BlekingeInstituteofTechnology SchoolofElectricalEngineering,Karlskrona,Sweden Thesis Number: MEE09:76 Master’sThesisinElectricalEngineeringwithemphasison Internetsystems SIGNALING OVER PROTOCOLS GATEWAYS IN NEXT-GENERATION NETWORKS By AKINWANDEGBENGASEGUN gsak06@ student.bth.se August2009 Supervisor : GunnarRåhlem DepartmentofTelecommunication&InternetSystems BlekingeInstituteofTechnology,Sweden. Examiner : GunnarRåhlem DepartmentofTelecommunication&InternetSystems BlekingeInstituteofTechnology,Sweden. ABSTRACT SignallingoverProtocolGatewaysareimportantelementsinthecurrentgenerationand next-generation networks. Signalling and protocol gateways provide interconnectivity among the various methods of signalling transport networks, like the TDM systems (E1/T1/J1), ATM systems (STM-1/OC3) and IP (SIGTRAN). The signalling and ProtocolgatewaysenableTDMA/ATM-basednetworknodestoconnecttoanIP-based application such as soft IP-switches andapplication servers. The gatewayadopts IETF SIGTRAN protocols, therebyallowinginteroperabilitywith third-partyequipment. This gatewayis usedinbuildingwireless andintelligent networkingsystems andto widening SS7 bandwidthonexitingnetworks. The gatewayitself uses SIGTRAN StreamControl TransmissionProtocol(SCTP)andM3UAadaptationlayertotransportsignallingtraffic throughIPnetworksremoteapplicationsorbetweengateways. The invention of software products such as Ulticom’s Signalware SS7 and SBC-915X provides a high performance, cost effective single slot solution for any signalling requirement supportingSS7, ATMandSIGTRAN protocols for 2G and3G networks. TheseproductssupportsMobility,Location,Payment,SwitchingandMessagingservices in wireless, IP andwirednetworks. Theyfurther provide interface options such as IP- basedM2PAlinks,M3UAconnectivity,SIPandtraditionalSS7links.Theyarealsoenable theplatformfordeveloperstocreateanddeployservicesintraditional,Next-Generation andconvergednetworks. Theseproductswithappropriatesoftwaremodulesmakesprovisionforasinglesolution that supports all protocols for narrow, broadband and IP signalling across T1/E1/J1, OC3/STM-1andEthernetinterfaces.SignallingcapabilitiessuchasSCTP,M2PA,M2UA, M3UA and SUA allowvoice, video and data networks to converge, thereby enabling carriers to increasinglyuse the opportunityprovidedbythe all-packet network. Typical applications are found in Base Station Controllers; Radio Network Controllers; Mobile SwitchingCentres;HLR/VLRS;SignallingGatewaysandSoft-switches.Othersarevoice over IP (VoIP), Media Gateways; GatewayGPRS Support Node (GGSN) andServing GPRSSupportNodes(SGSN)nodesforGPRSand3G;IntelligentNetworks;andBilling Mediation. - ii- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I give thanks to Jehovah – the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent God for his guidance, protection, divine provision and making this educationalsojournareality. Mysincere gratitude to mylate father - PaAmos Akinwande. I also give thanks tomy motherforhersteadfastnessandprayerinmakingthisstruggleasuccess.Tomydearest, theloveofmylife–MaryAkinwande,thissuccessisalsoyours.ManythankstoMr.B.A Akinwande(late),Mr.KolawoleAkinwande,Mr.JuliusAkinwande,MrIsaacAkinwande, MrsToyinOyewole(NeeAkinwande),MrE.OFatoyinboandMr.A.A.Akintolafortheir financialassistanceandencouragement. I will not forget Mr Gunnar Råhlemfor his useful suggestions andcontributions while assessingthiswork.MyregardstotheLenaMagnussonandtheentirestaffofschoolof ElectricalEngineering.Iwillliketosaythankyoutomynumerousfriends,amongwhoare: PaulAyeme,StephenOkeke,OludeleOgundele,OlumideAjiboye,SolomonOsagie,Bah Abdul,AdebisiOlorunsinwaandSolomonOnoabhagbe. - iii - TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT........................................................................................................................iii TABLEOFCONTENT……………………………………………………………………….iv CHAPTERONE 1.0INTRODUCTIONTOSIGNALINGOVERPROTOCOLSGATEWAYS……………...1 CHAPTERTWO 2.0SS7ANDATMSIGNALING............................................................................................................3 2.1INTRODUCTIONTOSS7................................................................................................................3 2.2SS7SIGNALINGLINKTYPES………………………………………………………......4 2.3ATMSIGNALING………………………………………………………………………....4 2.4MTPLAYERS........................................................................................................................................5 2.5SCCP.........................................................................................................................................................6 