Administer > System Security > Inactivity timer

Inactivity timer

The inactivity timer functionality closes user sessions that have been idle for a specified period of time. This feature is enabled by default and the time-out value is 30 minutes. System administrators can configure required settings and start or stop the inactivity timer.

Note You need the SysAdmin capability word to configure and start/stop the inactivity timer.

Configure inactivity timer settings

Administrators can configure required settings at a system level and if needed, also an operator level, as described in the following table.

Note In a horizontal/vertical scaling environment, you need to configure the inactivity timer settings only once (that is, only on any one of your server nodes).

Configuration Level Settings Notes
Operator Level
  • Warning Time
  • Allowed Inactive Time

  • To configure the settings, click the Security tab in an operator record.
  • Operator level settings take precedence over system level settings; if an operator record has empty inactivity timer settings, the system level settings are used for the operator.
  • An allowed inactive time of zero (0) means inactivity session timeout will never happen to the operator.
  • A zero or empty warning time means no warning message will display to the operator.
System Level
  • Number of minutes to allow idle user ("allowed inactive time" )

  • Warn user within <x> minutes of termination ("warning time" )

  • DO NOT terminate these users ("exception list")

Click System Administration > Ongoing Maintenance > System > Start Inactive Timer > Start Inact.

The following table is an explanation of the settings described above.

Setting Description
Allowed inactive time This is a time limit that users can remain inactive until the inactivity timer closes their user session.
Warning time

This is an amount of time between the appearance of a warning message and the termination of the session.

Caution The warning time should be no greater than the allowed inactive time.

Exception list This is a list of operators that the inactivity timer ignores. This list should include all operators that should not be logged out regardless of the type of license (Named or Floating license).

When the inactivity timer settings take effect

Operator level settings take effect the next time the user logs in, while system level settings take effect for all new user sessions.

Note Internet Explorer on a Windows Server operating system that does not support audio cannot display the warning messages. The messages are blocked together with the notification sound.

Start the inactivity timer

Note Starting with SM9.32, the inactive.startup background process has been obsoleted. You no longer need to start this process in order for the inactivity timer functionality to work.

To enable the inactivity timer functionality for users, start the inactivity timer as follows:

  1. Click System Administration > Ongoing Maintenance > System > Start Inactivity Timer.
    The inactive.setup.g form opens.
  2. Type or select the inactivity timer record information. See Configure inactivity timer settings.
  3. Click Start Inact.

If you want to disable the inactivity timer functionality for all users, you can stop it as follows.

  1. Click System Administration > Ongoing Maintenance > System > Start Inactivity Timer.

    The inactive.setup.g form opens.

  2. Click Stop Inact

    The Start Inact button is displayed.

After modifying your system level inactivity timer settings, you need to restart the inactivity timer as follows.

  1. Click System Administration > Ongoing Maintenance > System > Start Inactivity Timer.

    The inactive.setup.g form opens.

  2. Modify the settings as needed.
  3. Click Save. Service Manager displays the message: The inactive process has been set up to look for users idle after <n> minutes.