In the earlier releases, the Bearer-Usage AVP was encoded with the value GENERAL(0) irrespective of whether the context is primary or secondary in the Diameter Gy CCR message.
In the current release, the Bearer-Usage AVP will be encoded with the value GENERAL(0) for Primary-PDP context/default bearer and with the value DEDICATED(2) for all secondary-PDPs/dedicated bearers.
In the earlier releases, when there were no static rules configured in the chassis and if the PCRF returns a error-result code in CCA-I with CCFH action as continue, then the call was not terminated.
In the current release, the call is dropped without sending CCR-T when the permanent failure result code (5xxx result codes) is received and the Disconnect reason will be "ims-authorization-failed".
In the earlier releases, the configuration of Diameter nodes and host strings like endpoint name, peer name, host name, realm name, and fqdn were case-sensitive. Hence, it was difficult to handshake with an external node with the name specified in a different case. That is, if a peer is configured as
peer.cisco.com, it failed to open connections from a peer identifying as
PEER.cisco.com. Also, configuring endpoints with different cases duplicate the configuration. For example, when configuring endpoints
ep1 and
EP1, it will assume it to be different and add these separately in the configuration.
In the current release, all the Diameter related node IDs are considered case insensitive. This change applies to both the local configuration and communication with external nodes. When configuring endpoints
s6a-endpoint-mme,
S6A-endpoint-MME,
S6A-ENDPOINT-MME, all these three will be considered the same.
Diameter load balancing implementation maintains a fixed number of servers active at all times for load balancing in case of failures. This can be done by selecting a server with lower weight and adding it to the set of active servers.
For more information, refer to the ASR 5000 Series Command Line Interface Reference.
eG-CDRs can be in ASN.1 format or in delimiter-separated ASCII format. Configuring the eG-CDR encoding type is a CLI-configurable parameter. The default encoding type is ASN.1. When configuring the eG-CDR encoding type as ASCII, the delimiter character can be specified as either “:” (colon), “,” (comma), or “|” (pipe). The default delimiter character is “|” (pipe).
In the current releases, the Bearer-Usage AVP is sent only during the establishment of bearers in CCR-I and CCR-U with bearer operation as “Establishment”. This condition is imposed because the session level CCR-U is intended for the entire session and not for a particular bearer.
In the earlier releases, the Destination-Host AVP was not sent in session-setup/initial request (first message sent on that interface for that subscriber. This message will vary with different interfaces. For example, CCR-Initial for Gy, ACR-start for Rf, and so on). Also, Destination-Host AVP was not sent in retried requests. For example, CCR-Update failed to be responded by server. The message was retransmitted to alternate server.
In both these scenarios, it is not known which server will respond to the initial/retried message, so the Destination-Realm is encoded but not the Destination-Host. Only after a response for this message is received from one of the hosts present in that realm, the session is considered to be BOUND with that server. Any message sent after this binding will have the Destination-Host AVP encoded.
In the current release, with the CLI command "destination-host avp session binding … ", if the application has selected one of the servers using application-level commands like peer-select command in case of credit-control or diameter authentication/accounting server command in AAA group, encoding of this AVP in initial/retried request is configurable.
In the current release, if the network-initiated bearer establishment request procedures are not applicable during IP-CAN session establishment, this AVP will not be encoded in CCR-I and in the subsequent messages unless the AVP value is toggled from 1 to 0 and vice-versa.
If the network-initiated procedures are applicable during IP-CAN session establishment, this AVP will be encoded only in the CCR-I and not in the subsequent messages including session level CCRs unless the AVP value is toggled.
In the earlier releases, in the case of failure handling, if the CLI command “
failure-handling cc-request-type …“ is configured twice under ims-auth-service then the following error message "
Failure: Apply config error" is displayed. For example, if the failure-handling configured is "X" and if the same failure-handling "X" is applied again then the error message "
Failure: Apply config error" is displayed.
In the current release, if the same failure-handling configuration is applied under IMSA service then the configuration is accepted as valid and it does not throw any error message.
This release supports the RADIUS Fire-and-Forget feature in conjunction with GGSN for secondary accounting (with different RADIUS accounting group configuration) to the RADIUS servers without expecting acknowledgement from the server, in addition to standard RADIUS accounting. This secondary accounting will be an exact copy of all the standard RADIUS accounting message (RADIUS Start / Interim / Stop) sent to the standard AAA RADIUS server. For this configuring secondary AAA accounting group for the APN is supported.
This release also supports the No-ACK RADIUS Targets feature in conjunction with PDSN and HA for secondary accounting (with different RADIUS accounting group configuration) to the RADIUS servers without expecting the acknowledgement from the server, in addition to standard RADIUS accounting. This secondary accounting will be an exact copy of all the standard RADIUS accounting message (RADIUS Start / Interim / Stop) sent to the standard AAA RADIUS server. For this configuring secondary AAA accounting group for the subscriber template is supported.
For more information, refer to the ASR 5000 Series Command Line Interface Reference.
In the earlier releases, when the Diameter proxy was not configured, the grouped AVP “Vendor-Specific-Application-Id” in CER/CEA messages contained all the Vendor IDs present in the dictionary file. Hence, if the Gx application used a Customer Specific AVP, this Vendor ID was also added in the Vendor-Id of Vendor-Specific-Application-Id AVP.
In the current releases, if use-proxy is not configured in the Diameter endpoint, the Vendor-Specific-Application-Id AVP in CER/CEA messages will contain only the 3GPP Vendor ID (10415) in the Vendor-Id of the Vendor-Specific-Application-Id AVP.
In the current release, Multiple-Services-Indicator AVP will be sent in CCR-Initial message only. This AVP will not be sent in update/terminate requests. This is applicable for all Gy dictionaries.
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Also, the “show ims-authorization sessions full all" CLI command displayed one IMSA session after the deletion of UE initiated bearer.
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Whenever RADIUS/Diameter prepay server blacklists content the packets are generally discarded. To enable redirection of such content, post-processing on blacklisted content is required. With this change, RADIUS/Diameter Credit-Control application will decide on whether to allow post-processing to be enabled or not for the blacklisted content.
In release 12.0, in the ACS Rulebase Configuration Mode, the following configuration is available to enable post-processing priority based rules for content in blacklisted state.
Release 12.0 onwards “cca quota-state ...” and “
cca redirect-indicator ...” ACS ruledef commands should be used as a post-processing rule. And, “
post-processing policy always” command should be configured in the ACS Rulebase Configuration Mode for these post-processing rules to be enabled for blacklisted content.
If this configuration change is not undertaken, when the content is blacklisted and for any packet that can be redirected and that matches this blacklisted content, then redirection will not happen based on “
flow action redirect-url” command.
In the current release, the Diameter routing logic has been modified to enable routing to destination hosts that are not directly connected to the Diameter clients like GGSN, MME, PGW, and that does not have a route entry configured. Message routing to the host is based on the realm of the host.
