Single Sessions

All traffic from a single Web browser operates as the same Web Central session. For instance, suppose user ABERNATHY is a named user. If ABERNATHY signs into Web Central from the Google Chrome browser to start her working session, and then launches new tabs in that browser or new windows in that browser, ABERNATHY does not need to sign in again. All tabs and windows of the same browser share the same working session. You may find this usage helpful, since with multiple tabs and multiple windows you are able to switch between two different Archibus forms or reports or split the windows on screen and compare them side by side.

Launching a Web Central or Smart Client CAD Extensions from Smart Client

The Smart Client, the Smart Client Extensions for AutoCAD and Revit, and Web Central can also share the same session as long as you launch Web Central from the Smart Client. For instance, suppose ABERNATHY signs in to the Smart Client. Now ABERNATHY uses the Web Central button to launch Web Central and can do so without having to sign in again. ABERNATHY is still using only one license, as the Smart Client shares its session with the Web Central window in this case. If ABERNATHY instead started a separate Web browser and signed in again, she would be consuming another license.

Forced Single Sessions

Even if you use multiple Web browsers, named user accounts always maintain a single Web Central session. For instance, if a named user ABERNATHY signs in from the Chrome Web browser, and then ABERNATHY signs in from Firefox with the same username, Web Central will end the Chrome session and start a new Firefox session.

Multiple Browsers and Sessions

By default, if a concurrent user uses multiple Web browsers with Web Central, Web Central will start a different session for every browser. For instance, suppose user CARLO is a concurrent user. If CARLO signs into Web Central from the Chrome browser to start his working session, and then CARLO signs in from Firefox with the same username, Web Central will start two separate sessions and consume two Web Central licenses. The reason for this is that from the server-side, the two browsers look like two different users, who could be on different computers or in different parts of the world.

Signing Out of the Browser

If you start a Web browser, use the Sign Out button to end your Web Central session, then restart the Web browser and sign in again to Web Central. In this case, you will create only a single session and use only a single Web Central license.

Closing the Browser

Suppose instead you start a Web browser, use the "X" button or the File/Close command to end your Web browser session, then immediately restart the Web browser and sign in to Web Central again.

In this case, you will create two sessions and use two Web Central licenses. The reason being is that you left your first session running when you used the "X" button. The server-side session does time out and end automatically, but typically not for 10-30 minutes, depending on the value established by your administrator. (Archibus does not automatically sign out your session when you use the "X" button since there is no reliable way of knowing that you do not have unsaved data in this browser window or in a separate browser window. The program does not want to abandon your changes if you cancel the browser close.)

Single Sessions

Some sites want concurrent user accounts to always create a single session and sign out a single license just as named user accounts do. These accounts should open the web-inf\config\security.properties file and set the preference below to true:

security.useSingleSessionForConcurrentUsers="true"

The default for this preference is "false".

Smart Client

If you use this single-session configuration, and if you want to use the Smart Client and the Web Central interfaces simultaneously, start the Smart Client first and then start Web Central from the button in the Smart Client. In this way, you will have one session and use one license.