EngD seminar: HLR in 2G, 2'5G

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EngD seminarHLR in 2G, 2.5G 3G
Mehdi Khorasani Lucent Technologies UCL-EE EngD
student UCL-EE Supervisor Dr Lionel Sacks Lucent
Supervisor Paul Donnelly 22 June 2001
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Agenda ...

• GSM network, the role of HLR in it.
• HLR hardware and software configuration.
• HLR testing, with focus on the integration
  performance testing.
• Evolvement of HLR from 2G to 2.5 and 3G.

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GSM Network ...
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HLR, ...

• What is it? It is a database, which holds
  information about
• all subscribers,
• locations.
• What is it for?
• keeping track of mobile subscribers and their
  status,
• routing calls,
• enabling roaming,
• providing information about subscribed services.

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HLR scenario1 mobility management ...
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HLR scenario2 call handling ...
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HLR Architecture ...

• STOP sorry that I cannot disclose confidential
  information.
• But can give you a very high level overview
• totally distributed architecture,
• omnipresent, scalable, resilient system,
• modularised, layered architecture,
• based on X.500,
• fault-tolerant hardware,
• 4GB RAM,

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HLR Architecture ...

• RAM based database,
• Unix based,
• supports MAP Phase1, Phase2 and Phase2,
• LDAP/DAP interfaces,
• over 100MB WAN/LAN,
• 6 millions subscribers.
• uses Lucents SS7 stack.

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HLR hardware ...
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X.500, Directory Services

• The Directory Information Base (DIB) The
  collection of information held by the directory.
• The Directory Information Tree (DIT) the logical
  hierarchical structure of the directory
  information, objects, attributes.
• The Directory System Agent (DSA) provides the
  directory functionality.
• The Directory User Agent (DUA) represents a
  user in accessing the directory.

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X.500, Characteristics ...

• The location of data is transparent.
• Information partition ?
• Replication
• Master/Shadow
• Caching
• Synchronisation
• Propagation
• ? Consistency.

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X.500, Characteristics ...

• Distribution behaviour
• Chaining
• Referrals
• Multicasting.

X.500 Interface Protocols ...

• DAP- Directory Access Protocol.
• LDAP Lightweight DAP.
• DOP- Directory Operational Binding Protocol.
• DSP Directory Services Protocol.

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X.500, DIT
root
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X.500, DIT, DSAs
root
DSA2
DSA3
DSA1
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X.500 ...
Directory
Node1
DSA2
Node2
DSA1
DSP
DSA3
DUA
DAP, LDAP
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HLR testing

• Test areas include
• Call Handling,
• Mobility Management,
• Information Retrieval,
• Supplementary Services,
• ... .
• Functional, Performance Resilience tests?
• thousands of functional tests,
• complex performance tests 48 hours resilience
  test runs.

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HLR performance requirements

• Response Time
• Average
• 95

• Transaction Capacity

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HLR Test Environment
100 MB LAN
HLR
SS7 Links
Message Generator Traffic Simulator (MGTS from
Tekelec)
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HLR Testing, MGTS

• 16 intel-486 cards, 32 MB RAM each,
• Software on Sun Sparc server,
• Wide range of protocol support
• Very flexible Design, many bugs in the
  implementaion

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HLR Testing, MGTS Main Window
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HLR Testing, MGTS Tools
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HLR Testing, MGTS Message Editor
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HLR Testing, MGTS State Machine Editor
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HLR Testing, MGTS, SME 2
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HLR Testing, MGTS, SME 3
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HLR Testing, MGTS, Database Editor
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HLR Testing, MGTS Sequence Group Editor
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HLR Testing, MGTS N/W Map Editor
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HLR Testing, MGTS, NME 2
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HLR Testing, MGTS, NME 3
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HLR Testing, MGTS Shelf Configuration
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HLR Testing, MGTS, SC 2
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HLR Testing, MGTS, N/W Shelf Assignment
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HLR Testing, MGTS, NSA 2
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HLR Testing, MGTS Run Time Window
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HLR Testing, MGTS, RTW 2
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HLR Testing, MGTS, RTW 3
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HLR Testing, Studies Results

• Response Time measurements
• Propagation Delay Compensation
• CPU, Memory, log files
• top
• sar
• syslog

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HLR Testing, Studies Results
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HLR Testing, Studies Results
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Future

• GPRS, 2.5 G
• HLR, FrameRelay, max theory rate 171.2 Kbps
• 3G UMTS Release99
• HLR, ATM, 2Mbps??? (Urban, indoor), 384 Kbps?
  (Urban, limited mobility), 144 Kbps (most
  likely, national, full mobility).
• 3G UMTS R4
• HSS, radically different (CN) from R99
• 3G UMTS R5
• R4 IP Multimedia (IM)

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GPRS Network
Abis
GSM
PSTN
A
Frame Relay
Gs
D
Gn
GPRS
Gr
PS
SGSN
Gn
Gn
GGSN
Gc
Gp
B-GGSN
Gi
F/W
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3GPP R5

• Call Session Control Function (CSCF)
• Incoming Call Gateway function
• Call Control function
• Serving Profile Database function,
• Address Handling function.
• SIP Proxy/B2BUA Server

CSCF
R-SGW
CSCF
MGCF
T-SGW
HSS
MRF
MGW
CAP
BSS GERAN
R
Um
TE
MT
Gb
SGSN
GGSN
Gn
Gf
A
Gi
EIR
Iu
UTRAN
R
Uu
MGW
Iu
TE
MT
Taken from another Lucent presentation.
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HLR Future

• GPRS, R99 Compliance
• migration to 64 bit OS.
• Gr Interface defined. D interface improved LU
  for GPRS supported. No SRI for GPRS, etc.
• AuC of GPRS supported.
• CAMEL3 Supported CSI including GPRS CSI, U
  CSI, UG CSI, SS CSI, SMS-CS, O-CSI, T-CSI, G
  CSI.
• SS7 Over TCP/IP.
• 8 G RAM.

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Useful Links ...

• www.3gpp.org
• www.3gpp2.org
• www.imagicom.co.uk
• www.3gip.org
• www.arib.or.jp/arib/english
• www.itu.int
• www.uwcc.org
• www.wapforum.org
• www.ietf.org
• www.ipv6forum.com
• www.itu.int/imt/

(3G Partnership Project)
(3G Glossary)
(Universal Wireless Communications)
(WAP Forum)
(ITU IMT 2000)
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Abbreviations
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Abbreviations
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From 3G TS 23.002
The mobile station consists of the physical
equipment used by a PLMN subscriber it comprises
the Mobile Equipment (ME) and the Subscriber
Identity Module (SIM), called UMTS Subscriber
Identity Module (USIM) for Release 99 and
following. The ME comprises the Mobile
Termination (MT) which, depending on the
application and services, may support various
combinations of Terminal Adapter (TA) and
Terminal Equipment (TE) functional groups. These
functional groups are described in GSM 04.02.
For my clarification use only