For a given session towards a Destination Host, all the messages belonging to the session will be routed through the same peer until the peer is down. If the peer goes down, for the subsequent messages failure handling mechanism will be triggered and the message will be sent using other available peers connected to the destination host.
In the earlier releases, if Revalidation-Time AVP sent in CCA-I message by PCRF fails sanity checks, call is terminated with the Termination-Cause AVP set to the value DIAMETER_BAD_ANSWER (3).
This release of StarOS incorporates the initial hooks required to support Cisco Smart Call Home (SCM). Smart Call Home is a powerful service capability of Cisco SMARTnet® Service that offers real-time alerts, remediation, and personalized web-based reports on select Cisco devices. Customers and the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) get the information they need to quickly identify and resolve network issues rapidly.
For more information on TACACS+ configuration and maintenance, refer to the ASR 5000 Series System Administration Guide, the
ASR 5000 Command Line Interface Reference, and the
ASR 5000 Statistics and Counters Reference.
Release 12.0 onwards, if a Rel. 7 based dictionary is already configured with diameter dictionary dpca-custom4 command, and then if the
diameter update-dictionary-avps 3gpp-r9 command is applied, the Supported-Features AVP with feature bit 1 being set will be sent in the CCR-I to indicate that 3GPP Rel. 9 AVPs are also supported.
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diameter dictionary dpca-custom4
diameter update-dictionary-avps 3gpp-r9
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In the CCR-I, Supported-Features AVP will be encoded with value 2 for the Feature-List AVP.
The Feature-List AVP value suggest that it is 3GPP Rel. 9 compliant. But, it is not fully complaint to 3GPP Rel. 9.
In the current release, for this upgrade scenario (3GPP Rel. 7 to 3GPP Rel. 9), only volume reporting related AVPs mentioned in the 3GPP Rel. 9 will be supported.
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diameter dictionary dpca-custom4
diameter update-dictionary-avps 3gpp-r8
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In the CCR-I, Supported-Features AVP will be encoded with value 1 for the Feature-List AVP.
The Feature-List AVP value suggest that it is 3GPP Rel. 8 compliant. But, it is not fully complaint to 3GPP Rel. 8.
In the current release, for this upgrade scenario (3GPP Rel. 7 to 3GPP Rel. 8), none of the features mentioned in 3GPP Rel. 8 will be supported.
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diameter update-dictionary-avps 3gpp-r9
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The Feature-List AVP value suggest that it is 3GPP Rel. 9 compliant. But, it is not fully complaint to 3GPP Rel. 9.
Currently for this upgrade scenario (3GPP Rel. 8 to 3GPP Rel. 9), only volume reporting related AVPs mentioned in 3GPP Rel. 9 will be supported.
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In the earlier releases, for Default-EPS-Bearer-QoS AVP, the IMSA validation for Quality of service Class Identifier (QCI) range was performed based on standard specifications. The ranges 1–9 and 128–254 were considered valid.
In the earlier releases, CER/CEA for STa and S6b applications included all the vendor-ids supported by the dictionary in Vendor-ID AVP under Vendor-Specific-Application-ID Grouped AVP. However, per the specification, it should include only 3GPP Vendor-ID (10415) as these are 3GPP specific applications.
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Monitoring usage based on input/output octet threshold levels is now supported. Usage is reported based on the enabled threshold level. If multiple levels are enabled, usage will be reported on all the enabled levels even if only one of the levels is breached. Monitoring will be stopped on the missing threshold levels in the response for the usage report from PCRF (expected to provide the complete set again if PCRF wants to continue monitoring on the multiple levels enabled earlier).
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For more information on Volume Reporting over Gx feature, refer to the Gx Interface Support appendix in the core network service administration guide.
For more information, please refer the Application and Detection Control Administration Guide.
For more information, please refer the Application and Detection Control Administration Guide.
WiMAX HA and ASN-GW have been enhanced to support profile-based hotlining as per WiMAX Forum™ Network Architecture, NGW 1.5 specification. See Interface Changes for additional information.
For more information, please refer the Personal Stateful Firewall Administration Guide and
CLI Reference Guide.
GGSN controls the assignment of different radio interface QoS priorities (gold/silver/bronze) via the PCRF Gx interface during PDP context setup (CCR/CCA-I). This is performed using the Allocation Retention Priority (ARP) parameter (AVP code 1034) as specified in 3GPP TS 29.212, with values = 0-3; ARP values from the PCRF other than 0-3 are ignored. During PDP context setup the PCRF returns the ARP value in CCA-I and this ARP is then assigned/negotiated with the SGSN and RNC.
For this support the HNB-GW uses HNB's LAC, received during registration procedure in HNB_REGISTER_REQUEST message, to distribute RANAP-Initial UE message to an MSC. It maps the LAC with MSC point code and a set of LACs configured for each MSC, connected to the HNB-GW.
For more information on HNB-GW, refer the 3G Home NodeB Gateway Administration Guide.
This section provides information on new IP Services Gateway (IPSG) features in Release 12.0. For more information on IPSG, refer the
IP Services Gateway Administration Guide.
IP Security (IPSec) on the S1-MME interface is a node-to-node IKEv2 tunnel that can be configured to assume the characteristics of either a pre-configured tunnel or a dynamic tunnel.
Pre-configured node tunnels are fully qualified IPSec tunnels. Each IPSec tunnel is configured with parameters including pre-shared key, local and remote IP addresses, crypto hashes, groups, algorithms and the access control list (ACL).
Node-to-node dynamic tunnels are generated dynamically as the connections are initiated by different nodes in the LTE network. Each IPSec tunnel does not need to be pre-configured for each required parameter, instead it uses a common template for some parameters, like crypto algorithms, hashes, and groups. Other parameters are fetched dynamically from the tunnel requests like IP addresses and traffic selectors. Authentication information is fetched dynamically via certificates.
Typically, the eNodeB initiates an IPSec tunnel to the MME. The MME service is responsible to verify the configuration and use an IPSec API to make the MME listen on the service address for IKE requests.
The S1-MME Interface carries SCTP signaling traffic that flows through an IPSec tunnel if it is configured. When a UE needs to connect to the Internet, it initiates a connection to an eNodeB which then tunnels its traffic to an MME using an SCTP connection. Any further UEs using the same eNodeB to communicate to the same MME will subsequently use the same SCTP and hence the same IPSec Tunnel according to the LTE standard.
The MME now supports behavior that allows the peer realm of the HSS to be determined by the MCC and MNC in the subscriber’s IMSI. Prior behavior was that the HSS must be statically configured in the MME.
Release 12.0 onwards, for all new deployments of MUR that use either Sun Netra X4270 or UCS C460 M2 server and run Red Hat Linux, L-ESS is NOT required as the ASR 5K EDR module can be configured to push the xDRs directly to the MUR reporting server. Push from ASR 5K is the Cisco recommended deployment model. Currently, L-ESS is supported only on Solaris platforms. Existing deployments where L-ESS is installed, to pull EDRs from ASR 5K, may continue with their deployment model in the 12.0 version of MUR Software Release and later.
