diff --git a/.beautify-ignore b/.beautify-ignore
index ef4c2b762..15221c86a 100644
--- a/.beautify-ignore
+++ b/.beautify-ignore
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ mingw/MosesGUI/Ui_credits.py
 mingw/MosesGUI/Ui_mainWindow.py
 moses/TranslationModel/UG
 moses/server
+moses/parameters
 phrase-extract/pcfg-common
 phrase-extract/syntax-common
 randlm
diff --git a/moses/ExportInterface.cpp b/moses/ExportInterface.cpp
index 3c9e334da..a6cb97918 100644
--- a/moses/ExportInterface.cpp
+++ b/moses/ExportInterface.cpp
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301  USA
 #include "server/Translator.h"
 #include "server/Optimizer.h"
 #include "server/Updater.h"
+#include "moses/parameters/ServerOptions.h"
 #endif
 
 using namespace std;
@@ -147,21 +148,15 @@ int
 run_as_server()
 {
 #ifdef HAVE_XMLRPC_C
-  int port;
-  params.SetParameter(port, "server-port", 8080);
-  bool isSerial;
-  params.SetParameter(isSerial, "serial", false);
-  string logfile;
-  params.SetParameter(logfile, "server-log", string("/dev/null"));
-  size_t num_threads;
-  params.SetParameter(num_threads, "threads", size_t(10));
-  if (isSerial) VERBOSE(1,"Running server in serial mode." << endl);
+  ServerOptions sopts(params);
+  if (sopts.is_serial) VERBOSE(1,"Running server in serial mode." << endl);
 
   xmlrpc_c::registry myRegistry;
 
-  xmlrpc_c::methodPtr const translator(new MosesServer::Translator(num_threads));
-  xmlrpc_c::methodPtr const updater(new MosesServer::Updater);
-  xmlrpc_c::methodPtr const optimizer(new MosesServer::Optimizer);
+  xmlrpc_c::methodPtr const 
+    translator(new MosesServer::Translator(sopts.num_threads)),
+    updater(new MosesServer::Updater),
+    optimizer(new MosesServer::Optimizer);
 
   myRegistry.addMethod("translate", translator);
   myRegistry.addMethod("updater", updater);
@@ -170,16 +165,18 @@ run_as_server()
   xmlrpc_c::serverAbyss myAbyssServer(
     xmlrpc_c::serverAbyss::constrOpt()
     .registryP(&myRegistry)
-    .portNumber(port)              // TCP port on which to listen
-    .logFileName(logfile)
+    .portNumber(sopts.port) // TCP port on which to listen
+    .logFileName(sopts.logfile)
     .allowOrigin("*")
-    .maxConn((unsigned int)num_threads)
+    .maxConn(sopts.num_threads)
   );
 
-  XVERBOSE(1,"Listening on port " << port << endl);
-  if (isSerial) {
-    while(1) myAbyssServer.runOnce();
-  } else myAbyssServer.run();
+  XVERBOSE(1,"Listening on port " << sopts.port << endl);
+  if (sopts.is_serial) 
+    {
+      while(true) myAbyssServer.runOnce();
+    }
+  else myAbyssServer.run();
 
   std::cerr << "xmlrpc_c::serverAbyss.run() returned but should not." << std::endl;
   // #pragma message("BUILDING MOSES WITH SERVER SUPPORT")
@@ -188,7 +185,6 @@ run_as_server()
   std::cerr << "Moses was compiled without server support." << endl;
 #endif
   return 1;
-
 }
 
 int
diff --git a/moses/Parameter.cpp b/moses/Parameter.cpp
index 4a0941521..31bba1c14 100644
--- a/moses/Parameter.cpp
+++ b/moses/Parameter.cpp
@@ -214,6 +214,10 @@ Parameter::Parameter()
   AddParam(server_opts,"server", "Run moses as a translation server.");
   AddParam(server_opts,"server-port", "Port for moses server");
   AddParam(server_opts,"server-log", "Log destination for moses server");
+  AddParam(server_opts,"session-timeout", 
+	   "Timeout for sessions, e.g. '2h30m' or 1d (=24h)");
+  AddParam(server_opts,"session-cache-size", string("Max. number of sessions cached.")
+	   +"Least recently used session is dumped first.");
   AddParam(server_opts,"serial", "Run server in serial mode, processing only one request at a time.");
 
   po::options_description irstlm_opts("IRSTLM Options");
diff --git a/moses/parameters/ServerOptions.cpp b/moses/parameters/ServerOptions.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2609f0378
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moses/parameters/ServerOptions.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+// -*- mode: c++; cc-style: gnu -*-
+#include "ServerOptions.h"
+#include <boost/foreach.hpp>
+#include <string>
+namespace Moses
+{
+
+// parse the session timeout specifciation for moses server
+// Format is "<number>d[<number>[h[<number>m[<number>s]]]]".
+// If none of 'dhms' is given, it is assumed that it's seconds.
+// Specs can be combined, e.g. 2h30m, although it's probably nonsense
+// to be so specific.
+size_t 
+parse_timespec(std::string const& spec)
+{
+  size_t t = 0, timeout = 0;
+  BOOST_FOREACH(char const& c, spec)
+    {
+      if (c >= '0' && c <= '9') 
+	{
+	  t = t * 10 + c - '0';
+	}
+      else 
+	{
+	  if (c == 'd')      timeout  = t * 24 * 3600;
+	  else if (c == 'h') timeout += t * 3600;
+	  else if (c == 'm') timeout += t * 60;
+	  else if (c == 's') timeout += t;
+	  else UTIL_THROW2("Can't parse specification '" << spec 
+			   << " at " << HERE);
+	  t = 0;
+	}
+    }
+  return timeout;
+}
+
+ServerOptions::
+ServerOptions(Parameter const& P)
+{ 
+  init(P);
+}
+
+bool
+ServerOptions::
+init(Parameter const& P)
+{
+  P.SetParameter(this->port, "server-port", 8080);
+  P.SetParameter(this->is_serial, "serial", false);
+  P.SetParameter(this->logfile, "server-log", std::string("/dev/null"));
+  P.SetParameter(this->num_threads, "threads", uint32_t(10));
+  P.SetParameter(this->session_cache_size, "session-cache_size",25UL);
+  std::string timeout_spec;
+  P.SetParameter(timeout_spec, "session-timeout",std::string("30m"));
+  this->session_timeout = parse_timespec(timeout_spec);
+  return true;
+}
+} // namespace Moses
diff --git a/moses/parameters/ServerOptions.h b/moses/parameters/ServerOptions.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e9889f8d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/moses/parameters/ServerOptions.h
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// -*- mode: c++; cc-style: gnu -*-
+#include <string>
+#include "moses/Parameter.h"
+namespace Moses
+{
+
+  struct 
+  ServerOptions 
+  {
+    int port;
+    bool is_serial;
+    std::string logfile;
+    uint32_t num_threads;
+    size_t session_timeout;
+    size_t session_cache_size;
+    bool init(Parameter const& param);
+    ServerOptions(Parameter const& param);
+  };
+
+}