Normally, Loupe records data locally to a data file which must be sent to a Server or packaged before it can be used. With Live Sessions you can see log messages in real time, even over wide area networks.
Live Sessions requires a Server to relay the data between Agents and Loupe Desktop. It is only available with a private Loupe Server, not the Loupe Service. It has to be explicitly enabled in both the Agent and the Server.
For maximum performance, Live Sessions runs directly over TCP/IP. When you configure the Server you can choose to override the port assignments used by Agent and Loupe Desktop for live communication. By default the Agent will communicate on port 29971 and the Loupe Desktop on 29970. All connections are opened into the Server from the remote end. Agents open a connection to the Server to register themselves and wait for commands, and Loupe Desktops will open a connection inbound to the Server to receive the list of available sessions and request live data.
Live Sessions is intended for dozens to a few hundred simultaneous sessions. Accordingly, if you deploy your application to an unknown and potentially unlimited number of locations enabling Live Sessions is not advised.
Each session uses a minimum amount of bandwidth when no one is viewing the data in real time. When a user running Loupe Desktop elects to view the session then a dedicated connection is created. This connection exchanges the data in a highly compressed format designed to support viewing the real time log data from any typical use of Loupe under low bandwidth situations.
You can elect to configure SSL encryption for Live Sessions using a standard SSL certificate. Once configured using the Loupe Server Administrator it will automatically be used by both Agents and Loupe Desktops.