MUR has the capability of exporting reports in Comma Separated Value (CSV) format in addition to PDF and Excel formats. This can be accomplished through the GUI by clicking the csv icon available in the tabular representation of all the reports in the
HOME and
DPI tabs.
From Release 12.0 onwards, MUR no longer supports the limitation of selecting only 15 bulkstats counters/indices at a time. Now, there is no defined limit as such; users are allowed to select any number of counters and indices simultaneously.
The MUR solution also provides a utility to export Top N User-Agent list to a text file based on the given level of tethered traffic. This text file contains pre-formatted CLI file with the configured ruledefs and group-of-ruledefs that need to be applied to the ASR 5K system.
The reporting EDR file contains multiple attribute fields like sn-start-time and
sn-end-time; some of them are considered mandatory depending on the gateway and reporting types.
Currently, MUR mandates sn-start-time and
sn-end-time fields in the flow EDR. If the EDR contains the fields
sn-flow-start-time and
sn-flow-end-time then MUR will pick values from these fields. However, the
sn-flow-start-time and
sn-flow-end-time fields are not mandatory.
In a particular deployment, if the EDR receives only sn-flow-start-time and
sn-flow-end-time fields, then the mandatory settings for
sn-start-time and
sn-end-time should be disabled through the
System menu on the GUI.
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Administrator with admin user name will have the rights to modify and delete all the MUR users’ accounts. Only users with admin user name can modify its own password. Only admin user will be able to delete any administrator or operator user accounts.
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Release 12.0 onwards, MUR recommends using UCS C460 M2 server running MITG Customized RHEL 5.5. For information on the complete hardware recommendations and file system supported, refer to the
Mobility Unified Reporting System Overview chapter in the
Cisco Mobility Unified Reporting System Installation and Administration Guide. For the OS installation information, refer to the
Cisco MITG RHEL v5.5 OS Application Note.
On selecting multiple counters/indices or a huge data range on the Bulkstats and KPI reporting pages, the MUR server may experience some delay in fetching the report information. If the time taken for this activity is beyond the expected threshold, then these tasks are automatically scheduled to be reported offline at a later period.
An automated offline script at the server side runs every 1 minute to check if the requested report information is available. When it is ready, the server makes it available on
Background Task Manager tab present on the GUI. These offline reports are generated in Excel format and provided to users as a zip file.
The current release of MUR allows users to search the bulkstats (BS) counters using the Counters text box newly added in the Bulkstats reporting page, and also find the CLI-equivalent counter names by selecting
by CLI Name check box.
With the auto-complete feature available in the Counter text box, you can just key in a few characters and search the counters easily.
MUR users have been provided the flexibility to configure multiple SGSN IP addresses under one SGSN group using “ *”. The SGSN group configuration can be performed on the GUI through
System > Reports > SGSN groups menu.
The KPI parser now calculates only the values of KPIs for which the alarms are configured through the GUI. This parser uses the information stored by BS parser in the database (DB) for KPI calculations and for sending alarms. This avoids reparsing of the same file and redundant connections to the DB.
This release provides support for H323 ALG that is designed to traverse NAT by inspecting and altering information contained in existing H323 messages as they pass through the NAT. It can alter address and port information in registration, call signaling and automatically opening pinholes in the NAT to allow media flow.
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Call Diversion: Call Diversion supplementary service permits a served user to have incoming calls addressed to the served user's number redirected to another number; on busy service, it enables a served user to have calls redirected to another endpoint; on No Answer, it enables a served user to have calls addressed to the served endpoint's number and redirected to another endpoint if the connection is not established within a defined period of time.
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An application layer gateway, at the Firewall/NAT, examines all the H323 packets and modifies the packet such that all the private addresses are replaced by public addresses. It also opens all the pinholes required for successful call establishment. A NAT aware endpoint establishes end-to-end media session through FW/NAT without the need of ALG. Any TCP connection or UDP packet sent from the internal network through the firewall opens a pinhole dynamically in the firewall. This pinhole allows incoming messages to be sent from the destination of the TCP connection or the UDP packet. The pinhole stays open as long as the network sends information through the pinhole to the same destination.
If an end point supports NAT traversal, H323 ALG disables itself so that end point directly opens required pinhole and establishes media path between them. The ALG will not manage any pinhole for media traversal across Firewall/NAT for NAT aware clients. By default, the ALG will bypass all the clients that support H460.18/19 and H460.23/24.
This section provides information on new Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) features in Release 12.0. Additional information on these features can be found in the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Packet Data Network Gateway Administration Guide and the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Command Line Interface Reference.
The SGSN/GGSN, when co-residing with the S-GW/P-GW, supports all product-level requirements of the S-GW/P-GW for availability, performance, capacity, security, and O+M.
In case of P-GW with GnGp access, after a P-GW mode to GGSN mode handover, SGSN_CHANGE(0) Event trigger and 3GPP-SGSN-Address needs to be sent. The system shall send AN_GW_CHANGE (21) Event-Trigger and IPv4 SGSN address in the AN-GW-Address AVP. This is because SGSN-Address would not have been valid in the case of P-GW with S5/S8 and, hence, SGSN_CHANGE(0) would not be meaningful after a P-GW mode to GGSN mode handover.
The P-GW supports GRE generic tunnel interfaces in accordance with RFC-2784, Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE). The GRE protocol allows mobile users to connect to their enterprise networks through GRE tunnels.
GRE tunnels can be used by the enterprise customers of a carrier 1) To transport AAA packets corresponding to an APN over a GRE tunnel to the corporate AAA servers and, 2) To transport the enterprise subscriber packets over the GRE tunnel to the corporation gateway.
The corporate servers may have private IP addresses and hence the addresses belonging to different enterprises may be overlapping. Each enterprise needs to be in a unique virtual routing domain, known as VRF. To differentiate the tunnels between same set of local and remote ends, GRE Key will be used as a differentiation.
GRE tunneling is a common technique to enable multi-protocol local networks over a single-protocol backbone, to connect non-contiguous networks and allow virtual private networks across WANs. This mechanism encapsulates data packets from one protocol inside a different protocol and transports the data packets unchanged across a foreign network. It is important to note that GRE tunneling does not provide security to the encapsulated protocol, as there is no encryption involved (like IPSec offers, for example).
CHANGE_IN_SERVING_NODE trigger is an extension to the CHANGE_IN_SGSN trigger. However, for the purpose of backward compatibility, both triggers are retained. The P-GW sends them in the following manner.
MSCC (quota) checkpointing is now handled as part of normal session recovery. MSCC checkpointing occurs randomly (~ 1-2 times within every 60 seconds) on every MSCC update. The MSCC checkpoint will be sent to the peer chassis only if there is a change in MSCC information.
Local QoS policies are triggered when certain events occur and the associated conditions are satisfied. For example, when a new call is initiated, the QoS to be applied for the call could be decided based on the IMSI, MSISDN, and APN.
