Session Settings
You can customize many aspects of how your users' sessions will behave when accessing their Frame session. The session settings page in your Account Dashboard was created to give you fine granularity over these features.
Account Session Settings​
For Frame Account Session Settings, navigate to the “Settings” page listed on the left side of your Dashboard. Click on the "Session" tab. Any changes you make on this page will apply to all production/test instances, Utility servers, and your Sandbox.
You may specify a separate set of session settings for your Sandbox/Utility server or test/production instances by clicking on the ellipsis next to your Sandbox (Dashboard>Sandbox), Utility Server (Dashboard>Utility Servers) or Launchpad (Dashboard>Launchpads), clicking on "Session settings," and disabling the "Use account settings" toggle. Edit this page as desired and click "Save" to apply your changes.
Features​
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Clipboard | Enables clipboard functionality. Users can cut and paste text between their local device and their Frame session. |
| Clipboard direction | When the clipboard integration is enabled, use this drop-down menu to choose the clipboard direction policy for your users. |
| App switching | Enables end users to select a different application from the Frame gear menu during a session. End users can only switch applications using the default Windows behavior (Alt + ~ is registered as Alt + Tab to switch between applications) if this toggle is disabled. |
| 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. |
| Enables printing files from the remote session to the Frame Virtual Printer. | |
| Camera | Enables webcam support for sessions.* |
| Microphone | Enables audio input when using applications within the session. This feature is enhanced for sessions using FRP8. |
| USB Redirection Early Access | Enables locally-connected USB devices to be visible to the remote workload VM. USB-connected storage devices are automatically detected and populated as additional drives which are accessible from the file explorer.** |
| FRP8 Early Access | Enables Frame Remoting Protocol 8 |
| 4K Displays | Enables resolutions up to 4K (4096x2160) for CPU-only instances (GPU instances support up to 4K displays by default). Note: CPU-based encoding of 4K displays will require increased vCPU capacity (e.g., 4 vCPUs instead of 2 vCPUs). Note: This feature should be enabled in scenarios where users will be accessing a CPU-only workload VM from ultra-wide or non-4k high resolution monitors. |
* = Requires Frame Remoting Protocol 8 to be enabled.
** = Requires Frame Remoting Protocol 8 and [Frame App 6.3] (or above) for Windows only.
Additional details for these features can be found in our Session Features End User Guide and other sections of our official Frame documentation.
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 (configurable) and then disconnect the session.
- Default value: 10 minutes
- Minimum value: 1 minute
Idle Timeout​
For any sessions that are launched from the Launchpad, 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 Frame App or their browser window (while in session), disconnecting from the Frame gear menu, or by getting disconnected due to a network issue. Once the Idle Timeout is reached and the user has not resumed their session, the session will be closed.
If the Idle Timeout value is set to 0, then when a Frame session is disconnected, the session will be closed immediately.
- Default value: 10 minutes
- Minimum value: 0 minutes
Idle Timeout and User Inactivity Timeout session setting values cannot exceed the maxmium value of the Max Session Duration as described below.
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
- Minimum value: 1 minute
- Maximum value: 10,799 minutes
Reservation Timeout​
The Reservation Timeout parameter refers to the amount of time (in seconds) that the client's browser will wait for a server to become available before displaying a timeout error. This value would typically be adjusted to accommodate slow-starting virtual machines. This timeout is less likely to be reached if a min or buffer is configured.
- Default value: 600 seconds
- Minimum value: 120 seconds
- Max value: 900 seconds
Session Preparation Timeout​
This value specifies how long Frame will wait for session initialization to complete before automatically closing the session. This includes the time waiting for a user to log into their Windows domain in domain-joined Frame accounts. Admins can configure this value between 15 and 60 minutes (in 15 minute increments).
- Default value: 15 minutes
- Minimum value: 15 minutes
- Max value: 60 minutes
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 Remoting Protocol responds to such circumstances by rapidly adjusting the 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 Frame Rate: 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: Adjusts the maximum bandwidth (in Mbps) to be used for the session display.
- Enable YUV444: Use YUV444 encoding instead of YUV420 encoding.
- Allow Users to Change These Settings: Allows your users to define their own QoS settings from within their session by accessing the Frame gear menu.
Network QoS Settings Defined​
- Max Frame Rate
- Max Bandwidth
- YUV444
Frame automatically adjusts the video frame rate in response to application activity and available bandwidth. Under normal circumstances, the default frame rate is 20 frames per second (fps). Limiting the maximum frame rate can reduce bandwidth requirements, but may cause choppiness and can make interactive editing tasks difficult. Administrators can set the maximum frame rate for production sessions from the Dashboard. If enabled by the admin, end users can adjust the frame rate of their session as they see fit.
Supported Ranges
- GPU-enabled Instances: 5 - 60 fps
- CPU-only Instances: 5 - 30 fps
Frame limits the maximum bandwidth to 32 Mbps. Lowering the bandwidth limits the overall bandwidth available to Frame, reducing both frame rate and image quality.
