BSSSIG: SIGTRAN in A Interface (Signalling Transport)

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Objectives
On completion of this module the student will be able to: Explain the benefit of using SIGTRAN in terms of signalling network planning, and signalling network capacity Draw SIGTRAN protocol stacks and explain the role of each layer Monitor and explain SIGTRAN messages from Ethereal or other signalling monitoring tool

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Introduction
Standardized (IETF Sigtran working group) method of transporting CCS7 signalling over IP with the option of using one of the following: SUA (SCCP-User Adaptation Layer) M3UA (SS7 MTP3-User Adaptation Layer)
SCCP MTP3 MTP2 MTP1 SUA

SUA
SCTP IP

MTP3 MTP2 MTP1

M3UA

M3UA
SCTP IP

Nokia implementation in BSC is M3UA over SCTP which is compliant to 3GPP Rel4 specifications
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Use of SIGTRAN
MSS GMSS

SIGTRAN SIGTRAN
BSC

SIGTRAN

IP Backbone
SIGTRAN
SSRi

SIGTRAN
TSCi

PSTN/ISDN

HLRi

SIGTRAN

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Sigtran Deployment in Rel4 MSC Server System

MAP TCAP SCCP M3UA SCTP IP MSC Server HLR BICC M3UA SCTP IP MSC Server BSSAP BSSAP SMSC MAP TCAP SCCP M3UA SCTP IP

SCCP
M3UA SCTP

SCCP
MTP3 MTP2 MTP1

IP
BTS BTSM LAPD BSC ISUP M3UA SCTP IP
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IP

MGW BSC MGWs act as Signaling GWs

Sigtran IP transport standards

IETF RFC 2719: Framework Architecture for Signalling Transport, IETF RFC 2960: Stream Control Transmission Protocol, IETF RFC 3332: Signalling System 7 (SS7) Message Transfer Part 3 (MTP3) User Adaptation Layer (M3UA).

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SCTP (Stream Controlled Transmission Protocol)

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Stream Control Transmission Protocol SCTP

Basic lower layer protocol to serve different adaptation layers SCTP runs directly over IP (no TCP or UDP). SCTP is similar to TCP but has some improvements
reliable data transfer (continuous monitoring on reachability) connection oriented with multiple streams ordered or unordered delivery congestion and flow control supports multihoming SCTP is defined in RFC 2960

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SCTP Functions

Association Start-up and Takedown Sequenced Delivery within Streams User Data Fragmentation Acknowledgement and Congestion Avoidance Chunk Bundling Packet Validation Path Management (SCTP Multi-Homing)

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What is SCTP Multihoming?

An SCTP endpoint is considered multi-homed if there are more than one transport address that can be used as a destination address to reach that endpoint.
SCTP association 192.168.1.20 primary path . . . secondary path(s)

SCTP endpoint

192.168.1.21 192.168.1.22

What does this mean in practice? Nokia implementation supports two addresses per endpoint (one for each Ethernet interface in BCSU) Both interfaces are active at the same time Only one path is used at any time
SCTP association 192.168.1.20 el0 primary path

BCSU
el1

192.168.2.20

secondary path

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SCTP Messages

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General structure of SIGTRAN message

24 bytes 24 bytes Header MTP3 data1 Header MTP3 data2

M3UA

32 bytes Common Header Chunk Header User data1 Chunk Header User data2

SCTP

IP

20+ bytes (v4) 40+ bytes (v6) Common Header Chunk Header Chunk Header

IP Header

User data1

User data2

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SCTP Chunks
ID 0 1
2 3

Chunk Type DATA INIT

INIT ACK SACK

Description Data Used to deliver user data Initiation This chunk is used to initiate SCTP association between two endpoints. Initiation Acknowledgement This chunk is used to acknowledge the initiation of an SCTP association. Selective Acknowledge This chunk is sent to peer endpoint to acknowledge received DATA chunks and to inform the peer endpoint of gaps in the received subsequences of DATA chunks as represented by their TSNs Heartbeat Request An endpoint should send this chunk to its peer endpoint to probe the reachibility of a particular destination transport address defined in the present association. Heartbeat acknowledge An endpoint should sent this chunk to its peer endpoint as a response to a HEARTBEAT chunk. Abort The ABORT chunk is sent to the peer of an association to close the association. This chunk may contain Cause parameter to inform the receiver the reason of the abort.
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HEARTBEAT

5 6

HEARTBEAT ACK ABORT

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SCTP Chunks
ID 7 8 Chunk Type SHUTDOWN SHUTDOWN ACK ERROR COOKIE ECHO COOKIE ACK SHUTDOWN COMPLETE Description Shutdown An endpoint in an association must use this chunk to initiate a graceful close of the association with its peer. Shutdown Acknowledgement This chunk must be used to acknowledge the receipt of the SHUTDOWN chunk at the completion of the shutdown process. Operational Error An endpoint sends this chunk to its peer endpoint to notify it of certain error conditions. Cookie Echo This chunk is used only during the initialization of an association. It is sent by the initiator of an association to its peer to complete the initialization process. Cookie Acknowledgement This chunk is used only during the initialization of an association. It is used to acknowledge the receipt of a COOKIE ECHO chunk. Shutdown Complete This chunk must be used to acknowledge the receipt of the SHUTDOWN ACK chunk at the completion of the shutdown process.