This functionality has been implemented.
When enabled through a feature license key, the system includes NEMO support for a Mobile IPv4 Network Mobility (NEMO-HA) on the P-GW platform to terminate Mobile IPv4 based NEMO connections from Mobile Routers (MRs) that attach to an Enterprise PDN. The NEMO functionality allows bi-directional communication that is application-agnostic between users behind the MR and users or resources on Fixed Network sites.
The same NEMO4G-HA service and its bound Loopback IP address supports NEMO connections whose underlying PDN connection comes through GTP S5 (4G access) or PMIPv6 S2a (eHRPD access).
The IPSec implementation for LTE is only node-to-node. Any IPSec tunnel will handle multiple subscriber GTPU traffic. The IPSec tunnel is generated dynamically as the connection is initiated by nodes in the LTE network. Each IPSec tunnel uses a common template for parameters, such as crypto algorithms, hashes, groups, etc. Other parameters are fetched dynamically from the tunnel requests, such as IP addresses and traffic selectors. Authentication information is fetched dynamically via certificates.
The configuration monitor utility will perform a show configuration command every 15 minutes and compare the subsequent output to determine whether the information has changed. The configuration is defined as having changed when the current configuration differs from the previous snapshot. If a configuration change is indicated, then an SNMP trap is sent.
This section provides information on new Session Control Manager (SCM) features in Release 12.0. Additional information on these features can be found in the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Session Control Manager Administration Guide and the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Command Line Interface Reference.
Level 1: For every new call/event received, the system checks if sessmgr memory-usage is above a threshold value (such as 95 percent). If it is, memory-congestion is triggered and new call messages are rejected with 500 SIP response. Memory congestion is disabled when memory usage drops by a tolerance value (default is 10 percent). This functionality has not been tested.
Level 2: If the sessmgr usage reaches 100 percent, all newly received SIP messages are dropped at the socket layer in that sessmgr except for the BYE message. The new SIP messages are not processed until the memory reaches the threshold value (95 percent).
When P-CSCF acts in a bridging mode between two services, the show cscf session counters calls <filter criteria> name <service_name> command now displays separate counters for access and core P-CSCF.
When cscfmgr (demuxmgr) receives REGISTER request from Network, it fetches a suitable sessmgr for processing REGISTER. If that sessmgr rejects the REGISTER since it is overloaded, cscfmgr will retry another sessmgr. If the system is congested, cscfmgr will retry three times to find a sessmgr. If it fails, then cscfmgr will reject the request with a “503 service unavailable” error response with Retry-after header.
The SCM now supports redirection on overload (exceeding session/license limit). Overload conditions arise when the maximum session limit per sessmgr is reached or the license is exceeded.
When the CSCF becomes overloaded, an overload policy can be configured to handle it. When the overload condition is hit, the new registrations (SIP REGISTER messages) reaching the cscfmgr are dropped/rejected/redirected based on the configuration.
When CSCF identifies congestion, it originates UMM_RESPONSE with response code set as 500. Sipapp while forming the response SIP_IPS fills the Retry-after header with a random value between 0 to 10 seconds as per RFC 3261.
For Interactive Traffic class, the P-CSCF/A-BG supports per-service configurable DSCP marking for Uplink and Downlink direction based on Allocation/Retention Priority in addition to the current priorities.
I-CSCF, upon receiving the terminating request, checks the subdomain-route list for matches. If a match is found the routing will happen based on it. Otherwise, I-CSCF will do a User Location Query (Location-Information-Request) and proceed normally.
To achieve the dual-stack behavior, P-CSCF is configured in two services. The first service (V6-SVC) listens on an IPv6 address. The second service (V4-SVC) listens on an IPv4 address. SIP messages coming from IPv4 UEs will come to V4-SVC and be forwarded to the IPv6 core network through V6-SVC. Similarly, messages from IPv6 core network that come to V6-SVC can be forwarded to IPv4 UEs via V4-SVC.
To meet regulatory requirements that deaf/hearing impaired people must be able to perform text-based communication to other users and government offices, the P-CSCF now supports Global Text Telephony.
Global Text Telephony/Teletype messages must use ITU-T Recommendation T.140 for real-time text according to the rules and procedures specified in 3GPP TS 26.114 with the following clarifications:
For a forking proxy server, the type of directive indicates whether the caller would like the proxy server to proxy the request to all known addresses at once (parallel), or go through them sequentially (serial) by contacting the next address only after it has received a non-2xx or non-6xx final response for the previous one.
Transport Layer Security (TLS) provides confidentiality and integrity protection for SIP signaling messages between the UE and P-CSCF/A-BG. TLS is a layered protocol that runs upon reliable transport protocols like TCP and SCTP.
This section provides information on new Serving Gateway (S-GW) features in Release 12.0. Additional information on these features can be found in the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Serving Gateway Administration Guide.
The operator policy provides mechanisms to fine tune the behavior of subsets of subscribers above and beyond the behaviors described in the user profile. It also can be used to control the behavior of visiting subscribers in roaming scenarios, enforcing roaming agreements and providing a measure of local protection against foreign subscribers.
Circuit Switched Fall Back (CSFB) enables the UE to camp on an EUTRAN cell and originate or terminate voice calls through a forced switchover to the CS domain or other CS-domain services (e.g., Location Services (LCS) or supplementary services). Additionally, SMS delivery via the CS core network is realized without CSFB. Since LTE EPC networks were not meant to directly anchor CS connections, when any CS voice services are initiated, any PS based data activities on the EUTRAN network will be temporarily suspended (either the data transfer is suspended or the packet switched connection is handed over to the 2G/3G network).
This section provides information on new Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) features in Release 12.0. Additional information on these features can be found in the
SGSN Administration Guide, and in the
CLI Reference Guide.
The configuration limits have increased from 32 to 128 for the maximum number of LACs, as a combined total for LACs configured, for pool-areas and non-pool-areas for a Gs Service.
The SGSN now fully supports regional subscription zone identities (RSZIs) in accordance with TS 23.008. The HLR stores a list of RSZIs; 10 per network destination code (NDC). The RSZI are comprised of the PLMN id and the zone code lists. The SGSN now enables the operator to define the zone code lists, to enable zone code checking, and to define the cause code for subscription rejection when it is due to regional subscription information failure.
The SGSN now supports the Network Requested PDP Context Activation (NRPCA) procedure for 3G attachments. Whenever there is downlink data at the GGSN for a subscriber, but there is no valid context for the already-established PDP address, the GGSN initiates an NRPCA procedure towards the SGSN. Prior to starting the NRPCA procedure, the GGSN either obtains the SGSN address from the HLR or uses the last SGSN address of the subscriber available at the GGSN. There are no interface changes to support this feature. Support is configured with existing CLI commands (network-initiated-pdp-activation, location-area-list) in the call-control-profile configuration mode and timers (T3385-timeout and max-actv-retransmission) are set in the SGSN service configuration mode.
