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Temporary Block Flow (TBF) Parameters

Last updated: May 31, 2010
This section is only applicable to the lab applications.

Frame Start Position

Uplink Data Timeout

Delayed Downlink TBF

Extended Uplink TBF

TBF Re-establishment

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval

Final Block Polling

Early Re-Transmissions

T3192 TBF Release Timer

ARAC on receipt of PRR

Packet Uplink Access Control

Downlink MCS/PS Control Granularity

Other information on this page includes:

Operating Considerations

Frame Start Position

The Frame Start Position parameter allows you to specify the type of frame numbering scheme
to be used when establishing a data connection.

Changing the frame numbering scheme may enable the test set to establish a data connection
with mobile stations which cannot connect under normal conditions.
There are three possible settings:

Relative: the test set sends the starting frame number to the mobile as a relative offset
from the current frame.

Absolute: the test set sends the starting frame number to the mobile as an absolute frame
number.

Immediate: the test set sends the starting frame number as an immediate assignment.

This parameter is located in the TBF Control parameters menu on the test set's front panel. To
access this menu, see How Do I Set the Temporary Block Flow (TBF) Control Parameters? .
If the type of data connection you want to establish is BLER, the commands
CALL:FUNCtion:DATA:BLER:LLC:FCSequence and
CALL:FUNCtion:DATA:BLER:POLLing:INTerval may also be helpful in enabling the test set
to establish a data connection with mobile stations which cannot establish a BLER data
connection under normal conditions.
The GPIB command to set the Frame State Position parameter is
CALL:FUNCtion:DATA:FRAMe:STARt .

Uplink Data Timeout

The Uplink Data Timeout parameter helps to determine whether the radio link has failed and
whether the uplink flow of data messages has been interrupted for an extended period of time.
Note, this parameter only takes effect in the following data connection types: ETSI A, ETSI B
(UNACK) and SRB Loopback.
You can turn on or turn off the Uplink Data Timeout timer by setting the Uplink Data Timeout
parameter.

When the Uplink Data Timeout parameter is set to a numeric timeout value, The Uplink
Data Timeout timer will run whenever an uplink TBF is active. Each time a valid RLC
data block message is received by the RLC/MAC layer the timer is reset to 0, but if the
timer expires then the uplink is assumed to have been lost and the connection (uplink and
any downlink TBF's) will be released. This timer is to track RLC data message only,
reception of RLC control message will not reset the timer.

When the Uplink Data Timeout parameter is set to OFF, the TBF will not be released.

This parameter is located in the TBF Control parameters menu on the test set's front panel. To
access this menu, see How Do I Set the Temporary Block Flow (TBF) Control Parameters? .
You can set the state and duration of the Uplink Data Timeout timer. To set them separately, use
CALL:(PDTCH|PDTChannel):TBFLow:UPLink:DLOSt:TIMer:STATe to set the state of the
timer, CALL:(PDTCH|PDTChannel):TBFLow:UPLink:DLOSt:TIMer:DURation to set the
duration of the timer; use CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):TBFLow:UPLink:DLOSt:TIMer[:SDURation] to set the state and duration
simultaneously.

Delayed Downlink TBF

A delayed release of the downlink TBF is when the release of the downlink TBF is delayed
following the transmission of a final data block, rather than instantly releasing the TBF. A
delayed downlink TBF allows re-use of a downlink TBF for subsequent data transfers without
the need for TBF re-establishment, thereby reducing the latency involved between downlink
transfers.Support for or use of delayed downlink TBF is not advertised to the mobile station in
any way, and therefore is not contained in the System Information messages. The mobile station
does not require any changes to support delayed downlink TBF operation.
The connection status displays `Transferring' when Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) is not enabled
and `Connected/Transfer' when DTM is enabled until the downlink TBF has been released.
You can set the Delayed Downlink TBF state and duration. To set them separately, use CALL:
(PDTCH|PDTChannel):TBFLow:DOWNlink:DELayed[:SDURation] to set the Delayed
Downlink TBF state, CALL:(PDTCH|PDTChannel):TBFLow:DOWNlink:DELayed:STATe to
set the Delayed Downlink TBF duration; use CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):TBFLow:DOWNlink:DELayed:DURation to set the state and duration
simultaneously.
For more information about the delayed release of the downlink TBF, refer to 3GPP TS 44.060
Version 6.14 Section 9.3.1a.

