10.9.1.5 Session Timeout Settings

EPC gauges whether to keep a session open through the heartbeats that sessions emit. EPC checks for these heartbeats every X minutes, where X=SESSION_REFRESH. An EPC session starts giving heartbeats as soon as it is started and stops giving one when the user:

• Closes the tab or the browser in which EPC is opened
• Signs out from EPC
• Puts their PC to Sleep, Shuts it Down, or sets it to Hibernate mode.
  

From that point, EPC will notice within X minutes that the session isn’t emitting a heartbeat anymore. As soon as it sees this, it will close the session after Y minutes, where Y=SESSION_TIMEOUT. Both of these variables can be modified by EPC System Administrators

1. Session Refresh time: how often EPC checks for a heartbeat. If EPC is still emitting one, it updates a table column named Last Active Time. If not still open, nothing happens. Upon opening of a new session, the Last Active Time column is populated with the login time. This is a routine program that runs on a predefined schedule independent of when a user logs in.
2. Session Timeout time: how long EPC must wait after the Last Active Time to close a session.

Warning: Do not set Session Refresh Time lower than 5, especially if your user base is large. While the refresh program is not heavy, it does add some extra load to the server, especially if it runs every few minutes.

*Note: Identity Providers (e.g. Azure) cannot dictate whether your EPC session can stay open or not. It only keeps the session that allows you to connect to EPC open. For more information, please contact support@interfacing.com.

Here are a few scenarios to help explain.

Scenarios:

• If Session Timeout Time < Session Refresh time: every session will always close (regardless of whether you are active in EPC or not) at the Session Timeout time.
  e.g.
  Session Timeout Time: 60
  Session Refresh Time: 65
  You log in at 12PM + The Session refresh runs at 1205PM = your session closes (and thereby kicks you out) at 1PM regardless if you are in EPC or not.
  

• If Session Timeout Time > Session Refresh Time: the session will only ever close a certain amount of time after you close your tab or browser
  e.g. Session Timeout time: 60 Session Timeout Time: 55
  You log in at 12PM +The Session Refresh timer passes at 12:30PM + You close your browser at 12:35PM = Your session closes at 1:30PM because your Last Active Time was recorded (when the Refresh timer ran) as 12:30PM. So exactly at 1:30PM your session is closed.