Session Settings¶
You can customize many aspects of how your users’ sessions will behave when running on Frame. The Session Settings console was created to give you fine granularity over these customizations.
To get started, navigate to the “Settings” page listed on the left side of your Dashboard. Click on the “Session” tab.
Default Session Settings¶
These settings let you configure how the session will behave when users launch any application from the Launchpad. For example, you can choose to show or hide the distance and latency measurements shown in the bottom of the session status bar. In this section, we will review each component of the Session Settings page.
Any changes you make on this page will apply to all production instances, Utility servers, and your Sandbox.
Note
You may specify a separate set of session settings for your Sandbox/Utility server by clicking on the ellipsis next to your Sandbox/Utility Server (Dashboard>Systems), clicking on “Session settings,” and disabling the “Use account settings” toggle. Edit this page as desired and click “Save” to apply your changes.
Storage¶
You can enable/disable cloud storage integration options for your users under the “Storage” section. You can use any combination of the options shown in the image below – Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Box, and/or Dropbox.
Features¶
In the “Features” section, you can configure the properties of the end users’ experience while in their Frame session. The functionality of each toggle is described below.
- Clipboard integration: Enables clipboard functionality. Users can cut and paste text between their local device and their Frame session.
- App switching: Enables end users to select a different application from the gear menu during a session. If this is disabled, the end user can only use the application they select from their Launchpad in the Frame session.
- Download: Enables downloading files from the remote session to the user’s local device.
- Upload: Enables uploading files from the user’s local device to their Frame session.
- Print: Enables printing files from the remote session to the Frame Virtual Printer.
- Microphone: Enables audio input when using applications within the session.
Time Limits¶
The “Time Limits” section displays parameters which control how long sessions can run. See the corresponding sections below to learn more about each parameter.
User Inactivity Timeout¶
This is the maximum amount of time (in minutes) that Frame will keep a session connected when there is no user activity (no mouse/keyboard events). Frame will display a warning at the “1 minute left” mark and then disconnect the session.
- Default value: 10 minutes
- Minimal value: 1 minute
Idle Timeout¶
For any sessions that are launched from the Launchpad (which is the most common use case for Frame for Business/Education accounts), authenticated users can disconnect from a session and reconnect later to the same running session. The “idle timeout” setting refers to the amount of time (in minutes) that a session will be kept active after an authenticated user disconnects from the session by closing the application within the session, disconnecting from the gear menu, closing their browser tab, or by getting disconnected due to a network issue.
- Default value: 10 minutes
- Minimal value: 0
Max Session Duration¶
This is the maximum length (in minutes) of time that a session can run. The duration is shown on the status bar countdown timer in the session itself.
- Default value: 1 hour
- Minimal value: 1 minute
Reservation Timeout¶
“Reservation timeout” refers to the amount of time (in seconds) that the client’s browser will wait for an available server before throwing a timeout error. This value would typically be adjusted to accommodate slow-starting instances. This timeout is less likely to be reached if a min or buffer is configured.
- Default value: 600 seconds
- Minimal value: 120 seconds
- Max value: 900 seconds
Network¶
The “Network” section of the Session Settings page is where you can set network and QoS settings for your users. Some organizations manage groups of users in remote areas which have limited bandwidth, high latency, and often encounter varying network conditions. The Frame Protocol is highly responsive to such circumstances by rapidly adjusting an app’s visual properties, frame rate, image quality, and other key aspects to maintain a consistent user experience. Each of the variables listed below applies to a different aspect of the session’s QoS settings:
Max bandwidth (kbps): Sets the maximum bandwidth allowance for a session in kbps.
Note
Frame recommends leaving default protocol settings in place for most scenarios, however, if you wish to have greater control as an administrator, you can limit the maximum bandwidth that a single session can consume. Although the lowest value that can be entered for bitrate is 64, Frame does not recommend using values lower than 256 kbps for graphically-intensive applications such as aerial imagery or street views, because bitrate may be more variable at such low values. However, you may experiment with such lower values at your discretion and based on the needs of your users. Note that since the Frame protocol is already built for high responsiveness on all types of network conditions, you may find the best performance by not using bandwidth limitations, even when users are on constrained networks.
Max frame rate (fps): Sets the maximum frame rate for a session. The frame rate is defined as the number of frames displayed per second.
Max video bit rate (Mbps): Adjusts the maximum bitrate allocated to imagery in the session.
Max audio bit rate (kbps): Adjusts the maximum bitrate allocated to audio in the session.
Note
The proportion of bandwidth consumed by audio is 1/16th, which is sufficient for most apps. The maximum amount of bandwidth that can be consumed by audio in the Frame Protocol is 160 kbps, regardless of the total bandwidth used or maximum bandwidth set.
Scale video: Reduces the quality of the session’s imagery for better performance.
Max video quantization: This parameter defines the coarseness of the session’s image characteristics. A higher value results in a coarser image. A lower value results in a finer image.
QoS rate change: This parameter defines how quickly the Frame Protocol adapts to changes in network conditions. Lower values will allow the protocol to respond faster to changes and a higher value will have the protocol adapt less quickly.
Is greyscale enabled: Renders the imagery in black and white to improve session performance.
Allow users to change these settings: Enabling this toggle allows your users to define their own QoS settings from within their session by accessing the gear menu.
Reference the Terminal Quality of Services (QoS) Settings article listed under the “Session Conduct” section of Xi Frame Documentation for more information.
Advanced Options¶
The Advanced options component is comprised of two fields, “Advanced Terminal Arguments” and “Advanced Server Arguments.”
Here, you can enter advanced configuration flags that will either communciate with server or the Frame terminal to control the behavior of a session. The vast majority of users will never need to interface with this as it is primarily used by Frame support for special configurations.
Click “Save” to apply your configurations.
Note
Please note that you may have to log out and log back into your account in order to see any newly applied session settings.
Advanced Protocol Optimizations¶
Advanced protocol optimizations override specific session settings when certain conditions are met. For example, an admin may add an optimization that sets the max audio bit rate (kbps) to 0 when a network latency exceeds 100 ms.
To configure advanced protocol optimizations, scroll to the bottom of the “Session” tab on the “Settings” page of your Dashboard. Click “Add an Optimization” under the “Advanced protocol optimizations” section.
A new window will appear:
First, specify whether you want to override session settings when any or all of the conditions are met. Click the first “Add” button listed to configure a condition. Once you have added your condition, you can set an override by clicking the next “Add” button. Set as many conditions and overrides as you desire. Click “Add” to apply your optimizations.
Note
Additional conditions and overrides will need to be set for any session settings to return to their original state if network conditions return to normal. For instance, if you would like the session to disable greyscale when the latency goes back below 100 ms, you will need to set an additional optimization specifying this.
Your new set of conditions will appear as a listed item once added. You can edit or delete conditions by clicking on the ellipsis menu button to the right of the condition set.
Note
You can also configure advanced protocol optimizations for individual Launchpads, your Sandbox, and your Utility Servers by clicking on the kebab menu next to each component in Dashboard and selecting “Session Settings.”