Policy Server Guides › Policy Server Administration Guide › Configuring SiteMinder Agent to Policy Server Communication Using a Hardware Load Balancer › Configure CA SiteMinder® Agent to Policy Server Connection Lifetime

Configure CA SiteMinder® Agent to Policy Server Connection Lifetime

Once established, the connection between an Agent and a Policy Server is maintained for the duration of the session. Therefore, a hardware load balancer only handles the initial connection request. All further traffic on the same connection goes to the same Policy Server until that connection is terminated and new Agent connections established.

By default, the Policy Server connection lifetime is 360 minutes—typically too long to be effective using a hardware load balancer. To help ensure that all Agent connections are renewed frequently for effective load balancing, configure the maximum Agent connection lifetime on the Policy Server.

To configure the maximum connection lifetime for a Policy Server, set the following parameter:

AgentConnectionMaxLifetime

Specifies the maximum Agent connection lifetime in minutes.

Default: 0. Sets no specific value; only the SiteMinder default connection lifetime (360 minutes) limit is enforced.

Limits: 0 - 360

Example: 15

Note: If you do not have write access to the CA SiteMinder® binary files (XPS.dll, libXPS.so, libXPS.sl), an Administrator must grant you permission to use the related XPS command line tools using the Administrative UI or the XPSSecurity tool.

The AgentConnectionMaxLifetime parameter is dynamic; you can change its value without restarting the Policy Server

To configure the maximum Agent connection lifetime for hardware load balancers

1. Open a command line on the Policy Server, and enter the following command:

   xpsconfig
   

   The tool starts and displays the name of the log file for this session, and a menu of choices opens.

2. Enter the following:

   sm
   

   A list of options appears.

3. Enter the numeric value corresponding to the AgentConnectionMaxLifetime parameter: For example, 4.

   The AgentConnectionMaxLifetime parameter menu appears.

4. Type c to change the parameter value.

   The tool prompts you whether to apply the change locally or globally.

5. Enter one of the following:
   • l—The parameter value is changed for the local Policy Server only, overriding the global value.
   • g—The parameter value is changed globally for all Policy Servers (that do not have a local value override set) using the same policy store.
6. Enter the new maximum Agent connection lifetime, in minutes, for example:

   30
   

   The AgentConnectionMaxLifetime parameter menu reappears, showing the new value. If a local override value is set, both the global and local values are shown.

7. Enter Q three times.to end your XPSConfig session.

   Your changes are saved and the command prompt appears.

More information

XPSConfig