9 10

11

14

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SCTP message structure

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SCTP DATA chunk format

01234567012345670123456701234 567 Type=0 Reserved B E U Length TSN Stream Identifier S Stream Sequence Number n

Payload Protocol Identifier

User Data (seqn of stream S)

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SCTP SACK chunk format

01234567012345670123456701234 567 Type=3 Chunk Flags Length

Cumulative TSN Ack

Advertised Receiver Window Credit a_rwnd Number of Gap Ack Blocks N Number of Duplicated TSNs X Gap Ack Block #1 start Gap Ack Block #N start Gap Ack Block #1 end Gap Ack Block #N end

Duplicate TSN 1
Duplicate TSN N

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SCTP Procedures

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SCTP normal association establishment

SCTP
INIT

SCTP

INIT ACK COOKIE ECHO

Establishment

COOKIE ACK

DATA

SACK

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SCTP association termination

SCTP
SHUTDOWN

SCTP

Graceful termination of the association SHUTDOWN COMPLETE

SHUTDOWN ACK

Abort of the association

ABORT

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SCTP data transfer

SCTP
DATA (TSN=7, STRM=0, SEQ=3) DATA(TSN=8, SRTM=0, SEQ=4) Error free operation SACK (TSN ACK=8, Block=0)

SCTP

DATA (TSN=9, STRM=0, SEQ=5)

DATA (TSN=10, STRM=0, SEQ=6) DATA (TSN=11, STRM=0, SEQ=7) Error recovery SACK (TSN ACK=9, Block=1, Strt=2, End=2)

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Nokia Implementation of SCTP

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Sigtran Terms and Concepts

Addressing based on SPCs!
Signalling point B Association Set
BSC (Client)
BCSU_0 BCSU_1 BCSU_2

DX200
Signalling point A

SCTP Association

MSS (Server)
BSU_0

IP

BSU_1 BSU_2

CM

CM

SPC_1

IP Addresses

SPC_2

Association is identified by the computer unit and destination address. Only one association allowed per computer unit in one association set.

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Sigtran routing: SCTP Associations

Server e.g. MSS
SPC_1
BSU_0 BSU_1 BSU_2

Association Set SCTP Association

Client e.g. BSC

SPC_2
BCSU_0

IP
IP Addresses

BCSU_1 BCSU_2

One signalling link consists of one association set

One association set consists of max 16 associations for ordered messages and max 32 associations for unordered messages. Signalling link is active when at least 1 association is active Signalling linkset is active when at least 1 signalling link is active SLS field is used to select the appropriate association One signalling unit can be connected to multiple association sets but inside one association set the unit is only connected to one association.
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M3UA (MTP 3 User Adaptation)

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M3UA
M3UA is a protocol defined by IETF sigtran working group (RFC
3332) for transporting MTP3 user part signalling messages over IP using SCTP. M3UA is used between a signalling gateway and media gateway controller (ASP-SG) or between two IP applications (IPSP IPSP communication)

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ASP-SGP communication
ASP-SGP communication is needed when communicating between MTP-3 peers in CCS7 and IP domain. For the communication to be possible a seamless interworking function is needed in the SG.
BSSAP TCAP SCCP MTP3 MTP2 SCCP MTP3 MTP2 M3UA M3UA SCTP SCTP BSSAP TCAP SCCP

MTP1
MTP1

IP
IP Network

IP

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Sigtran routing AS vs SG
AS (e.g. MSS) ASP (SIGU 0) ASP (SIGU 1) ASP (SIGU 2)
SG routing:

SG (e.g. MGW) SGP (ISU 0)

AS = Application Server= group of ASPs connected to a SGP and serving a specific routing key (DPC+NI) SG = Signalling Gateway = group of SGPs connected to an ASP and serving a specific routing key (DPC+NI) SG is needed for communication between MTP3 peers in IP and C7 domains M3UA level interworking function is needed for MTP3 user peers in IP and C7

SGP (ISU 2)

Information in incoming message from C7 link vs provisioned routing key => AS selection
ASP is selected from a list of active ASPs in loadsharing If no loadsharing is used, only one ASP is in the list

(Other possibility is IPSP - IPSP routing. Similar but does not require a SG)
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IPSP-IPSP communication
SS7 and M3UA interworking is not necessary in this model

MAP SCCP M3UA SCTP IP

MAP SCCP M3UA SCTP IP

IP Network

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Message structure of M3UA (Protocol Data)

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The tool to look at signaling

Ethereal - Network Protocol Analyzer

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User Interface

Messages group

Different layers of one message

Physical bit stream

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