to
graphics.

: and so i need to be moving
: large files (uncompressed graphics) across it.

Why would you do that and are there other scenarios you can use? How large
is large?

--
Roland Hall
/* This information is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability
or fitness for a particular purpose. */
Online Support for IT Professionals -
http://support.microsoft.com/service...p?fr=0&sd=tech
How-to: Windows 2000 DNS:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;308201
FAQ W2K/2K3 DNS:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;EN-US;291382

"Roland Hall" <nobody@nowhere> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> : and so i need to be moving
> : large files (uncompressed graphics) across it.
>
> Why would you do that and are there other scenarios you can use? How
large
> is large?

Being a TV station we have some of that in video form, although it never has
to go over the main network. It stays within the editing system and only
moves between the two or three machines involved in that. All still images
are not tightly compressed like JPG or GIF but they still do have a certain
amount of compression, at least whatever is provided by TIF or PSD formats
anyway.

But yes, if that stuff had to move around a lot, some serious segmentation
of those parts of the network would have to be looked at.
--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com