Extended Uplink TBF

The Extended Uplink TBF parameter extends the time period before an uplink TBF is released.
The TBF is extended for a period of time (set by the network), following the reception of a data
block marked with a Countdown Value of zero (CV=0). 3GPP TS 44.060 Version 6.14.0 states,
"In the extended uplink TBF mode, the uplink TBF may be maintained during temporary inactive
periods, where the mobile station has no RLC information to send." An extended uplink TBF
allows the mobile station to reuse the uplink TBF for subsequent data transfers without the need
for TBF re-establishment, thereby reducing the latency involved between uplink data
transfers.The network's support for extended uplink TBF is broadcasted on the (P)BCCH within
a (Packet) System Information message. The mobile station must have explicit support for the
extended uplink functionality to operate correctly.

You can set the Extended Uplink TBF state with the GPIB command
CALL[:CELL]:TBFLow:UPLink:EXTended[:STATe] , set the Extended Uplink TBF Duration
with the GPIB command CALL:(PDTCH|PDTChannel):TBFLow:UPLink:EXTended:DURation
, set the Extended Uplink TBF No Data state with the GPIB command
CALL[:CELL]:TBFLow:UPLink:EXTended:NOData[:STATe] .

TBF Re-establishment
When the TBF Re-establishment state is set to On, the test set allows the re-establishment of an
uplink TBF before the current TBF is released. Therefore, if the mobile station requires a new
uplink TBF it does not have to wait for the current TBF to be released before establishing the
next uplink TBF. Instead, the mobile station begins requesting a new TBF as soon as the final
acknowledgment for the current uplink TBF has been received from the network.
The GPIB command to set the TBF Re-establishment state is CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):TBFLow:REEStablish[:STATe] .
For more information about TBF Re-establishment, refer to 3GPP TS 44.060 Version 6.14.

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval

The Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval parameters allows you to specify the number of RLC
block periods to wait before the test set sends the Packet Uplink Ack/Nack RLC control message
to Mobile Station during an uplink TBF. You can influence the data throughput by setting the
parameters. A high Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval value which exceeds the size of RLC
transmit window may cause the RLC transmit window to stall, a low Packet Uplink Ack/Nack
Interval value may prevent downlink data being sent to the MS as RLC control messages have
higher priority than RLC data.
For multislot configurations that have fewer downlink timeslots than uplink timeslots, the test set
attempts to match the specified Ack/Nack period in a `best effort' manner. If the requested
number of Ack/Nack messages would exceed the available downlink bandwidth, the lowest
value possible is used instead. For example: For a 1D2U multislot configuration with Packet
Uplink Ack/Nack Interval set to "1", the test set's 'best effort' value used is "2".
Just as the test set allows for the RLC transmit "Window Size" parameter to be different for
GPRS and EGPRS, it also allows for the Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval to be configured
individually for GPRS and EGPRS operations. These parameters are:

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval (GPRS):

The valid range of this parameter is 1 to 63. The GPIB command to set this parameter is
CALL:FUNCtion:DATA:PUPLink:ACKNack:INTerval:GPRS .

Packet Uplink Ack/Nack Interval (EGPRS):

The valid range of this parameter is 1 to 1023. The GPIB command to set this parameter
is CALL:FUNCtion:DATA:PUPLink:ACKNack:INTerval:EGPRs .
This parameter is located in the TBF Control parameters menu on the test set's front panel. To
access this menu, see How Do I Set the Temporary Block Flow (TBF) Control Parameters? .

Final Block Polling

The Final Block Polling parameter allows you to control the uplink data throughput by setting
the polling rate.
When a downlink TBF needs to be released (i.e. there is no more data to transfer at the RLC
layer), the network will send the last data block with the Final Block Indicator bit set to 1. It will
also set the bit or bits required to poll. This will indicate to the DUT that this data block is the
last in the TBF and that it should send a Packet Downlink ACK/NACK message so that the TBF
can be released according to 3GPP TS 44.060 section 9.3.2.6. These ACK/NACK messages will
take transmission priority over data blocks for the DUT and each time it receives a valid poll it
must respond with the appropriate message.
There are two possible settings for this parameter:

Normal: The poll bit is set every time a RLC data block with the Final Block Indicator is
set. The DUT will send a control block in the place of a data block when it receive a RLC
data block with poll bit set, thus reducing uplink data throughput in the process.