Supported Ranges
- Video Bandwidth: 256 kbps - 32 Mbps
By default, Frame's H.264 implementation uses YUV420 chroma subsampling to encode images. This takes advantage of the human eye's inability to recognize color differences to the same degree that it can recognize variations in brightness. By sending less information about color than it does about brightness, it is possible to reduce the amount of bandwidth required substantially without significantly compromising image quality. This does an excellent job of reducing the amount of bandwidth required, but in some situations, especially in apps where regions of strongly contrasting colors are displayed next to each other, chroma subsampling can result in colors “bleeding” into each other with undesirable results.
To support our customers who need absolute color fidelity, Frame also provides support for YUV444 encoding. This turns off chroma subsampling, sending the full depth of color information for every pixel. Since more color information must be sent, use of YUV444 will increase the required bandwidth between the remote VM and the end user.
YUV444 is not supported on mobile web browsers.
End users accessing a YUV444-enabled session will notice that the magnifying glass in the Frame Status Bar is solid green:
If session stats are enabled for the account, you can see if your session is using YUV444 by looking for HQ in the codec name.
Keyboard Profiles​
Keyboard profiles consist of custom keyboard shortcuts and language settings that allow you to map endpoint keyboard combinations to keyboard combinations within the remote VM. Refer to the Keyboard Profile for details on how to manage your end users' keyboard profiles.
Advanced Options​
The Advanced Options section of Session Settings is comprised of two fields, “Advanced Terminal Arguments” and “Advanced Server Arguments.”
Here, you can enter configuration flags that will either affect the behavior of Frame Terminal or Frame Agent during a session. Separate the advanced configuration flags using a space. Be sure to click “Save” to save your configurations.
Advanced Terminal Arguments​
The following flags listed below can be used in the "Advanced Terminal Arguments" field to modify the behavior of Frame Terminal, associated with the Frame Account or Launchpad.
| Argument | Details | Example |
|---|---|---|
*features*mouseModes*isEnabled*=true | Enables Frame Terminal to display to the user the Mouse Mode selection icon for standard, relative, and touchpad mouse modes. | *features*mouseModes*isEnabled*=true |
appAutoUpdateNotification | Use this argument to show or not show the update indicator in Frame App. Value of always will display indicator whenever user is using a version of Frame App that is not the newest. Value of old will display the indicator if user's Frame App is a version more than 1 year old. For users using Frame App for Windows and macOS, Update Indicator defaults to always. For users using Frame App for Linux, Update Indicator defaults to old. | appAutoUpdateNotification=always |
channelFileChunkSizeBytes | Use this argument to adjust the FRP8 upload chunk size when uploading files from Frame Terminal to the workload VM. Chunk size can be reduced for situations where end users experience input keyboard/mouse lag in low bandwidth and/or higher latency networks. Default value is 4096 bytes. | channelFileChunkSizeBytes=2048 |
disableBandwidth | Use this argument to hide the Network Bandwidth Indicator on the Frame Terminal Status Bar. | disableBandwidth |
disableClockSync | Use this argument to prevent the timezone in the user's endpoint from being used within the workload VM at the startup of a Frame session. Workload VM timezone can then be configured within the operating system to a specific timezone. | disableClockSync |
disableLatency | Use this argument to hide the Network Latency Indicator on the Frame Terminal Status Bar. | disableLatency |
enableAutoFocus | Use this argument to automatically set keyboard focus to the Frame session without requiring initial mouse input within the Frame session window on session start or resume. This feature is disabled by default. | enableAutoFocus |
forceLosslessVideoQuality | Use this argument to enable Lossless encoding (requires YUV444 to be enabled). | forceLosslessVideoQuality |
forceResolution=<width>x<height> | Use this argument to require Frame Terminal to display in a preset resolution chosen by the Account Administrator, where <width> can be 1024, 1280, or 1920 and <height> can be 768, 1024, or 1080. | forceResolution=1920x1080 |
hideStatusBarOnFullscreen | Use this argument to hide the Frame Terminal Status Bar when Frame Terminal is in full-screen mode. | hideStatusBarOnFullscreen |
lastMinutesWarningTimeout=<minutes> | Use this argument to specify the number of minutes left in a session before the max session timeout warning is displayed to the user. | lastMinutesWarningTimeout=10 |
preferredIceCandidateProtocol=tcp (FRP8 only) | Frame Remoting Protocol (FRP) 8 uses UDP, by default. If Frame Terminal is unable to connect to the Frame Agent on the workload VM via UDP, Frame Terminal will attempt to connect using TCP. Use this argument to force FRP8 to always use TCP. If preferredIceCandidateProtocol=tcp is used in the private networking with SGA deployment model, Frame Terminal communicates with the SGA VM using TCP and SGA communicates with the workload VM using UDP. | preferredIceCandidateProtocol=tcp |
refreshStreamOnPacketsLoss=<n>/<t>/<b> (FRP8 only) Tech Preview | Use this argument to automatically refresh video stream when a specified packet loss rate threshold is exceeded that could result in a frozen session and/or visual artifacting, where <n> = Number of packets lost, <t> = Time frame in milliseconds, and <b> = Backoff factor between refreshes. Total backoff time is equal to the product of the values for <t> and <b> | refreshStreamOnPacketsLoss=250/100/2 |
unmuteAudio | Use this argument to enable automatic audio playback (speakers) in supported browsers without requiring users to unmute audio in the Frame Terminal Bar. Frame App automatically supports audio playback. | unmuteAudio |
Advanced Server Arguments​
The flags listed below can be entered in to the “Advanced Server Arguments” field to modify the behavior of sessions, associated with the Frame Account or Launchpad. These arguments are supported in both Frame Remoting Protocol (FRP) 7 and 8 unless otherwise noted.
