Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Network Protocols
Network Architectures
Dr. David Wong Tung Chong
Email: wongtc@i2r.a-star.edu.sg
Website: http://www1.i2r.a-star.edu.sg/~wongtc/course.html
2
GSM (2G Cellular) BSS base station subsystem
MT mobile terminal
AuC, NSS network and switching
EIR HLR VLR subsystem
PSTN, OSS
PLMN,
OSS operation and support
subsystem
ISDN
GMSC MSC BTS base transceiver
NSS stations
BSC base station controller
AuC authentication center
BSC BSC BSS
EIR equipment identity
register
HLR home location register
VLR visitor location register
MSC mobile switching center
GMSC gateway MSC
BTS BTS BTS BTS PSTN public switched
telephone network
BTS BTS PLMN public land mobile
network
ISDN integrated services
MT MT
digital network
MT MT MT MT
Figure 1. Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Network Architecture
3
GSM (2G Cellular)
The GSM system consists of three subsystems
Base station subsystem (BSS)
Network and switching subsystem (NSS)
Operation and support subsystem (OSS)
Base station subsystem (BSS)
BSS consists of
Base transceiver stations (BTSs)
Base station controller (BSC)
The role of the BSS is to provide transmission paths between the
mobiles and the NSS.
The BTS is the radio access point.
Each BTS serves one cell.
The main functions of the BSC are cell management, control of a
BTS and exchange functions.
4
GSM (2G Cellular)
Network and switching subsystem (NSS)
NSS includes switching and location management functions.
NSS consists of
mobile switching center (MSC)
home location register (HLR)
visitor location register (VLR)
gateway MSC (GMSC)
authentication center (AuC)
equipment identity register (EIR)
The MSC is a complete exchange with switching and signaling capabilities.
GMSC provides interface between the mobile network and public switched
telephone network (PSTN), public land mobile network (PLMN) and
integrated services digital network (ISDN).
MSC is capable of routing calls from the BTS and BSC to mobile users in
the same network (through BSC and BTS) or to users in the PSTN, PLMN
and ISDN (through GMSC) or to answering machines integrated within the
MSC.
5
GSM (2G Cellular)
HLR and VLR are databases for location management.
The HLR stores the identity and user data of all subscribers
belonging to the mobile operator for both local and aboard
(roaming) users.
The VLR contains the permanent data found in the HLR of the
users original network for all subscribers currently residing in its
MSC serving area.
That is, VLR contains data of its own subscribers of the network
that are in its serving area, as well as that (temporary data) of
roamers from other GSM networks.
The AuC is related to HLR and contains sets of parameters needed
for authentication procedures for the mobile stations.
EIR is an optional database that contains numbers of the mobile
phone equipments.
The purpose of EIR is to prevent usage of stolen mobile stations or
to bar malfunctioning equipment.
6
GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
GSM core GPRS
core BSS base station subsystem
HLR MT mobile terminal
PSTN, GMSC
PLMN, BTS base transceiver stations
ISDN MSC/VLR
HLR home location register
SGSN
VLR visitor location register
GMSC gateway mobile
switching center
BSS BSC PSTN public switched
IP telephone network
backbone PLMN public land mobile
network network
ISDN integrated services digital
GGSN GGSN network
BTS BTS SGSN serving GPRS support
node
BTS Internet Data GGSN gateway GPRS support
network node
MT MT MT MT
Figure 2. General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Network Architecture
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GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
GPRS is a hardware and software upgrade to the existing GSM
system.
Two new network nodes are added:
Serving GPRS support node (SGSN)
Gateway GPRS support node (GGSN)
SGSN is responsible for the delivery of packets from/to mobile
stations within its service area.
Its main tasks are
Mobility management:
Location management
Attachment/detachment
Packet routing
Logical link management
Authentication
Charging functions
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GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
GGSN acts as an interface between the GPRS packet network
and external packet-based networks like the Internet.
It converts protocol data packet (PDP) address from the external
packet-based networks to the GSM address of the specified
user and vice versa.
For each session in GPRS, a PDP context to describe the
session is created.
It describes
PDP type (e.g., IPv4)
PDP address
assigned to the mobile station for that session only
Requested quality of service (QoS) profile
Address of the GGSN
the access node to that packet network
There may be several SGSNs or GGSNs.
All GPRS support nodes are connected through an IP-based
GPRS backbone network. 9
GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
HLR stores the followings:
User profile
Current SGSN address
PDP address(es)
e.g., IP address for communication with Internet
MSC/VLR is extended with additional functions that allows
coordination between GSM circuit-switched services (e.g., telephony)
and GPRS packet-switched services.