Reduced: the test set poll twice within each RRBP period, initiated by the FBI being set.
The first poll happens on the first instance of the FBI transmission. The second poll
happens approximately halfway through the RRBP period. The exact timing of the poll is
determined internally in the protocol stack via the frame numbers. An RRBP period is
about 100ms, so the uplink data throughput will be increased.

This parameter is located in the TBF Control parameters menu on the test set's front panel. To
access this menu, see How Do I Set the Temporary Block Flow (TBF) Control Parameters? .
The GPIB command to set this parameter is CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):TBFLow:DOWNlink:FBIndicator:POLLing .

Early Re-Transmissions
This setting affects the BLER accuracy when the ETSIBAckMeasurementmode of BLER
measurement is `Polling' and the packet transfer mode is `Acknowledged'. You can improve the
accuracy of BLER measurement by setting the Early Re-Transmission Sate to OFF.

In Acknowledged Packet Transfer mode, the test set assigns the RLC data blocks a specific status
value while they reside in the stack awaiting transmission. This status is used to determine which
block is transmitted and when the block will be transmitted. The statuses include:

RECEIVED - new blocks are given this status when they arrive in the stack. These blocks
have not yet been transmitted.

PENDING_ACK - blocks that have just been transmitted are given this status.

NACKED - blocks that are NACKED by the DUT, i.e. requiring a re-transmission. These
will be stored in the stack in a queue until such a time as it can be re-transmitted, then it
will be set to pending_ack.

ACKED - blocks that are acknowledged are given this status. These blocks will normally
be deleted immediately after becoming acked.

When the DUT requests a re-transmission of a block it will be marked as NACKED in the stack.
If there are no other NACKED blocks in the stack then this block will be re-transmitted before
any other blocks, if there are other NACKED blocks already waiting then they will be processed
first. After these NACKED blocks are sent their status moves to PENDING_ACK. When the
Early Re-transmission State is set to ON, the PENDING_ACK block is selected for transmission
if there is no NACKED or RECEIVED block in the stack. This means that a RLC block is sent to
the DUT more than one time before the test set know the status of the initial transmission. This
will affect the accuracy of BLER results in two ways:
1. The DUT may have more than one attempt to successfully decode a data block.
2. If a RLC block is sent to the DUT more than one time before receiving the Packet
Downlink ACK/NACK message and the previous ones were failed to be decoded but the
last one passed, then the test set will mark the block as ACKED and will not record any
BLER for it.
When the Early Re-transmission State is set to OFF, the test set first determines if it is required to
poll the DUT. If the test set determines that a poll is required, it sends the last data block to the
DUT that has already been `ACKED'. As the block has already been counted for BLER and as
the DUT has already acked it, it is safe to re-transmit it. Note that the test set determines the last
`ACKED' data block from the bitmap of the Packet Downlink ACK/NACK message.
This parameter is located in the TBF Control parameters menu on the test set's front panel. To
access this menu, see How Do I Set the Temporary Block Flow (TBF) Control Parameters? .
The GPIB command to set this parameter is CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):TBFLow:DOWNlink:RETRansmit[:STATe] .

T3192 TBF Release Timer

See Configurable Timers for more information.

The GPIB command to set the Timer is CALL[:CELL]:TBFLow:T3192 .

ARAC on receipt of PRR

When the ARAC on receipt of PRR parameter is set to ON , the test set sets the ARAC request bit
in the PACKET UPLINK ASSIGNMENT message when assigning an EGPRS TBF. The mobile
then provides the network with its radio access capabilities for the frequency bands it supports by
sending a PRR (PACKET RESOURCE REQUEST) message, and an ADDITIONAL MS
RADIO ACCESS CAPABILITIES message if all the requested information does not fit in the
PACKET RESOURCE REQUEST.
Currently, setting the ARAC request bit in the PACKET UPLINK ACK/NACK message is not
supported by the test set.
The ARAC on receipt of PRR parameter is only available when the operating mode is set to
ActiveCell(EGPRS) .
The GPIB command to set the ARAC upon PRR State parameter is CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):ARAC:PRRequest[:STATe] .
See 3GPP TS 44.060 section 7.1.2.2.1a and 3GPP TS 44.018 section 3.5.2 for more information
about how to request the Additional MS Radio Access Capability information.

