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The Rise of Diameter Signaling

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Tekelec has more than 20 office worldwide serving customers in more than 100 countries. Addresses, phone and fax numbers are listed on the Tekelec website at www.tekelec.com/offices. This document is for informational purposes only, and Tekelec reserves the right to change any aspect of the products, features or functionality described in this document without notice. Please contact Tekelec for additional information and updates. solutions and examples are provided for illustration only. Actual implementation of these solutions may vary based on individual needs and circumstances. 2010 Tekelec. All rights reserved. The EAglE and Tekelec logos are registered trademarks of Tekelec. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. TKlC-WP-036-nA-11-2010

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................4 sIP as the successor to ss7..........................................................................................5 Diameter Routing Challenges.......................................................................................5 Comparing ss7 with Diameter......................................................................................6 Diameter signaling Router overview.............................................................................7 signaling Architecture for Diameter-based networks....................................................7 Diameter mediation and Protocol Interworking............................................................8 Additional Value of a Centralized Diameter Router.......................................................9 In summary..................................................................................................................9 some Relevant Acronyms...........................................................................................10

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Introduction
mobile data traffic is skyrocketing, fueled by the introduction of smartphones, laptop dongles, flat-rate plans, social networking and compelling applications like mobile video. And, there is no slowdown in sight. ABI Research (9 August 2009) predicts that by 2014 the mobile data traffic registered per month will equal the total data traffic logged during all of 2008. operators have realized that their 3g networks are not equipped to sustain this high level of traffic growth. They are looking to all-Internet protocol (IP) networks such as long term evolution (lTE) and IP multimedia subsystem (Ims) to provide the bandwidth required to support data-hungry devices and applications and to cost effectively address the growing gap between traffic and revenue growth. The Diameter protocol, using stream control transmission protocol (sCTP) for transport, is used widely in the all-IP, service-oriented Ims and lTE architectures. Within the Ims control and service planes, Diameter plays a central role in policy, charging, authentication and mobility management. for years operators have employed signaling system 7 (ss7) as the international, standardized protocol to communicate globally between operator networks. IsDn user part (IsUP) is used for voice-oriented communication, CAmEl Application Part (CAP) is used for service control and mobile application part (mAP) for non-call-related signaling, including mobility management. The digital era is on the horizon, yet the majority of operators around the globe still connect their networks through the exchange of well-defined ss7 messages. All of that is about to change. This paper focuses on the signaling role that Diameter is going to play in end-to-end IP networks like lTE. Diameters part in service-related functions such as charging is not addressed in detail. However, Tekelec expects common protocol functions such as routing, screening and Diameter-normalization to be implemented in common but centralized Diameter-specific network elements.

79%

11% 10%

CAP/INAP ISUP/BICC MAP

Figure 1. Signaling Volumes in GSM Core Network

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SIP as the Successor to SS7

While voice-related IsUP traffic represents only 10% of the overall signaling traffic, the functions it performs will be required in all-IP networks such as Ims. As the networks evolve, operators will move away from ss7-based IsUP to session initiation protocol (sIP). A relevant development in this area is the IP eXchange (IPX), which the gsm Association (gsmA) developed to create a technical and commercial infrastructure that supports packet voice interconnects. It is also used for other purposes such as Diameter-based roaming for lTE and Ims interconnect. The IPX, carrying sIP traffic, can be seen as an alternative to IsUP-based voice interconnects. In practice, the gPRs Roaming Exchange infrastructure (gRX) is evolving to IPX, which combines the data and voice worlds into one infrastructure. In lTE networks, the functions performed by ss7-based mAP signaling also will be replaced by equivalent operations based on the Diameter protocol. This is detailed in relevant 3gPP specifications. over time, the number of ss7 networks will stabilize and more and more Diameter-based interfaces will be used.

Diameter Routing Challenges

Without a separate Diameter signaling infrastructure at the network core to facilitate signaling between network elements, endpoints such as mobility management entities (mmEs) and home subscriber servers (Hsss) must utilize direct signaling connections to each other, forming a mesh-like network architecture. network endpoints must handle all session-related tasks such as routing, traffic management, redundancy and service implementation. Initially, implementing an Ims or lTE network without a signaling core may be sufficient, but as traffic levels grow, the lack of a capable signaling infrastructure poses a number of challenges, including: Scalability: Each endpoint must maintain a separate sCTP association with each of its Diameter peers as well as the status of each, placing a heavy burden on the endpoints as the number of nodes grows. Congestion control: Diameter lacks the well-defined congestion control mechanisms found in other protocols such as ss7. for example, if an Hss has multiple Diameter front ends, the lack of sufficient congestion control increases the risk of a cascading Hss failure. Network interconnect: A fully meshed network is completely unworkable when dealing with connections to other networks because there is no central interconnect point, which also exposes the operators network topology to other operators and can lead to security breaches. Interoperability testing (IOT): Protocol interworking becomes unmanageable as the number of devices supplied by multiple vendors increases. With no separate signaling or session framework, IoTs must be performed at every existing node when a new node or software load is placed in service. IoT activities consume a considerable amount of operator time and resources, with costs increasing in proportion to the number of tests that must be performed.