Packet-switched services
Real-time multimedia
World Wide Web (WWW)
File download
E-mail
Each of these services has different QoS requirements.
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GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
GPRS QoS profiles
Service precedence
High priority
Normal priority
Low priority
Reliability - Transmission characteristics of the GPRS network
Loss probability
Duplication
Misinsertion
Handling of corruption of packets
Delay
Average delay
Maximum delay
95% of all transfer
Throughput
Mean bit rate
Maximum bit rate
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GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
GPRS has three states for location management:
Idle
Ready
Standby
In idle state, the network does not know the location of the
mobile station and no PDP context is associated with the
station.
When the mobile station sends or receives packets, it is in ready
state.
In this state the network knows which cell the user is in.
After being silent for a period of time, mobile station reaches
standby state.
12
GPRS (2G+ Cellular)
To locate a mobile,
In standby state
a GSM location area is divided into several routing areas (RAs)
the network performs paging in the current RA
In ready state
there is no need for paging
In idle state
the network is paging all BTSs in the current location of the mobile
station
GPRS utilizes the same radio access network as GSM.
Third generation mobile networks have defined different radio
interfaces to provide higher bit rate services to users.
13
MT UMTS (3G Cellular) MT mobile terminal
Node B a network component
that serves one cell
Node B
CS domain RNC radio network controller
MT
HLR home location register
: MSC/ GMSC PSTN, VLR visitor location register
: RNC
VLR PLMN, MSC mobile switching center
Node B
ISDN GMSC gateway MSC
MT CS circuit-switched
: PS packet-switched
HLR
: PS domain PSTN public switched
telephone network
Node B GGSN Internet PLMN public land mobile
network
:
RNC SGSN ISDN integrated services
:
digital network
GGSN Other data
MT Node B SGSN serving GPRS support
network node
UTRAN GGSN gateway GPRS support
Core network External networks node
UTRAN UMTS Terrestrial
Radio Access Network
15
UMTS (3G Cellular)
The NA domain consists of physical entities (nodes), which
manage the radio resources.
The CN domain consists of physical entities, which provide
support for the features and telecommunication services like call
management, mobility management, etc.
There are two types of NA:
Base station subsystem (BSS)
Radio network system (RNS)
BSS is the GSM radio access network solution, which is also
used by GPRS.
BSS consists of the base station controller (BSC) and base
transceiver stations (BTSs).
Each BTS serves one cell.
Usually several BTSs are grouped in a base station and place
on a single site.
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UMTS (3G Cellular)
For UTRAN, network elements are responsible for
Radio resource management
Handover management
Power control
RNS is the network system, which corresponds to the GSM BSS.
However, RNS is significantly different from the GSM access
operation.
RNS consists of the radio network controller (RNC), which controls
the radio access nodes called Node B.
A Node B is a network component that serves one cell.
There are different types of Node B like macrocells, microcells and
picocells with different requirements in traffic, coverage and services.
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UMTS (3G Cellular)
There are two types of Node B:
Node B FDD
Node B TDD
Node B FDD is planned for wider coverage area (macrocells,
microcells).
Node B TDD is targeted to hot spot in coverage.
The core network consists of two domains:
circuit-switched (CS) domain
packet-switched (PS) domain
These two domains in CN are overlapping in some common
elements.
CS mode is the GSM mode of operation, while PS mode is
supported by GPRS.
The entities specific to CS domain are MSC and GMSC.
The entities specific to PS domain are GGSN and SGSN.
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UMTS (3G Cellular)
There are entities shared by both the CS and PS domains:
Home subscriber server (HSS)
Authentication center (AuC)
Equipment identity register (EIR)
Visitor location register (VLR)
SMS-support nodes
HSS is a master database for a given user with the following
information:
user identification (numbering, address information)
user security information (authentication, authorization)
user location information
user profile information (to services the user has access)
HLRs for CS and PS domains are subsets of HSS.
HSS also provides IP multimedia functionality in the core network.