Packet Uplink Access Control

Establishment of an uplink TBF in response to a (P)RACH Channel Request is wholly under the
control of the network. A MS may request a One Phase or Two Phase access procedure and in the
general case the network will adhere to the default MS request mode of operation. The exception
to this is in EGPRS where Two Phase Access is mandated when EGPRS Packet Channel Request
is not supported in the Cell. However, even when two phase access is mandated by the MS, the
network may legally still use whatever procedure it choices.
Due to limitations in the (P)AGCH Assignment signaling it is only possible to perform a One
Phase assignment procedure if the following parameter are set.

Number of uplink timeslots equals 1 or RTTI is active

If DLDC is enabled only a single DLDC Uplink Carrier may be assigned

When the above criteria are met it is possible to override the Packet Access Control to One
Phase, otherwise only Two Phase or MS Request settings are available. If One Phase access is
currently selected and the above criteria are no longer met, e.g. the multislot configuration is
changed to 1x2 then the Packet Access Mode shall change to the default value (MS Request).

The Packet Uplink Access Control parameter is particularly useful if EGPRS Packet Channel
Request is not supported in the cell and the user wants to use a One Phase procedure.
The Packet Uplink Access Control setting can be changed at any time but will only take effect 2
during the next Access Request procedure.
The Packet Uplink Access Control setting is only available when the operating mode is set to
ActiveCell .
The GPIB command to set the Packet Uplink Access Control parameter is CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):TBFLow:UPLink:PAControl .

Downlink MCS/PS Control Granularity

The Downlink MCS/PS Control Granularity setting effectively provides selection between two
modes of operation associated with the MCS/PS used during downlink EGPRS transfer. The
Downlink MCS/PS Control Granularity parameter can be set to one of the following values:

TBF
When this setting is configured to `TBF', a single MCS is applied to the whole TBF.
The GPIB command to set the MCS for the Downlink TBF transmission is: CALL:
(PDTCH|PDTChannel):MCSCheme:DOWNlink
The GPIB command to set the MCS for the Uplink TBF transmission is: CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):MCSCheme:UPLink
The GPIB command to set the MCS for both the Uplink and Downlink TBF transmission
is: CALL:(PDTCH|PDTChannel):MCSCheme

BURST
When the Downlink MCS/PS Control Granularity is configured to `BURST', the
MCS/PS settings are used to specify the downlink MCS to apply at a per-burst level.
The GPIB command to set the MCS for a specific burst in the Downlink transmission is:
CALL:(PDTCH|PDTChannel):MCSCheme:DOWNlink:BURSt[1]|2|3|4|5|6
The GPIB command to set the MCS for a specific burst in the Downlink transmission on
Carrier 2 in the Downlink Dual Carrier mode is: CALL:(PDTC2|PDTCH2|
PDTChannel2):MCSCheme:DOWNlink:BURSt[1]|2|3|4|5 .

Due to hardware constraints, it shall only be possible to configure (and therefore transmit)
downlink blocks using GMSK modulation and no more than one other modulation format on a

PDCH-carrier basis. For example, in a DLDC configuration in Active Cell (EGPRS) operating
mode, it is possible to configure transfer of both GMSK and 16QAM bursts on PDCH Carrier 1,
whereas PDCH Carrier 2 may be configured to transmit GMSK and 8PSK bursts. If an attempt is
made to try and configure the MCS/PS Burst settings for a multiple slot downlink which
specifies a combination of Modulation and Coding Schemes resulting in a request for GMSK and
more than one other modulation format to be transmitted an error shall be generated.
The Downlink MCS/PS Control Granularity setting is only available when the operating mode is
set to ActiveCell(EGPRS .
The GPIB command to set the Packet Uplink Access Control parameter is CALL:(PDTCH|
PDTChannel):MCSCheme:DOWNlink:GRANularity .

Operating Considerations
It is recommended that you should not change the Frame Start Position parameter while the data
connection status is Starting , as there is no guarantee whether the new setting or the previous
setting will be used for the current data connection.
The delayed downlink TBF, extended uplink TBF, and TBF Re-establishment parameter settings
only take affect when the OperatingModeis set to ActiveCell (serving cell GSM, GPRS, or
EGPRS) and the DataConnTypeis set to Auto .
The Operating Mode must be set to CellOffwhenyouchangetheExtendedUplinkTBF
state.Ifnot,the following error appears on the test set's front panel.
"GSM/GPRSoperationrejected;AttemptingtosetBCHparameterwhile
generatingaBCH "

Related Topics
How Do I Set the TBF Parameters?