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Support for both SCTP- and transmission control protocol (TCP)-based implementations: sCTP-based elements cannot communicate with TCP-based elements unless they are upgraded or all of the elements support both protocol stacks. Subscriber to HSS mapping: When there are multiple Hsss in the network, subscribers may be homed on different Hsss. Therefore, there must be some function in the network that maps subscriber identities to Hsss. With no separate Diameter signaling infrastructure, that task must be handled by a standalone subscription locator function (slf), or by the Hss itself. Either approach wastes mmE (or call session control function [CsCf]) processing and can add unnecessary delays. The Hss approach wastes Hss resources and may even result in the need for more Hsss than would otherwise be necessary. Policy and charging rules function (PCRF) binding: When multiple PCRfs are required in the network, there must be a way to ensure that all messages associated with a users particular IP connectivity access network (IP-CAn) session are processed by the same PCRf.

Comparing SS7 with Diameter

There are key differences between the ss7 and Diameter protocols that also create challenges. operators used to managing ss7 networks need to be aware that certain common rules no longer apply in lTE, and they will need to take other measures to get the network behavior they have become accustomed to with ss7. one example is network failures. In ss7, the network is designed and configured to route around a failed path, and, therefore, the signaling is optimized upon detection of a failure. for Diameter, the failed path must be (re)discovered every time a request is sent over it. In this way, Diameter signaling is less efficient. A central Diameter routing functionality could provide some improvements. Tekelec believes that as with ss7, a centralized node to manage signaling routing and related functionalities will continue to play an important role in future signaling

Characteristic
Routing

SS7
Each message independently routed

Diameter
Answer message does not contain routing info and follows same path as associated request Hop-by-hop

Network-wide Signaling network management (SNM) and Congestion control Dedicated SNM messages Routed around failed paths Congestion levels and traffic priorities defined

No dedicated SNM messages Failures discovered with each new request Relies on reliable transport No defined traffic priorities Specialized, app-specific proxies required

Subscriber number based routing

GTT can be used by upper layers

DRA for PCRF HSS address resolution for EPC and IMS

Robustness

Wide-scale deployment; years of experience

Early days; lots of prove-in still required

Figure 2. A Comparison of SS7 and Diameter Characteristics 6

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networks. The introduction of Diameter-based signaling does not change this. Industry organizations have recognized this need, including the 3gPP. In fact, the Diameter standard defines Diameter agents to support the efficient and correct handling of Diameter signaling. These agents include: Diameter relay, Diameter redirect, Diameter proxy and Diameter translation.

Diameter Signaling Router Overview

Tekelecs Diameter signaling Router (DsR) creates a centralized core Diameter signaling layer that relieves lTE and Ims endpoints of routing, traffic management and load balancing tasks and provides a single interconnect point to other networks. Each endpoint only needs one connection to a DsR to gain access to all other Diameter destinations reachable by the DsR. This approach eliminates the Diameter/sCTP (or TCP) mesh that is created by having direct signaling connections between each network element. Having one or more sCTP hubs that centralize the sCTP connections to all end nodes simplifies interoperability between different network elements and enhances network scalability.

Signaling Architecture for Diameter-based Networks

Centralizing Diameter routing with a DsR creates a signaling architecture that reduces the cost and complexity of the core network and enables core networks to grow incrementally to support increasing service and traffic demands. It also facilitates network monitoring by providing a centralized vantage point in the signaling network. A centralized signaling architecture: Improves signaling performance and scalability by alleviating issues related to the limited signaling capacity of mmEs, Hsss, CsCfs and other Diameter endpoints; simplifies network expansion because routing configuration changes for new endpoints are performed only on the DsR; Increases reliability by providing geographic redundancy; Provides mediation of Diameter variants to support interoperability between multi-vendor endpoints; Creates a gateway to other networks to support roaming, security and topology hiding; Reduces provisioning, maintenance and IoT costs associated with adding new network nodes; Enables Hss routing flexibility with integrated Hss address resolution function; Creates a centralized monitoring and network intelligence data collection point to isolate problems and track key performance indicators (KPIs); and Provides network-wide PCRf binding to ensure that all messages associated with a users particular IP-CAn session are processed by the same PCRf. 7

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Foreign LTE Domain

Foreign GPRS Domain

vMME

vPCRF SS7 Diameter Agent

SLF

vSGSN

Diameter Agent

vS4-SGSN

EIR

DSR

IP-SM-GW

PCRF MME PGW P-CSCF OFCF I/S-CSCF

AF

OCF

ABMF

RF

Home LTE/IMS Domain

Figure 3. Typical Network Architecture Using the DSR as a Central Diameter Routing Engine