Other common entities have similar functions as described for GSM
and GPRS. 19
MT LTE (3.9G Cellular)
MT mobile terminal
Other Access eNode B an evolved network
Types (WLAN,) component that serves one cell
Serving GW serving gateway
MT eNode B
MME mobility management entity
IMS HSS home subscriber server
Serving PDN GW MGW
PDN GW packet data network
GW gateway
eNode B P/I/S-CSCF MGCF PCRF policy and charging rules
MT functions
PCRF
: EPC evolved packet core
: WLAN wireless local area network
P/I/S-CSCF
IP network proxy/interrogating/serving call
eNode B session control function
MGCF media gateway control
MME function
MGW media gateway
EPC
MT eNode B PSTN IMS IP multimedia subsystem
IP internet protocol
PSTN public switched telephone
E-UTRAN HSS External networks network
E-UTRAN Evolved UMTS
Terrestrial Radio Access
Network
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LTE (3.9G Cellular)
The E-UTRAN is responsible for all radio-related functions like
Radio Resource Management
All functions related to the radio bearers
Radio bearer control
Radio admission control
Scheduling
Dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both the uplink and downlink
Header Compression
Compress IP packet headers
Otherwise, significant overhead for small packets such as voice over IP
(VoIP)
Security
Encrypted all data that are sent over the radio interface
Connectivity to the EPC
This consists of the signalling towards the MME and the bearer path
towards the serving GW.
22
LTE (3.9G Cellular)
The EPC consists of several functional entities
Mobility management entity (MME)
Serving gateway (GW)
Packet data network (PDN) gateway
Policy and charging rules function (PCRF)
MME
In charge of all the control plane functions related to subscriber and session
management
Security procedures
Terminal-to-network session handling
Idle terminal location management
The MME is connected to the home subscriber server (HSS) through
an interface known as S6.
HSS is the concatenation of the home location register (HLR) and the
authentication center (AuC).
HSS supports the database containing all subscription information.
23
LTE (3.9G Cellular)
Serving GW
Termination point of packet data interface towards E-UTRAN
Serves as local mobility anchor when UEs move across eNodeBs
Packets are routed through this point for intra E-UTRAN mobility and
mobility with other 3GPP technologies such as 2G GSM and 3G UMTS.
PDN GW
Termination point of packet data interface towards PDN.
Anchor point for sessions towards the PDN.
Supports policy enforcement features (which apply operator-
defined rules for resource allocation and usage)
Packet filtering (like deep packet inspection for virus signature
detection)
Evolved charging support (like per URL charging)
URL is an address of a web page on the world wide web
(WWW).
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LTE (3.9G Cellular)
Policy and charging rule functions (PCRF)
Responsible for policy control decision-making and for controlling
the flow-based charging functionalities in the PDN GW.
Provides QoS authorization of data flow through PDN GW.
Ensures users subscription profile.
The IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) is a generic platform
offering IP-based multimedia services.
The call session control function (CSCF) play a key role in IMS
architecture.
CSCF has three types
Proxy
Interrogating
Serving
CSCF establishes, terminates and modifies IMS sessions.
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LTE (3.9G Cellular)
Multimedia gateway control function (MGCF)
Supports call control protocol conversion.
Supports media gateway (MGW).
Supports interrogating CSCF.
MGW
Responsible for media conversion.
Responsible for bearer control.
Payload processing (e.g., codec, echo canceller, ).
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MT
28
IEEE 802.16 WiMAX WMAN
CSN Internet
ASN CSN
ASN GW
BS base station
PSTN RN relay node
Other
MS mobile
operator subscriber/station
CSN 3G
Wimax BS ASN access services
Wimax BSs network
PMP ASN GW ASN gateway
mode Mesh mode CSN core services
network
MS MS PSTN public switched
MHR mode telephone network
RN MS
MS PMP point-to-multipoint
MHR multi-hop relay
RN RN MS
RN MS
MS
MS
MS MS MS
Figure 6. IEEE 802.16 WiMAX Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) Network
Architecture 29
IEEE 802.16 WiMAX WMAN
The access services network (ASN) is the access network of
WiMAX.
ASN provides the interface between the user and the core
services network (CSN).
ASN
Handover
Authentication through the proxy authentication, authorization and
accounting (AAA) server
Radio resource management
Interoperability with other ASNs
Relay of functionality between CSN and mobile station (MS), e.g.,
IP address allocation
30
IEEE 802.16 WiMAX WMAN
ASN gateway
Connection and mobility management.
Interservice provider network boundaries through processing of
subscriber control and bearer data traffic.
Serves as an extensible authentication protocol (EAP)
authenticator for subscriber identity.
Acts as a remote authentication dial-in user service (RADIUS)
client to the operators AAA servers.
CSN
Transport, authentication and switching part of the network.
Represents the core network in WiMAX.
Consists of home agent (HA), AAA system and IP servers
(gateways to other networks like Internet, public switched
telephone network (PSTN), 3G, etc.)
