💥 New features have been released to the e-utran-features branch include:
- PFCP Support (Sxa,Sxb,Sxa/Sxb reference points)
- Expanded E-UTRAN procedure support including handover scenarios
- User Level Packet Copying feature captures session data
- CSID implementation and UP recovery
- UPF selection by DNS
- Predefined Rules
- UE sessions with multiple Bearer support.
- Charging by volume and time notification.
- Session level promotion/demotion due to handover
For more information take a look at the e-utran-features branch and supporting documentation.
Next Generation Infrastructure Core
Introduction
NGIC-RTC is a Control User Plane Separated (CUPS) architecture 3GPP TS23401
based implementation of Evolved Packet Core (EPC) Service and Packet Gateway
functions (SGW, PGW) in a run to complete design to maximize packet processing
performance per compute core. NGIC-RTC allows runtime configurable
SGWC-SGWU <S5/S8>, PGWC-PGWU or SPGWC-SPGWU options.
Interface between Control and User/Data plane i.e. S-PGWC and S-PGWU is ZMQ push-pull mechanism over TCP transport. Options for UDP transport or SDN integration are available too.
EPC Core
+-------------------------+
| +---------+ +---------+ |
Control| | MME | | PCRF | |
Signal| | | | | |
+----------+ +-------+ | | | |
+--+ | | | | +-----+---+ +---+-----+ |
|UE+-----+ | | | | | |
+--+ | | | | +-----------------+ |
| +--+ | | |s11 |Gx | |
+--+ | eNodeB +--+ | | +-------------+ | |
|UE+-----+ (Base | | | | | CP | | |
+--+ | Station)| | | | +-------------+ | | +--------------+
| | | |s1u| +-------------+ |sgi| | External |
+--+ | | +---------+ | DP | +-------+ Network |
|UE+-----+ | User | | +-------------+ | | | |
+--+ +----------+ Data | | NGIC NFV | | | |
|| | +-----------------+ | +--------------+
|| +-------------------------+
||
++
Feature List
The NGIC currently supports the following SAE-GW features:
- PCC (Policy Control and Charging) rules configuration.
- ADC (Application Detection and control) rules configuration.
- Packet Filters for Service Data Flow (SDF) configuration.
- Packet Selectors/Filters for ADC configuration.
- UE sessions with multiple Bearer support.
- SDF and APN based Qos Metering for MBR.
- Charging by volume and asynchronous notification.
- Enable command line or display stats periodically.
- IPv4 support
- Multiport support
- Sponsored Domain Name support
High Level Design
The NGIC is divided into Control plane (CP) and Data plane (DP). CP is used to set the PCC rules, QoS profiles, and UE Session to DP via UDP or ZMQ communication performed by the cp_dp_api library. Currently ADC rules are static.
+----------------+
| |
+-----> | Control |
S11 | Plane |
<-----+ | |
| |
+-------+--------+
|
|
| IPC
|
v
+-----------------+
| |
| |
+-----> | Data | +--->
S1U | Plane | SGi
<-----+ | | <---+
| |
+-----------------+
Below is a packet walk for the DP
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NGIC Data Plane Flow Diagram. |
| +---------------------------------+ +-----------------+ | Flow1
| +------+ +------+ +------+ | UE session | +------+ | SDF & ADC Filter| | <--------------+
| | CDR | | APN | | PCC | | +--------------------------+ | | PCC | | | | Flow2
Flow1 | |Charg | | Meter| | Meter| | |Default sdf1 | | |Gating| | sdf1 | | <--------------+
<-------+ | |ing | | | | | | |Bearer sdf3 | | | | | <-----------+ | |
Flow2 | | | | | | sdf1 | | +--------------------------+ | | sdf1 | | sdf2 | |
<-------+ | |per UE| |per UE| | sdf2 | | | | sdf2 | | <-----------+ | | Flow3
Flow3 | |per ADC | | | sdf3 | | | | sdf3 | | | | <--------------+
<-------+ | |per | | | | sdf4 | | +--------------------------+ | | sdf4 | | | | Flow4
Flow4 | | bearer | | | | | |Dedicated sdf2 | | | | | <-----------+ | | <--------------+
<-------+ | | | | | | | | |Bearer sdf4 | | | | | sdf3 | |
| +------+ +------+ +------+ | +--------------------------+ | | | | <-----------+ | |
| | | +------+ | sdf4 | |
| +---------------------------------+ +-----------------+ |
| |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The CP does session establishment and management by polling the configured S11 interface. Alternatively, the s11 interface may be bypassed to read/write packet capture (pcap) files, as the allocation of TEID and IP addresses are deterministic. The CP manages within its own data structures all required information to process the management of its connections, therefore tests may be performed independent of the data plane. The high level design of the control plane is shown below.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| NGIC Control Plane |
| +------------------+ +------------+ |
| | Create Session |_________________| IP | |
| | Parser/Responder | | allocation | |
| +------------------+_______________ +------------+ |
| | \ |
| | +------------------+ \___+-------------+ |
| | | Modify Bearer |________________| UE/Session/ | |
| | | Parser/Responder | | Bearer data | |
| | +------------------+ __________+-------------+ |
| | | . / | |
+-----> | | | . / +------------+ | |
S11/pcap | | | . / ___| Packet | | |
<-----+ | | | +------------------+ / | Filters | | |
| | | | Create Bearer |______/ +------------+ | |
| | | | Parser/Responder | | |
| | | +------------------+ | |
| | | | ... | |
| | | | +------------------+ | |
| | | | | Delete Session |____________________| |
| | | | | Parser/Responder | |
| | | | +------------------+ |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| +------------------+ |
| | CP_DP_API | |
| +------------------+ |
+-----------||------------------------------------------------+
||
\/
DP
Messages currently supported by the control plane include:
GTP Echo Request (RX) / GTP Echo Reply (TX)
Create Session Request (RX) / Create Session Reply (TX)
Delete Session Request (RX) / Delete Session Reply (TX)
Modify Bearer Request (RX) / Modify Bearer Reply (TX)
Create Bearer Request (TX) / Create Bearer Reply (RX)
Delete Bearer Request (TX) / Delete Bearer Reply (RX)
Bearer Resource Command (RX - on the condition TAD operation type specifies addition or deletion of packet filter)
Error handling is not implemented as specified by 3GPP 29.274, specifically the
MME will receive no indication of error. Messages indicating error type may be
displayed to console output, depending on type of error.
Furthermore, the control plane expects the contents of these messages to contain certain Information Elements (IE). These may differ from all corner cases allowed by 3gpp 29.274, which will be ignored, and may drop messages if some IEs are not present.
For low level details on the Control Plane see CP_README.MD
Installation
Please refer INSTALL.MD for instructions to install and run CP and DP
Release Notes
Please refer RELEASE_NOTES.MD