| Argument | Details | Example |
|---|---|---|
-diskattachtimeoutms <timeout in milliseconds> | This argument sets the profile disk/personal drive attach timeout value. If a customer administrator sees that enterprise profile disks or personal drives fail to attach in the Session Trail, the administrator can increase the timeout value. Default value is 90000 ms (90 sec). | -diskattachtimeoutms 120000 |
-encode <encoder> | Can be used to force CPU encoding (-encode ffcpu) if the GPU driver is not working correctly. | -encode ffcpu |
-frame-session-label=<string> | This flag and corresponding value can be set in Session Settings at the account, Launchpad, Sandbox, or Utility Server to pass in a custom value into the workload VM. The value will be accessible from the environment value FRAME_SESSION_LABEL or from the registry and discussed in more detail in Scripting. | -frame-session-label=Air4GB |
-gopsize <N> | This argument directs Frame Agent to send a key frame after N frames, which refreshes the video display, with a periodicity of N / frames per second. For example, if the video stream is sending 30 frames per second, -gopsize 240 would result in a key frame being sent every 8 seconds. For FRP7, the default is 240. For FRP8, the default is infinite (no keyframes are sent). Note: the more key frames are sent, the greater the bandwidth consumed. | -gopsize 240 |
-linkhandler <browser> | Designates which browser is used to launch URLs within the Frame environment. | -linkhandler chrome, -linkhandler iexplore, or -linkhandler local |
-logofftimeoutms <timeout in milliseconds> | Logoff time in milliseconds with a default of 10000 ms (10 seconds). Used when waiting for any Windows user logoff operation by the Frame Guest Agent. Relevant for persistent desktop accounts when startup of persistent desktop VMs are taking a long time on initial assignment to the user and user session request time outs. Also applicable for domain-joined instances where the Frame user is unable to reach the Windows login screen before the session times out. | -logofftimeoutms 30000 |
-qpBasedVbvBuffer | Can be used to optimize frame rate in situations where users are accessing rapidly moving content with limited network resources. | -qpBasedVbvBuffer |
-refreshStreamOnPacketLossPercent <packet loss %> | This flag and corresponding value directs Frame Agent to send periodic key frames, which refreshes the video display, when packet loss is above the specified percentage value. If this Advanced Server Argument is used, the default gopSize is 240 for both FRP7 and FRP8. The default gopsize can be overridden using Advanced Server Argument -gopsize <N>. Note: the more key frames are sent, the greater the bandwidth consumed. | -refreshStreamOnPacketLossPercent 20 |
-trailingFramesNumber <number of trailing frames> | Can be used to override the default number of trailing display frames (2 with CPU encoding, 8 with GPU encoding) when not all changes to the display are being displayed (e.g., application dialog window not appearing) until something else in the display is moved or changed. | -trailingFramesNumber 10 |
-uploadto <upload_path> | Use this argument to designate an upload folder in the session. The default upload folder is C:\Users\<username>\Uploads. Admins should ensure that the user has access to the upload path before making this change. | -uploadto C:\Users\<username>\New\Folder |
Users may have to close their existing session and start a new session in order to see any newly applied session settings.
Frequently Asked Questions​
How does YUV444 improve the end user experience? What are the limitations?
If the user is working with 2D or 3D design, YUV444 may provide sharper text and shapes. If the text or shapes appear blurry when using the standard YUV420, enable YUV444 and see if there are any visual improvements. This feature requires up to 50% more bandwidth for video streaming. More detailed information, as well as some test images that illustrate the differences, can be found online in articles like this one.
My end user's bandwidth is limited. How can I have the best possible end user experience with limited bandwidth?
Frame dynamically adjusts bandwidth based on streamed content and network conditions to consume the lowest bandwidth while maintaining the best possible user experience. If you need to set a bandwidth limit for a user connection, administrators can adjust the "Max Bandwidth" slider in session settings.
What settings should be adjusted to best support conferencing applications like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype?
Administrators wishing to support video conferencing applications in Frame must first have FRP8 enabled for their Frame account. Once FRP8 has been configured, admins can simply enable the “Camera” and “Microphone” options in Session Settings. Accounts using FRP7 can still enable the microphone feature for voice calls. These applications perform best with low-latency network connections. The end user will need to allow certain permissions in the browser, which is discussed in further detail in our Session Features End User Guide.
Under what circumstances can I enable lossless video?
Lossless quality encoding requires up to 40x more bandwidth than “normal” video streaming, as well as the Chrome browser (version 100+) or Frame App on the endpoint device. Administrators will need to add the `forceLosslessVideoQuality Advanced Terminal Argument in session settings in order to use this feature.