Session length help pls!

Phairest

Hey guys, please excuse my ignorance; I'm kinda new at this.

I have a php/mysql script runnin on my site that logs people in via sessions, and it works fine except that the sessions just don't last long enough. My users and I are always getting logged out prematurely if we don't navigate fast enough, and it's uber-annoying! >.<

So I'm sittin here lookin at my phpinfo and scratchin my head in befuddlement, thinkin that somewhere in all those session.xxxx variables there must be something I can change to lengthen the session life. I just have nfc which var(s) it is or how I could change em. 😕

Can someone clue me in please? In terms a noob could understand- the only other experience I have with something like this is turning my 'register globals' on.

TIA!

dalecosp

Your values for sessions in your phpinfo() page are exactly the same as this sites'.

You might look for "garbage collection" in php.ini and see what's there. If you're talking about a heavily trafficked site, the default value of 1/100 could be a bit of a problem, I guess. But, hmm, it's not supposed to end open sessions. And, come to think of it, that's just a one percent chance that any GC is done at all ...

You sure that you've got this issue identified properly? What exactly is going on?

dalecosp

OK, so I've looked at your site (brave soul am I, heh) and I'm guessing your complaining 'cause folks sit around playing games on the same page for a freakin' loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

Your default setting is 24 minutes. Look for

session.gc_maxlifetime = 1440

in php.ini. Note that 1440 is seconds, so you might want 3600 (one hour) or more....

Phairest

Thx for the help man! 😃 And yeah lol you're right, the prob is really that people just sit too long on one page, but I can't make em read faster so I gotta fix it like this lol

But... are you sure it's set to timeout now at 24 mins, b/c that doesn't sound right to me- it seems a lot shorter. Could it not be that 'cache expire' one that's set a lot lower?

And I have no idea what those other vars you're talking about are, please explain sensei ;p Oh and where is php.ini located usually 😕

Thx again!

P.S.

Your values for sessions in your phpinfo() page are exactly the same as this sites'.

That's a good thing right?

dalecosp

Originally posted by Phairest

But... are you sure it's set to timeout now at 24 mins, b/c that doesn't sound right to me- it seems a lot shorter. Could it not be that 'cache expire' one that's set a lot lower?

Possibly, I'm not at all sure, but if you're not sure what's happening, you may have to fiddle with several things before you get what you want.

I do know that any session that sits for 1440 seconds without data being accessed or added is being marked as "potential trash"... whether or not the garbage collection process is running and trashing the data, I don't know.

And finding out exactly what's happening? A job, to be sure. Lots of seat time in server adminning....

And I have no idea what those other vars you're talking about are, please explain sensei ;p

Well, it might be best for you to just read the php.ini file (see below) --- it's very well commented. Also, the manual discusses configuration of PHP under the "installation" chapters, usually.
Oh and where is php.ini located usually 😕

According to your phpinfo() page, /usr/local/Zend/etc/php.ini is the file you're looking for. Mine's in quite a differently location....

Thx again!

You're welcome.

That's a good thing right?

Probably; it's the default setting(s) that the real gurus at Zend.com have uttered as law.... 😃

Phairest

K I'd love to read the php.ini but that path isn't in my space and since I haven't sat on the server admin side much (ok never) I'm drawin a blank as to how to find/access it. Gimme another hint?

In the meantime I'll try to find something to read up on in the installation section of the manual.

And before I go really getting my hopes up here, this IS something that I can change w/o affecting everyone else on my server right? I assume that's what the master vs. local settings are for, just wanna be sure.

Brendan_Nolan

You could use ini_set()

It only effects the settings for the execution of that script...

So I am not sure if it will keep the session alive for longer or not.

Phairest

That sounds cool Nolan, just please tell me, step-by-step, how to do it.

(Gone to visit fam for Thanksgivin, but I'll be back!)

Brendan_Nolan

ini_set("session.gc_maxlifetime", "3600");

If you are using Apache then you can also put some stuff in a .htaccess file (in your "Sites" or "public_html" directory)...
I think that this is the better solution, because it is like a 'local' php.ini.

I don't know if the following line is correct, I have not tested it, but see how you go.

php_flag session.gc_maxlifetime 3600

Phairest

OK cool, I'm a lil familiar with adding to htaccess so I think I can manage that. If I did that would the change then show up in my phpinfo in the 'local' column for that var? (b/c the only other way I know to test it would be to time myself getting logged out of the script, and that'd take a while)

portaloo

Have you thought about using cookies instead?

Brendan_Nolan

I have to assume that it would.

Although I have never used php_flag's in .htaccess myself before. 🙂

Why don't you try it and let us know 🙂

Phairest

port: can't. I didn't write this session-only script and modding it for cookies is WAY beyond me.

I'll try the htaccess thing if I can't find the php.ini file- I'd rather look at that for the comments and stuff but I still can't find it. ??!😕