For a PDP context request, an invalid APN occurs when none of the APNs in the HLR subscriber profile match the APN sent by the subscriber. The SGSN can now be provisioned to override an invalid APN even when a user has a wildcard APN in the HLR profile. The SGSN’s existing default APN functionality has been enhanced so that if a required subscription APN is not present in the subscriber profile, then the SGSN will now continue the activation with another configured 'dummy' APN. The call will be redirected, via the GGSN, to a Webpage informing the user of the error and prompting to subscribe for services.
• Use the APN in the first subscription record as a default APN. With this option the first subscription record with matching PDP type and PDP address will be used as the default APN. Here, first record means the first among the records received from HLR in that order. The default APN will be used if normal APN selection fails. This function is enabled via the new key-word ‘
first-in-subscription’.
• Fallback to the APN in the first subscription record when configured default APN is not available. It is possible to configure a default APN to be used. However, if the configured default APN is not present in subscription then the SGSN will use the APN in the first subscription record with matching PDP type and PDP address. This function is enabled via the new keyword ‘
fallback-to-first-in-subscription’.
• Prefer to use a single subscription record option, which specifies that if normal APN selection fails and if there is only one subscription record, then use the APN in that subscription record as the default APN. This is an optional configuration and is specified along with a default APN to be used. The configured default APN will be used when there are more than one subscription records. This feature is enabled via the new keyword ‘
prefer-single-subscription’.
It is now possible to append subscriber charging characteristic (SCHAR) information to the DNS string. The SGSN includes the profile index value portion of the CC as binary/decimal/hexadecimal digits (type based on the configuration) after the APN network identification. The charging characteristic value is taken from the subscription record selected for the subscriber during APN selection. This enables the SGSN to select a GGSN based on the charging characteristics information.
After appending the charging characteristic the DNS string will take the following form: <apn_network_id>.<profile_index>.<apn_operator_id >. The profile index in the following example has a value 10:
quicknet.com.uk.1010.mnc234.mcc027.gprs.
If the RNC_ID information is configured to be a part of the APN name, and if inclusion of the profile index of the charging characteristics information is enabled (per this enhancement) before the DNS query is sent, then the profile index is included after the included RNC_ID and the DNS APN name will appear in the following form:
<apn_network_id>.<rnc_id>.<profile_index>.<apn_op erator_id>. In the following example, the DNS query for a subscriber using RNC 0321 with the profile index of value 8 would appear as:
quicknet.com.uk.0321.1000.mnc234.mcc027.gprs.
With this feature the operator can include the RNC_ID information with the name of the APN before the query is sent to the DNS. This feature makes it possible to select a GGSN based on the RNC_ID. Name format example:
<apn_name>.<rnc_id>.<mncxxx>.<mccyyy>.gprs
With the RNC_ID inclusion enabled, the operator can also include the SCHAR (charging characteristic information) so that both the SCHAR and the RNC_ID information would be added to the name of the APN before the query is sent to the DNS. Name format example:
<apn_name>.<rnc_id>.<schar>.<mncxxx>.<mccyyy>.gprs.
Default behavior has been changed to avoid PDP context deactivations resulting from GTP-C path failure detection due to messages containing erroneous restart counter change values.
Previous Behavior: The old default behavior was to have the SGSN detect GTP-C path failure based upon receiving restart counter changes in messages (Create PDP Context Response or Update PDP Context Response or Update PDP Context Request) from the GGSN and immediately begin PDP deactivation with a reactivation message. If the values in the messages are spurious, then this behavior could result in undesirable increases in network traffic due to bursts of deactivations/activations.
New Behavior: The new default behavior has the SGSN receive a restart counter change value and then the SGSN has the responsibility to verify a possible GTP-C path failure by issuing an Echo Request/Echo Response to the GGSN. Path failure will only be confirmed if the Echo Response contains a new restart counter value. Only after this confirmation of the path failure does the SGSN begin deactivation of PDP contexts.
Previously, if there was no match between the ciphering algorithm from the MS and the ciphering algorithm configured in either the call control profile or the GPRS service configuration, then the SGSN performed Attach or RAU without ciphering.
The SGSN’s local QoS THP and ARP configurations can now override the QoS traffic handling priority (THP) value and allocation/retention priority (ARP) from an HLR subscription. This QoS capping can be done on a per-APN basis and is configurable in the APN profile for use through the operator policy function.
This functionality can differentiate home vs. roaming subscribers, and prevent visiting subscribers from receiving a high-tiered service. For example, a service provider could offer service differentiation using Ultra/Super/Standard service levels based upon QoS; this could justify charging a corporate customer more to use the Internet APN than would be charged to a consumer. This could be accomplished by controlling the traffic handling priority (THP) over the air interface, i.e. THP 1 = Ultra, THP 2 = Super and THP 3 = Standard. But this must be configured at the operator policy level to prevent a “roamed-in” customer from getting Ultra service if the foreign subscriber’s network provisions all of their customers with THP 1 on their HLRs.
Checking access restriction data (ARD) in incoming insert subscriber data (ISD) messages is particularly useful in selectively restricting a subscriber in either 3G (UTRAN) or 2G (GERAN). In a previous release, the SGSN default behavior for an attach procedure was changed to check the ARD in the ISD and then accept or reject the subscriber with a configurable cause code included in the reject message.
The SGSN now supports diffserv code point (DSCP) marking of the GTP control plane messages on the Gn/Gp interface. This allows QoS to be set on GTP-C messages, and is useful if Gn/Gp is on a less than ideal link. DSCP marking is configurable via the CLI, with default = Best Effort Forwarding.
New configuration commands were added to create or remove a DSCP template which provides configuration of DSCP values for both control packets and data packets of different classes for traffic on Gb over IP.
The CLI commands which create or remove the DSCP templates are done at an SGSN-global level under the SGSN Global configuration mode; which also provides access to the new DSCP Template configuration mode.
These templates are associated with any of the configured GPRS services which allows that service to apply the configured DSCP values for all downlink packets sent out from the SGSN. If there is no profile associated with the GPRS service, the SGSN uses the default “Best Effort” DSCP values for both control and data packets.
The grouping configuration ranges for T1 and E1 channels has been enhanced. The SGSN now supports the full 0-31 timeslots for Frame Relay (channelized) port configuration, 32 for E1 and 24 for T1.
Previously, the SGSN allowed Gb/Iu Flex subscriber offloading only as per the specification-defined NULL NRI in P-TMSI and Non-Broadcast LAC/RAC mechanism. However, not all RNCs and BSSs support NULL-NRI.
The SGSN now supports Gb/Iu Flex subscriber offloading from one SGSN to another specific SGSN in a 2G/3G pool. In addition, the operator can configure the offloading Target NRI in P-TMSI, and the quantity to off load to the Target. This can be used to provide load balancing, or to off load a single node in pool, take it out of service for whatever reason (e.g., maintenance).
The SGSN can now measure the control plane packet delay for GTP-C signaling messages on the SGSN’s Gn/Gp interface towards the GGSN. If the delay crosses a configurable threshold, an alarm will be generated to prompt the operator.
