UMTS - Core Network Protocols and Procedures (3 days or 18 hours)
As mobile service providers seek to migrate their core and access transport networks to systems based on IP/MPLS, a number of new network nodes and associated protocols are being introduced. This course seeks to demystify the operation of 3GPP Release 4 networks which are based on IP Soft Switching, discussing the overall network architecture and detailing the protocols and technologies that allow calls to be established, maintained and torn down in this new environment.
Who Should Attend
Circuit Switched Network Engineers involved in the continued deployment and operation of a Release 4 networks. Operations and Support staff requiring a comprehensive guide to the composition and functionality of a next generation mobile network.
Pre - Learning
Pre-Learning is provided to prime those attending the instructor led phase. Each lesson is based on an interactive online format and should take about 30 minutes to complete. The pre-Learning lessons are:
- Test of Understanding - Try the online check to see how much you know.
- Packet Switching.
- Protocol Stacks and IP.
- IP Addressing.
- IP Soft Switching.
Course Outline
Divided into 14 sections, the topics covered will include:
Section 1: Carrier Grade IP (1.5 hours)
- Migration to a Packet Switched Transport Network - ARPU, OPEX, CAPEX.
- Motivation for the IP Soft Switch.
- Soft Switch Advantages and Disadvantages.
- NGN Protocol Placement - BICC, Sigtran, SIP, H.248, MGCP, RTP/RTCP etc.
- Overall Operation - high level call flow.
Section 2: IP Transmission and Switching (1.5 hours)
- IP/MPLS Transport Network Basics.
- MPLS Traffic Engineering.
- Resiliency and Redundancy - MPLS FRR.
- Traffic Separation - MPLS VPNs.
- PBB-TE.
Section 3: MPLS TE and Other Services (1 hour)
- What is Traffic Engineering? - MPLS as a suitable protocol for supporting TE.
- Where to Use MPLS TE - Explicit Routing, Network Utilization, Priority and Preemption.
- Circuit Emulation over MPLS, Pseudowire End to End Emulation, channel bonding.
- Ethernet - VLANs, QoS, PBB-TE.
Section 4: IP Signalling Aspects (1.5 hours)
- Sigtran Components - SGW, STP, SCTP, User Adaptation.
- SCTP Architecture - Associations, Endpoints, Streams, Chunks.
- SCTP Association Establishment - INIT, INIT-ACK, COOKIE-ECHO, COOKIE-ACK.
- SCTP Data Transmission and Acknowledgement - TSN, SSN, SID, SACK.
- User Adaptation Layers - SUA, IUA, M3UA, M2UA, M2PA.
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 5: Media Description (1 hour)
- SDP Composition - Session and Media Level.
- SDP Transport Options - SIP, H.248, BICC etc.
- Session Level Parameters.
- Media Level Parameters.
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 6: IP Traffic Aspects (1.5 hours)
- RTP and RTCP Overview.
- RTP Key Functionality - RTP header fields.
- RTP and Voice Codecs.
- Compression.
- RTCP Reports and their Key Components - Sender, Receiver, SDES, Bye, App etc.
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 7: Quality of Service Issues (1 hour)
- Problems in IP Networks for QoS - jitter, dropped packets, delay, mis-sequencing etc.
- QoS Mechanisms for IP - IntServ and RSVP.
- QoS Mechanisms for IP - DiffServ.
- Additional QoS Mechanisms for Packet Networks - 802.1p, MPLS-TE, BFD, SBCs etc.
Section 8: Media Gateway Control Protocols (1 hour)
- H.248 Protocol Architecture - capabilities and features.
- H.248 Transactions - contexts, terminations, commands, descriptors.
- H.248 Packages - specific packages employed in the 3GPP Release 5 architecture.
- Message Flow for Call Establishment and Termination.
- MGCP Architecture - differences between H.248 and MGCP.
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 9: Bearer Independent Call Control (1 hour)
- BICC CS1 and CS2.
- BICC CS2 Key Functions - CSF, BCF, MCF etc.
- ISUP Message Format.
- IPBCP.
- BICC Call Establishment.
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 10: Session Initiation Protocol (1.5 hours)
- SIP Capabilities.
- SIP Identities and Functional Elements - AoR, Proxy, Registrar, Redirect.
- Methods - Register, Invite, Ack, Cancel, Bye, Options.
- SIP Registration and Registration Security.
- SIP Session Establishment.
- Defining the Media Stream with SDP (Session Description Protocol).
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 11: SIP Enhancements (1 hour)
- Development of SIP - SIP Working Groups, SIMPLE, SIPPING.
- Areas of Development - header fields, methods, warning codes, security mechanisms.
- Additional Methods - Publish, Subscribe, Notify, Prack, Info, Update, Message, Refer.
- Problems associated with Firewalls and NAT.
- NAT Traversal Techniques - UPnP, ICE, SBC.
- Where appropriate, network traces and associated exercises will feature throughout the section to enhance understanding.
Section 12: End to End Call Procedures (1.5 hours)
- Protocol Interoperation during Call Establishment.
- Interaction with the UTRAN - key RANAP messages.
- Mobility Database Interrogation - key MAP messages.
- Mobility and the Core Network.
Section 13: Network Modelling Techniques (2 hours)
- Traffic profiles from real networks, golden cells and the impact of congestion on the service provider’s business plan.
- Network cost models for cell sites, backhaul, core and IP interconnect.
- Modelling of IP networks using Excel.
- Planning Exercise, translating traffic and subscriber forecasts into network CAPEX and OPEX.
Section 14: Future Core Networks (1 hours)
- Requirements and market drivers for the EPC / SAE.
- Positioning of the EPC / SAE within the overall LTE architecture.
- 3GPP standards process.
- SAE principles of operation.
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