2.6TCAP........................................................................................................................................................7 2.7ISUP..........................................................................................................................................................7 2.8SS7PERFORMANCEREQUIREMENTS......................................................................................7 CHAPTER3 3.0SIGTRAN................................................................................................................................................9 3.1WHYSIGTRANINTHEFIRSTPLACE?..................................................................................10 3.1.1UDP.....................................................................................................................................................10 3.1.2TCP......................................................................................................................................................10 3.2SIGTRANARCHITECTURE...........................................................................................................12 3.3SCTP.......................................................................................................................................................12 3.3.1MULTI-HOMING...........................................................................................................................14 3.3.2MULTI-STREAMING....................................................................................................................15 3.3.3OTHERSCTPTRAITS..................................................................................................................16 3.4USERADAPTATIONLAYERS.....................................................................................................16 3.4.1IUA……………………………………………………………………………………....16 3.4.2M2PA...................................................................................................................................................17 3.4.3M2UA..................................................................................................................................................18 3.4.4M3UA..................................................................................................................................................19 3.4.5SUA......................................................................................................................................................20 3.5SECURITY............................................................................................................................................21 3.6INTEROPERABILITYTESTS.........................................................................................................21 3.7COMMERCIALIMPLEMENTATIONS......................................................................................22 CHAPTERFOUR 4.0DISCRETEEVENTSIMULATIONOFUMTSNETWORK………………….................24 4.1INTRODUCTIONANDGENERALMODELDESCRIPTION………………………..24 4.2UMTSPROTOCOLBACKGROUND…………………………………………………...25 4.3MODELARCHITECTURE……………………………………………………………....26 4.3.1UENODEMODELARCHITECTURE………………………………………………..26 4.3.2NODE-BMODELARCHITECTURE……………………………………………….....27 4.3.3RNCMODELARCHITECTURE……………………………………………………....29 4.3.4CNMODELARCHITECTURE………………………………………………………..30 4.3.5UMTSMODELARCHITECTURE…………………………………………………......33 4.4SCHEDULINGALGORITHMS…………………………………………………..............34 4.4.1MACSCHEDULER…………………………………………………………………......35 4.4.2WEIGHTEDFAIRQUEUING(WFQ)………………………………………………...35 - iv - 4.4.3MODIFIEDDEFICITROUNDROBIN(MDRR)MODULE………………………....37 4.5INTEGRATIONWITHOPNETMODELER14.5……………………………………....38 4.5.1ESSENTIALSPARTSOFOPNET……………………………………………………..38 4.6SIMULATIONMODEL……………………………………………………………..........38 4.6.1SIGNALFLOWS………………………………………………………………………..39 4.6.2PDPCONTEXTACTIVITATIONANDRABASSIGNMENT………………….........40 4.6.3RABASSIGNMENTWITHPRIORPDPACTIVATION………………………...........42 4.6.4PDPCONTEXTMODIFICATIONWITHRABMODIFICATION………………….44 4.7NODESCONFIGURATION…………………………………………………………….47 4.8PERFORMANCEMETRICSFORSCHEDULERS……………………………………...49 4.8.1ANALYSISBASEDONQoSTRAFFIC…………………………………………...........49 4.9SIMULATIONRESULTS……………………………………………………….................50 4.9.1RESULTOFTHROUGHPUTINBOTHMDRRANDWFQ……………………........50 CHAPTERFIVE 5.0CONCLUSIONANDRECOMMENDATIONS……………………………………........54 5.1THESISSUMMARY……………………………………………………………………....54 5.2THESISCONTRIBUTION………………………………………………………………54 5.3RECOMMENDATION…………………………………………………………………..55 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………..56 - v- Chapter One 1.0 Introduction to Signalling and Protocol Gateways The Public Switched Telephone