A delay trap is generated when the GGSN response to an ECHO message request is delayed more than a configured amount of time and for a configured number of consecutive responses. When this occurs, the GGSN will be flagged as experiencing delay.
A clear delay trap is generated when successive ECHO Response (number of successive responses to detect a delay clearance is configurable), are received from a GGSN previously flagged as experiencing delay.
The SGSN now supports enhanced link aggregation (LAG) within ports on different side-by-side XGLCs. Ports can be from multiple XGLCs with some cards in L2 (side-by-side) redundancy.
LAG works by exchanging control packets (Link Aggregation Control Marker Protocol) over configured physical ports with peers to reach agreement on an aggregation of links. LAG sends and receives the control packets directly on physical ports attached to different XGLCs.
The link aggregation feature provides higher aggregated bandwidth, auto-negotiation, and recovery when a member port link goes down. With side-by-side redundancy on the XGLC, link aggregation supports horizontal ports from both XGLC cards.
For a PDP context request, an invalid APN occurs when none of the APNs in the HLR subscriber profile match the APN sent by the subscriber. The SGSN can now be provisioned to override an invalid APN even when a user has a wildcard APN in the HLR profile. The SGSN’s existing default APN functionality has been enhanced so that if a required subscription APN is not present in the subscriber profile, then the SGSN will now continue the activation with another configured 'dummy' APN. The call will be redirected, via the GGSN, to a Webpage informing the user of the error and prompting to subscribe for services.
The Lawful Intercept buffering feature has been enhanced to increase the number of call content records that can be buffered (or held in the buffer). For details, refer to the ASR 5000 Series Lawful Intercept Configuration Guide.
Previously, the SGSN supported GGSN selection for an APN only through operator policy, and supported a single pool of up to 16 GGSN addresses which were selected in round robin fashion.
The SGSN now supports configuration of multiple pools of GGSNs. As part of DNS resolution, the operator can use operator policies to prioritize local GGSNs versus remote ones. This function is built upon existing load balancing algorithms in which weight and priority are configured per GGSN. With the multiple GGSN pools feature, at this time, only the weight algorithm is used for selection. So with the primary GGSN pool used first and the secondary pool used when no primary GGSNs are available.
The SGSN first selects a primary pool and then GGSNs within that primary pool; employing a round robin mechanism for selection. If none of the GGSNs in a pool are available for activation, then the SGSN proceeds with activation selecting a GGSN from a secondary pool on the basis of assigned weight. A GGSN is considered unavailable when it does not respond to GTP Requests after a configurable number of retries over a configurable time period. Path failure is detected via GTP-echo.
The SGSN now provides the ability to map a maximum bit rate (MBR) value (provided by the HLR) to an HSPA MBR value. The mapped value is selected based on the matching MBR value obtained from the HLR subscription. QoS negotiation then occurs based on the converted value.
This feature is available within the operator policy framework. MBR mapping is configured via new keywords added to the qos class command in the APN Profile configuration mode. A maximum of four values can be mapped per QoS per APN. For details, refer to CSCzn32233 in the CLI Syntax section of the Interface Changes section of this release note.
NOTE: To enable this feature the qos prefer-as-cap, also a command in the APN Profile configuration mode, must be set to either both-hlr-and-local or to hlr subscription.
Refer to SGSN Modified Commands in the Configuration chapter of this document and to the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Command Line Interface Reference for details of the changes to the CLI.
When the SGSN detects GTP-C path failure between the SGSN and the GGSN, the SGSN now assumes PDP sessions at the GGSN are lost and the SGSN deactivates those PDP sessions towards the UE with an indication that the UE should activate the PDP session again. Detection is based on receipt of restart counter change values in messages (Create PDP Context Response or Update PDP Context Response or Update PDP Context Request) which can be spurious. Potentially, this scenario can increase traffic within the operator’s network.
Various enhancements have been made to manage the resulting service deactivations and activations which would cause needlessly large bursts of network traffic if the restart counter change messages from the GGSN are erroneous:
In accordance with specification Q.703, now EIM parameters are only available when SS7 link is configured for highspeed and AERM/SUERM parameters are only available when SS7 link is configured for lowspeed.
It is now possible to configure the SGSN to append LAC and RAC info to an APN DNS query for GGSN selection. It is expected that the DNS will use this information to determine the GGSN to route the APN.
For example, roaming subscribers using a specific APN may want to be directed to the closest GGSN. This can be achieved by having an operator policy for roaming subscribers associated with an APN profile that includes a configuration specifying that geographical information from the LAC/RAC be appended to the APN. This is then used as the DNS query string but does not modify the APN string being sent to the GGSN.
The SGSN now supports the PSC3 with PSC2-level capacity. This means the PSC3 in an SGSN currently supports the same number of subscribers as the SGSN with PSC2 cards. No special configuration is required.
The P-TMSI is a temporary identity issued to a GPRS enabled mobile, unique within a given RA (routing area), and is used by the GPRS network to page the specified mobile. When enabled, the SGSN sends a P-TMSI signature to the MS in an RAU Accept message, and the MS must include the P-TMSI Signature in the next RAU request for the SGSN to compare with the original signature.
You can now configure the frequency and interval of P-TMSI signature reallocation for Periodic RAU and Normal RAU events. In this way, the SGSN can change the P-TMSI assigned to the MS as often as needed to maintain confidentiality of an MS when roaming.
Prior to release 12, using the “default” keyword in the qos class command resulted in only a few QoS class parameters being set to predefined values and “default” was not applicable to an entire QoS class. As well, using the “no” keyword invalidated the local configuration for the entire class identified in the command.
New behavior in release 12: The new “all-values” keyword configures predefined values for all the QoS parameters within a QoS class when the keyword is invoked. Until then, there are no values configured for QoS parameters, primarily to ensure that when the QoS preference is set to “both-hlr-and-local” (since the least of the HLR and local values is considered), the SGSN does not always select the locally predefined values as they often are the lowest possible values for these parameters. This change provides a simple method to specify that all the parameters of a given QoS class, or simply to an individual, specified QoS parameter, be assigned some predefined values. The new “remove” keyword deletes the configured value(s) for an individual QoS parameter or for all parameters for a specified QoS class.
In previous releases, the SGSN partially supported reordering out-of-order segments coming from the same SNDCP N-PDU. If the first N-PDU segment came after subsequent segments, then the entire N-PDU was dropped.
Now, the SGSN fully supports reordering out-of-order segments coming from the same SNDCP N-PDU. The SGSN waits the configured amount of time for all segments of the N-PDU to arrive. If all the segments are not received before the timer expiries, then all queued segments are dropped.
The SGSN is trailing support for the S6d interface between the SGSN and the HSS. This will enable the SGSN to get subscription details of a 4G user from the HSS when user tries to register with the SGSN, either as part of an Inter-RAT handoff from 4G, or while attaching into 3G or 2G access.