Diameter Mediation and Protocol Interworking

The DsRs ability to centralize the mediation of different Diameter variants deserves special focus because it brings immediate benefit to the network. As with other protocols, vendors are likely to use their own variants of the Diameter protocol based on how they believe a specific interface should be implemented. This implementation can be slightly different from that of another vendor, although both claim to work to specifications. Interworking issues arise when multi-vendor equipment is combined in one network, a common approach for operators that are building a best-of-breed solution. The issue can also emerge when operators connect their network to other parties, like mobile virtual network operators (mVnos). Interworking Diameter and non-Diameter nodes that are built on legacy protocols presents a special challenge. operators that want to introduce Diameter-based protocols into a network where legacy protocols must also be supported either for costs or practical reasons must take Diameter mediation into account. That mediation can be handled by having a decentralized functionality where one of the two platforms implements both Diameter and the non-Diameter, legacy protocol. or, a purpose built protocol mediation solution can be deployed between the nodes. Tekelecs view is that a centralized protocol mediation function is a more effective approach. It allows operators to maintain legacy nodes without investing in temporary, new functionality and capacity for interworking purposes. The centralized protocol mediation function can provide immediate value even without solving complex routing tasks by enabling: Diameter-to-Diameter interworking for two different Diameter implementations; Diameter-to-legacy protocol interworking where each operator has different needs based on the particular legacy protocols that need to be supported; and, IPv4-IPv6 and sCTP-TCP interworking. 8

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Additional Value of a Centralized Diameter Router

The Diameter-based router is the perfect vantage point at the network core to cost effectively and flexibly enable a variety of other functions and services. It is a much more efficient way to implement routing tables from a central point in the network and deploy capabilities that need access to other network resources, either inside or outside the operators own domain. The centralized node can then proxy information for decentralized elements like Hsss, mmEs or PCRfs. When connecting to a Diameter-based network element in another operators network, there is always the risk that the Diameter implementations will not match perfectly, even if the elements are provided by the same vendor. Therefore, a Diameter agent is required to adapt Diameter messaging. By implementing the functionality at the central network core level, operators can perform IoTs faster and more cost effectively. In the ss7 world, operators steer roaming traffic to enable them to control the network on which their subscribers roam. Typically, the solution is connected to a centralized node that handles the roaming signaling traffic, usually next to the signal transfer point (sTP). The use of Diameter-based roaming combined with the always-on nature of lTE data sessions requires a new solution to steer roaming traffic. This is yet another application of a centralized Diameter router. In the near future, traffic steering can be enriched with personalized steering defined by policy information. for example, an operator could steer traffic based on the requested services and the availability of the best network, either in terms of cost or quality for that service at that time of day. A centralized signaling router with access to policy information and real-time network status can provide this next level of traffic steering.

In Summary
step by step, ss7 signaling is being replaced by Diameter and sIP-based equivalents. While lTE defines Diameter-based rather than ss7 interfaces, the majority of the functionalities performed by ss7 will have to be carried into the Diameter realm. As Diameter networks become larger, the number of interfaces and complexity will increase, creating the need to optimize networks for Diameter-related tasks. The Diameter signaling Router creates a Diameter signaling core that relieves lTE and Ims endpoints of routing, traffic management and load balancing tasks and provides a single interconnect point to other networks. The resulting architecture enables IP networks to grow incrementally and systematically to support increasing service and traffic demands. A centralized Diameter router is the ideal place to add other advanced network functionalities like address resolution, Diameter interworking and traffic steering.

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Some Relevant Acronyms

BICC CAmEl CAP CsCf DRA DsR EnUm EPC gRX Hss InAP Ims IoT IP IP-CAn IPX IsUP IWf KPI lTE mAP mmE mVno PCRf PDn sB sCCP sCTP sIP sms Bearer Independent Call Control Customized Applications for mobile network Enhanced logic CAmEl Application Part Call session Control function Diameter Routing Agent Diameter signaling Router Electronic number mapping Evolved Packet Core gPRs Roaming eXchange Home subscriber server Intelligent network Application Part IP multimedia subsystem Interoperability Test Internet Protocol IP Connectivity Access network IP Packet eXchange IsDn User Part Interworking function Key Performance Indicator long Term Evolution mobile Application Part mobility management Entity mobile Virtual network operator Policy and Charging Rules function Packet Data network service Broker signaling Connection Control Part stream Control Transmission Protocol session Initiation Protocol short message service

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ss7 sTP TCP ss7 sTP TCP

signaling system 7 signal Transfer Point Transmission Control Protocol signaling system 7 signal Transfer Point Transmission Control Protocol

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