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IEEE 802.11 WLAN
Infrastructure Mode
Extended
service set
IEEE 802.x LAN
Portal AP access point
STA station
Distribution
LAN local area network
system
STA8
STA2 STA4 STA6
STA3 STA7
STA3
36
IEEE 802.11 WLAN Wireless
Mesh Mode
Extended
service set
IEEE 802.x LAN
Portal
AP access point
Distribution STA station
system LAN local area
network
B AP/STA5 BSS basic service
S set
S
B B STA8 B
AP/ AP/
STA4 S S STA6
STA2 STA STA S
S S
STA3 9 12 STA7 S
STA STA
10 13
STA11 STA14
Figure 9. IEEE 802.11 WLAN (Wireless Mesh Mode) Network Architecture
37
IEEE 802.11 WLAN Wireless
Mesh Mode
In the wireless mesh network topology, the
distribution system can be a wireless mesh
network among the access points.
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IEEE 802.15.1 Bluetooth WPAN
Wired
LAN
AP access point
PSTN STA station
LAN local area network
PSTN public switched
telephone network
Bluetooth Cellular BTS base transceiver station
piconet Network
BTS
PANC
Reduced-function device (RFD)
(a) (b)
Figure 11. IEEE 802.15.4 Zigbee Network Topologies (a) star; (b) peer-to-peer
41
IEEE 802.15.4 Zigbee WPAN
The PAN coordinator is the principal controller of a PAN.
PANC is a full-function device (FFD).
PANC can initiate a communication, terminate the
communication and route it around the network.
An IEEE 802.15.4 network has exactly one PANC.
An FFD can connect to both FFDs and reduced-function devices
(RFDs).
A RFD can connect to only a FFD.
Simple applications of a RFD are a light sensor and a lighting
controller.
A FFD can take up roles of a coordinator and a router.
42
ECMA 368 (WiMedia) WPAN
BTS
Wired
LAN AP access point
PSTN STA station
LAN local area network
PSTN public switched
telephone network
IEEE PNC Cellular BTS base transceiver station
802.15.3c Network PNC piconet coordinator
piconet
BTS
HDTV
46
ECMA 387 WPAN
AP access point
STA station
LAN local area network
PNC piconet coordinator
Wired HDTV high definition television
LAN
PNC B
ECMA A A
387 B
piconet B
HDTV HDTV HDTV
A A
B B
A A
HDTV
(a) (b)
Figure 14. ECMA 387 Network Topologies (a) star; (b) mesh (types A and B devices) 47
ECMA 387 WPAN
The standard provides high rate wireless personal area
network (including point-to-point) transport for both bulk
data transfer and multimedia streaming.
The key usage cases and applications are:
High definition (uncompressed / lightly compressed) AV
streaming
Wireless docking station
Short Range Sync & Go.
The standard defines two device types that interoperate
with their own types independently and that can coexist
and interoperate with the other types.
Thus, it offers a heterogeneous network solution that
provides interoperability between all device types.
48
ECMA 387 WPAN
The two device types are defined as follows:
A type A device offers video streaming and WPAN applications in 10-
meter range line-of-sight (LOS)/non-line-of-sight (NLOS) multipath
environments.
It uses high gain trainable antennas.
This device type is considered as the high end - high performance
device.
A second type B device offers video and data applications over shorter
range (1-3 meters) point-to-point LOS links with non-trainable
antennas.
It is considered as the economy device and trades off range and
NLOS performance in favour of low cost implementation and low
power consumption.
49
References
David Tung Chong Wong, Peng-Yong Kong, Ying-Chang Liang, Kee Chaing
Chua and Jon W. Mark, Wireless Broadband Networks, John Wiley and Sons,
2009.
Yang Xiao and Yi Pan (Editors), Emerging Wireless LANs, Wireless PANs, and
Wireless MANs, John Wiley and Sons, 2009.
P. Lescuyer and T. Lucidarme, Evolved Packet System (EPS), John Wiley and
Sons, 2008.
Stefania Sesia, Issam Toufik and Matthew Baker, LTE The UMTS Long Term
Evolution: from Theory to Practice, John Wiley and Sons, 2009.
Yan Zhang (Editor), WiMax Network Planning and Optimization, CRC Press,
2009.
Tony Janevski, Traffic Analysis and Design of Wireless IP Networks, Artech
House, 2003.
William Stallings, Wireless Communications and Networks, Prentice Hall, 2002.
Amjad Umar, Mobile Computing and Wireless Communications, NGE Solutions,
2004.
Ecma/TC48/2010/025 (Rev. 2 30 June 2010), ECMA-387 2nd Edition: High
Rate 60GHz PHY, MAC and HDMI PAL Whitepaper, June 2010.
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