Previously, the SGSN provides an authentication procedures for standard GMM events like Attach, Detach, RAU, and Service-Request, and SMS events such as Activate, all with support for 1-in-N Authenticate functionality. The SGSN did not provide the capability to authenticate MO/MT SMS events.
Now, the authentication functionality has been expanded to the Gs interface where the SGSN now supports configuration of the authentication repetition rate for SMS-MO and SMS-MT, for every nth event. This functionality is built on existing SMS CLI, with configurable MO and/or MT. The default is not to authenticate.
Now, the SGSN can restrict forwarding of SMS messages to specific SMSC addresses, in order to allow operators to block SMS traffic that cannot be charged for. This functionality supports multiple SMSCs and is configurable per SMSC address with a maximum of 10 addresses. It is also configurable for MO-SMS and/or MT-SMS messages.
Automatic Protection Switching (APS) is the ability of the system to detect failures on a working facility and switch to a designated backup facility. The failures are detected in the Multiplex Section of the SDH Overhead (MSOH) or Section Overhead (SOH) of SONET.
The SGSN now provides inter-card support of SONET APS and MSP (Multiplexed Switching Protection) functionality on the Optical Line Card 2 (OLC2) as specified in G.783 Annex A.
This section provides information on new Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) features in Release 12.1. Additional information on these features can be found in the
SGSN Administration Guide, and in the
CLI Reference Guide.
The configuration limits have increased from 32 to 128 for the maximum number of LACs, as a combined total for LACs configured, for pool-areas and non-pool-areas for a Gs Service.
The SGSN now fully supports regional subscription zone identities (RSZIs) in accordance with TS 23.008. The HLR stores a list of RSZIs; 10 per network destination code (NDC). The RSZI are comprised of the PLMN id and the zone code lists. The SGSN now enables the operator to define the zone code lists, to enable zone code checking, and to define the cause code for subscription rejection when it is due to regional subscription information failure.
The SGSN now supports the Network Requested PDP Context Activation (NRPCA) procedure for 3G attachments. Whenever there is downlink data at the GGSN for a subscriber, but there is no valid context for the already-established PDP address, the GGSN initiates an NRPCA procedure towards the SGSN. Prior to starting the NRPCA procedure, the GGSN either obtains the SGSN address from the HLR or uses the last SGSN address of the subscriber available at the GGSN. There are no interface changes to support this feature. Support is configured with existing CLI commands (network-initiated-pdp-activation, location-area-list) in the call-control-profile configuration mode and timers (T3385-timeout and max-actv-retransmission) are set in the SGSN service configuration mode.
For a PDP context request, an invalid APN occurs when none of the APNs in the HLR subscriber profile match the APN sent by the subscriber. The SGSN can now be provisioned to override an invalid APN even when a user has a wildcard APN in the HLR profile. The SGSN’s existing default APN functionality has been enhanced so that if a required subscription APN is not present in the subscriber profile, then the SGSN will now continue the activation with another configured 'dummy' APN. The call will be redirected, via the GGSN, to a Webpage informing the user of the error and prompting to subscribe for services.
• Use the APN in the first subscription record as a default APN. With this option the first subscription record with matching PDP type and PDP address will be used as the default APN. Here, first record means the first among the records received from HLR in that order. The default APN will be used if normal APN selection fails. This function is enabled via the new key-word ‘
first-in-subscription’.
• Fallback to the APN in the first subscription record when configured default APN is not available. It is possible to configure a default APN to be used. However, if the configured default APN is not present in subscription then the SGSN will use the APN in the first subscription record with matching PDP type and PDP address. This function is enabled via the new keyword ‘
fallback-to-first-in-subscription’.
• Prefer to use a single subscription record option, which specifies that if normal APN selection fails and if there is only one subscription record, then use the APN in that subscription record as the default APN. This is an optional configuration and is specified along with a default APN to be used. The configured default APN will be used when there are more than one subscription records. This feature is enabled via the new keyword ‘
prefer-single-subscription’.
The SGSN’s local QoS THP and ARP configurations can now override the QoS traffic handling priority (THP) value and allocation/retention priority (ARP) from an HLR subscription. This QoS capping can be done on a per-APN basis and is configurable in the APN profile for use through the operator policy function.
This functionality can differentiate home vs. roaming subscribers, and prevent visiting subscribers from receiving a high-tiered service. For example, a service provider could offer service differentiation using Ultra/Super/Standard service levels based upon QoS; this could justify charging a corporate customer more to use the Internet APN than would be charged to a consumer. This could be accomplished by controlling the traffic handling priority (THP) over the air interface, i.e. THP 1 = Ultra, THP 2 = Super and THP 3 = Standard. But this must be configured at the operator policy level to prevent a “roamed-in” customer from getting Ultra service if the foreign subscriber’s network provisions all of their customers with THP 1 on their HLRs.
Checking access restriction data (ARD) in incoming insert subscriber data (ISD) messages is particularly useful in selectively restricting a subscriber in either 3G (UTRAN) or 2G (GERAN). In a previous release, the SGSN default behavior for an attach procedure was changed to check the ARD in the ISD and then accept or reject the subscriber with a configurable cause code included in the reject message.
The SGSN now supports diffserv code point (DSCP) marking of the GTP control plane messages on the Gn/Gp interface. This allows QoS to be set on GTP-C messages, and is useful if Gn/Gp is on a less than ideal link. DSCP marking is configurable via the CLI, with default = Best Effort Forwarding.
The grouping configuration ranges for T1 and E1 channels has been enhanced. The SGSN now supports the full 0-31 timeslots for Frame Relay (channelized) port configuration, 32 for E1 and 24 for T1.
Previously, the SGSN allowed Gb/Iu Flex subscriber offloading only as per the specification-defined NULL NRI in P-TMSI and Non-Broadcast LAC/RAC mechanism. However, not all RNCs and BSSs support NULL-NRI.
The SGSN now supports Gb/Iu Flex subscriber offloading from one SGSN to another specific SGSN in a 2G/3G pool. In addition, the operator can configure the offloading Target NRI in P-TMSI, and the quantity to off load to the Target. This can be used to provide load balancing, or to off load a single node in pool, take it out of service for whatever reason (e.g., maintenance).
The SGSN can now measure the control plane packet delay for GTP-C signaling messages on the SGSN’s Gn/Gp interface towards the GGSN. If the delay crosses a configurable threshold, an alarm will be generated to prompt the operator.
A delay trap is generated when the GGSN response to an ECHO message request is delayed more than a configured amount of time and for a configured number of consecutive responses. When this occurs, the GGSN will be flagged as experiencing delay.
A clear delay trap is generated when successive ECHO Response (number of successive responses to detect a delay clearance is configurable), are received from a GGSN previously flagged as experiencing delay.
The SGSN now supports enhanced link aggregation (LAG) within ports on different side-by-side XGLCs. Ports can be from multiple XGLCs with some cards in L2 (side-by-side) redundancy.
