Implementation Guide › Performance Tuning › Web Tier Performance › Reduce Traffic between Your Web Agents and the Policy Server › Authorization Cache › Session and Authorization Cache Settings

Session and Authorization Cache Settings

A combination of Policy Server settings and Web Agent configuration parameters control the session cache and authorization cache. Use the results of your capacity planning as a guide to determine the best values for the following settings in your SiteMinder deployment:

• Session Timeouts

  We recommend setting the session timeouts as follows:

  • Set the maximum session timeout to match the sustained amount of time that the largest number of users are accessing the protected applications.
  • Set the idle session timeout to an interval that meets all the following criteria:
    • Long enough to prevent the user from being logged out while working.
    • Short enough to log the user out automatically when the application is not being used (such as when a user leaves the computer without logging out).

  Policy Server settings determine the timeout intervals.

  Note: For more information, see the SiteMinder Policy Server Configuration Guide.

• Session Cache Size

  Base the size of this cache on the number of users that you expect to access a resource for a sustained period during the session timeout interval. Include users who logout and log back in during the session timeout period in your sizing estimate. Do not include users whom you expect to make relatively few requests in your sizing estimate (because these users have a small effect on the session cache and authorization cache). A Web Agent configuration parameter named MaxSessionCacheSize determines the size of both the session cache and the authorization cache.

  Note: For more information, see the Web Agent Configuration Guide.