Infor SyteLine4 min readNetray Engineering TeamUpdated March 4, 2025

How to Configure Session Management in SyteLine

Session management in SyteLine controls how user connections are established, maintained, and terminated across the application server. Poorly configured session settings lead to license exhaustion from orphaned sessions, memory leaks from long-running idle connections, and security vulnerabilities from sessions that never expire. This guide covers configuring session timeouts, concurrent session limits, license optimization strategies, and real-time session monitoring to maximize both security and license utilization.

Configuring Session Timeout and Idle Policies

SyteLine session timeout settings are managed through the System Administration > Configuration > Session Settings form and the IIS application-level configuration. The session timeout defines how long an idle session persists before the server terminates it and returns the license to the available pool. Set the ApplicationSessionTimeout in the SystemParameters table to 30 minutes for standard users and 60 minutes for power users who frequently reference data while working offline. Configure the IIS session state timeout in web.config to match or slightly exceed the SyteLine application timeout.

Set ApplicationSessionTimeout to 30 minutes in the Session Settings form for standard users to balance usability and license recovery
Configure IIS session state timeout in web.config to 35 minutes—5 minutes longer than the application timeout—to prevent premature session drops
Enable the SessionWarning feature to display a 5-minute countdown warning before timeout giving users the option to extend their session
Set a maximum absolute session lifetime of 12 hours to force re-authentication and prevent indefinite sessions from consuming licenses

Managing Concurrent Session Limits and License Optimization

SyteLine concurrent user licensing counts each active session against your license allocation. When all licenses are consumed, new users receive a License Limit Reached error and cannot log in. Optimize license utilization by configuring session limits per user—preventing a single user from consuming multiple licenses with duplicate browser tabs—and implementing aggressive idle timeout policies for non-critical users. Monitor license consumption through the Active Sessions form to identify usage patterns and plan capacity.

Set MaxSessionsPerUser to 1 in the Session Settings form to prevent users from consuming multiple licenses with duplicate sessions
Configure license reservation pools allocating 10% of total licenses as a buffer for administrators and priority users
Enable the Session Preemption feature allowing administrators to terminate idle sessions manually from the Active Sessions form
Schedule a nightly cleanup job using the SessionCleanup utility to terminate orphaned sessions not properly closed by user logout

Monitoring Active Sessions and Usage Analytics

The Active Sessions form in System Administration provides real-time visibility into all connected users, their session duration, last activity timestamp, and the forms they are currently accessing. Use this data to identify license optimization opportunities—users with sessions idle for more than 15 minutes may not need concurrent access. Export session analytics from the SessionHistory table to track peak concurrent usage patterns across days, weeks, and months for license procurement planning and capacity forecasting.

Review the Active Sessions form daily to identify users with idle sessions exceeding 20 minutes for potential timeout policy adjustment
Export SessionHistory data monthly to analyze peak concurrent user counts and identify optimal license allocation by department
Configure real-time alerts when active session count reaches 85% of licensed capacity to provide early warning before license exhaustion
Generate weekly session utilization reports showing average, peak, and minimum concurrent users for license renewal negotiations

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I free up a stuck SyteLine session that is consuming a license?

Navigate to System Administration > Active Sessions, locate the stuck session by username, and click Terminate Session. This immediately releases the license and closes the server-side session object. If the form is not accessible, use the SessionCleanup utility from the command line with the /force flag to clear all orphaned sessions. As a last resort, restart the SyteLine application pool in IIS to terminate all sessions simultaneously.

Can I configure different timeout policies for different user groups?

SyteLine's default Session Settings form applies a single timeout policy globally. To implement group-specific timeouts, create a custom event handler on the SessionHeartbeat event that checks the user's security group and applies different timeout thresholds—for example, 20 minutes for data entry clerks and 60 minutes for engineers. This customization typically requires 12-16 hours of IDO development and testing.

What is the difference between session timeout and IIS timeout?

The SyteLine ApplicationSessionTimeout controls the application-level session lifecycle and license management. The IIS session state timeout controls the web server's in-memory session object. If IIS timeout is shorter than the SyteLine timeout, users may lose their session state while the license remains consumed. Always set IIS timeout 5-10 minutes longer than the SyteLine timeout to ensure the application cleanly releases the license before IIS destroys the session object.

Key Takeaways

1Configuring Session Timeout and Idle Policies: SyteLine session timeout settings are managed through the System Administration > Configuration > Session Settings form and the IIS application-level configuration. The session timeout defines how long an idle session persists before the server terminates it and returns the license to the available pool.
2Managing Concurrent Session Limits and License Optimization: SyteLine concurrent user licensing counts each active session against your license allocation. When all licenses are consumed, new users receive a License Limit Reached error and cannot log in.
3Monitoring Active Sessions and Usage Analytics: The Active Sessions form in System Administration provides real-time visibility into all connected users, their session duration, last activity timestamp, and the forms they are currently accessing. Use this data to identify license optimization opportunities—users with sessions idle for more than 15 minutes may not need concurrent access.

Want to optimize your SyteLine license utilization? Netray's agents can analyze your session patterns and recommend configurations that reduce license costs by 15-25%.

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