LAG works by exchanging control packets (Link Aggregation Control Marker Protocol) over configured physical ports with peers to reach agreement on an aggregation of links. LAG sends and receives the control packets directly on physical ports attached to different XGLCs.
The link aggregation feature provides higher aggregated bandwidth, auto-negotiation, and recovery when a member port link goes down. With side-by-side redundancy on the XGLC, link aggregation supports horizontal ports from both XGLC cards.
For a PDP context request, an invalid APN occurs when none of the APNs in the HLR subscriber profile match the APN sent by the subscriber. The SGSN can now be provisioned to override an invalid APN even when a user has a wildcard APN in the HLR profile. The SGSN’s existing default APN functionality has been enhanced so that if a required subscription APN is not present in the subscriber profile, then the SGSN will now continue the activation with another configured 'dummy' APN. The call will be redirected, via the GGSN, to a Webpage informing the user of the error and prompting to subscribe for services.
The Lawful Intercept buffering feature has been enhanced to increase the number of call content records that can be buffered (or held in the buffer). For details, refer to the ASR 5000 Series Lawful Intercept Configuration Guide.
Previously, the SGSN supported GGSN selection for an APN only through operator policy, and supported a single pool of up to 16 GGSN addresses which were selected in round robin fashion.
The SGSN now supports configuration of multiple pools of GGSNs. As part of DNS resolution, the operator can use operator policies to prioritize local GGSNs versus remote ones. This function is built upon existing load balancing algorithms in which weight and priority are configured per GGSN. With the multiple GGSN pools feature, at this time, only the weight algorithm is used for selection. So with the primary GGSN pool used first and the secondary pool used when no primary GGSNs are available.
The SGSN first selects a primary pool and then GGSNs within that primary pool; employing a round robin mechanism for selection. If none of the GGSNs in a pool are available for activation, then the SGSN proceeds with activation selecting a GGSN from a secondary pool on the basis of assigned weight. A GGSN is considered unavailable when it does not respond to GTP Requests after a configurable number of retries over a configurable time period. Path failure is detected via GTP-echo.
The SGSN now provides the ability to map a maximum bit rate (MBR) value (provided by the HLR) to an HSPA MBR value. The mapped value is selected based on the matching MBR value obtained from the HLR subscription. QoS negotiation then occurs based on the converted value.
This feature is available within the operator policy framework. MBR mapping is configured via new keywords added to the qos class command in the APN Profile configuration mode. A maximum of four values can be mapped per QoS per APN. For details, refer to CSCzn32233 in the CLI Syntax section of the Interface Changes section of this release note.
NOTE: To enable this feature the qos prefer-as-cap, also a command in the APN Profile configuration mode, must be set to either both-hlr-and-local or to hlr subscription.
Refer to SGSN Modified Commands in the Configuration chapter of this document and to the
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Command Line Interface Reference for details of the changes to the CLI.
In accordance with specification Q.703, now EIM parameters are only available when SS7 link is configured for highspeed and AERM/SUERM parameters are only available when SS7 link is configured for lowspeed.
The SGSN now supports the PSC3 with PSC2-level capacity. This means the PSC3 in an SGSN currently supports the same number of subscribers as the SGSN with PSC2 cards. No special configuration is required.
The P-TMSI is a temporary identity issued to a GPRS enabled mobile, unique within a given RA (routing area), and is used by the GPRS network to page the specified mobile. When enabled, the SGSN sends a P-TMSI signature to the MS in an RAU Accept message, and the MS must include the P-TMSI Signature in the next RAU request for the SGSN to compare with the original signature.
You can now configure the frequency and interval of P-TMSI signature reallocation for Periodic RAU and Normal RAU events. In this way, the SGSN can change the P-TMSI assigned to the MS as often as needed to maintain confidentiality of an MS when roaming.
Prior to release 12, using the “default” keyword in the qos class command resulted in only a few QoS class parameters being set to predefined values and “default” was not applicable to an entire QoS class. As well, using the “no” keyword invalidated the local configuration for the entire class identified in the command.
New behavior in release 12: The new “all-values” keyword configures predefined values for all the QoS parameters within a QoS class when the keyword is invoked. Until then, there are no values configured for QoS parameters, primarily to ensure that when the QoS preference is set to “both-hlr-and-local” (since the least of the HLR and local values is considered), the SGSN does not always select the locally predefined values as they often are the lowest possible values for these parameters. This change provides a simple method to specify that all the parameters of a given QoS class, or simply to an individual, specified QoS parameter, be assigned some predefined values. The new “remove” keyword deletes the configured value(s) for an individual QoS parameter or for all parameters for a specified QoS class.
In previous releases, the SGSN partially supported reordering out-of-order segments coming from the same SNDCP N-PDU. If the first N-PDU segment came after subsequent segments, then the entire N-PDU was dropped.
Now, the SGSN fully supports reordering out-of-order segments coming from the same SNDCP N-PDU. The SGSN waits the configured amount of time for all segments of the N-PDU to arrive. If all the segments are not received before the timer expiries, then all queued segments are dropped.
The SGSN is trailing support for the S6d interface between the SGSN and the HSS. This will enable the SGSN to get subscription details of a 4G user from the HSS when user tries to register with the SGSN, either as part of an Inter-RAT handoff from 4G, or while attaching into 3G or 2G access.
Previously, the SGSN provides an authentication procedures for standard GMM events like Attach, Detach, RAU, and Service-Request, and SMS events such as Activate, all with support for 1-in-N Authenticate functionality. The SGSN did not provide the capability to authenticate MO/MT SMS events.
Now, the authentication functionality has been expanded to the Gs interface where the SGSN now supports configuration of the authentication repetition rate for SMS-MO and SMS-MT, for every nth event. This functionality is built on existing SMS CLI, with configurable MO and/or MT. The default is not to authenticate.
Now, the SGSN can restrict forwarding of SMS messages to specific SMSC addresses, in order to allow operators to block SMS traffic that cannot be charged for. This functionality supports multiple SMSCs and is configurable per SMSC address with a maximum of 10 addresses. It is also configurable for MO-SMS and/or MT-SMS messages.
Automatic Protection Switching (APS) is the ability of the system to detect failures on a working facility and switch to a designated backup facility. The failures are detected in the Multiplex Section of the SDH Overhead (MSOH) or Section Overhead (SOH) of SONET.
The SGSN now provides inter-card support of SONET APS and MSP (Multiplexed Switching Protection) functionality on the Optical Line Card 2 (OLC2) as specified in G.783 Annex A.
For detailed hardware platform and hard disk drive partition requirements, refer to the Web Element Manager Overview chapter
of the
Cisco Web Element Manager Installation and Configuration Guide. For installation information, refer to the
Cisco MITG RHEL v5.5 OS Application Note.
Multiple WEM servers can now be configured as part of a High Availability failover cluster via the use of Oracle Cluster software. Refer to
Appendix A in the
Cisco Web Element Manager Installation and Administration Guide for detailed information.