Magento front-end session timing out too soon

Problem: Magento site is timing out soon while “Cookie Lifetime” in Magento configuration set to default 3600 seconds

Cause: PHP’s session.gc_maxlifetime set to be a small number so PHP cleared the session data before Magento has the chance

Solution: Set “session.gc_maxlifetime” in the site php.ini to a number larger than the Cookie Lifetime.

Extend: How to check “Cookie Lifetime” in Magento: logging in to Magento Admin Panel, navigate to System → Configuration → Web → GENERAL . Look under “Session Cookie Management” for “Cookie Lifetime”. Make sure it is set as intended (in seconds).