S3 Interface

1. S3 interface: It is the interface between Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and MME
and it enables user and bearer information exchange for inter 3GPP access network mobility in
idle and/or active state. It is based on Gn reference point as defined between SGSNs.
2. (Control Plane interfaces) TS 29.274
S3 interface between SGSN and MME.
It enables user and bearer information exchange for inter 3GPP access network mobility in idle
and/or active state.

Protocol stack of S3 interface

Where:
GTP-C (GPRS Tunnelling Protocol for the Control Plane): This protocol tunnels signalling
messages between SGSN and MME
UDP (User Datagram Protocol): This protocol signaling messages. UDP is defined in RFC 768.

3. S3 Interface (SGSN-MME)
This is the interface used by the MME to communicate with Release 8 SGSNs, on the same
PLMN, for interworking between GPRS/UMTS and LTE network access technologies [6].
This interface serves as the signaling path for establishing and maintaining subscriber’s contexts.
It is used between the SGSN and the MME to support inter-system mobility, while S4
connects the SGSN and the S-GW.
S3 functions include transfer of the information related to the terminal, handover/relocation
messages, and thus the messages are for an individual terminal basis. The MME communicates
with SGSNs on the PLMN using the GTP. The signaling or control aspect of this
protocol is referred to as the GTP control plane (GTP-C) while the encapsulated user data
traffic is referred to as the GTP user plane (GTP-U). One or more S3 interfaces can be
configured per system context. User and bearer information exchange for inter 3GPP (LTE
and 2G/3G) access network mobility in an idle and/or active state. The protocol stack for the
S3 interface is shown in Figure 1.9.
Message flow
dsTest supports the GPRS Tunneling Protocol Version 2 for Control plane (GTPv2-C) message
sets over the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) signaling interface S3. S3 is a GTP signaling-only
interface, used between the Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) and the Mobility Management
Entities (MME) to support inter-system mobility. With the dsTest S3 Interface application, you
can test GTP-C initiators (SGSNs), and verify responses from responders (MMEs).

The S3 interface is between MMEs and SGSNs enhanced to support EPS mobility in order to
support handover to/from 2G/3G radio access network for 3GPP accesses. The functions
supported include transfer of information relating to the terminal that is being handed over and
handover/relocation messages.

The S3 Interface Application, along with other dsTest 4G interface applications provide dsTest
users with complete EPC testing capability. Our eNodeB, MME, SGW, PGW, and Home
Subscriber Server (HSS) emulators support end-to-end testing of IP connectivity to LTE access.

Implementation
The S3 Interface Application initiates the following Mobility Management events from a
Simulated SGSN node:

 Identification Request/Response
 Context Request/Response
 Forward Relocation Request/Response
 Forward Relocation Complete Notification/Acknowledge
 Relocation Cancel Request/Response
 Detach Notification

A complete set of events that can be generated with the S3 interface application can be found
here, and our GTPv2 Dictionary can be used to help construct, test, and interpret the results of
your S3 testing.

As with all dsTest products, the node configurations and test scenarios are easily defined and
configured with XML files that are validated against a published XML Schema to avoid invalid
definitions. With our dsClient GUI, you can create, run, and archive tests, capture, graph and
archive operational measurements, capture real-time data flows, and manage your dsTest servers
and testing scenarios with a standalone GUI application that runs on your PC.

MME Testing (GTP-C Initiator Simulation – SGSN)

Verify the reaction of your MMEs to UE mobility by simulating a SGSN. Verify you’re your
MME responds, or acknowledgments, correctly to:

 Identity requests when a UE has moved to a different SGSN;

 Bearer context information requests for the UE as a part of TAU/RAU procedure and
UTRAN/GERAN to E-UTRAN/UTRAN (HSPA) SRVCC procedure;
 Relocation requests as part of Inter-RAT handover and other relocation procedures;
 Forward Relocation Complete Notification messages, indicating a handover has been
successfully finished;
 Relocation cancel requests as part of the Inter RAT handover cancel procedure;
 Detach notifications as a part of detach procedure if the Idle mode Signaling Reduction
(ISR) is activated between the MME and SGSN for the UE.

Your S3 SmartEvents state machine provides the ability to create S3 GTPv2-C message flows
and use them in combination with Policy and Charging Control (PCC) interface applications to
test gateway elements in the mobile packet core.

Test your MME performance by initiating context requests, detach notifications, and relocation
requests from a simulated SGSN in volume.

Read about our testing solutions..

Read about our other GTP Interface Applications.

SGSN Testing (GTP-C Responder Simulation – MME)

Simulate GTPv2-C interfaces to your SGSN GTP-C initiator. Verify that the initiator correctly
interprets the S3 responses. Test the capacity and performance of your SGSN with other dsTest
interface applications to trigger network-initiated events and validate the resulting signaling and
user plane traffic.

Advanced Testing Features

SmartEvents — Alter application behavior or coordinate multiple interface applications with
SmartEvents. Our programmable, subscriber-level state machine gives you the ability to define
handlers for specified application events that can then cause an event in another application to be
executed. You can also configure handlers to modify subscriber information during run-time,
introduce timers, or randomize subscriber behavior based on configurable probabilities to name a
few of the many options in one of dsTest’s most powerful features.

SmartMessageElement — Insert, delete, or replace elements in Diameter, RADIUS, MAP,

LDAP, GTP, REST, or SOAP messages with our SmartMessageElement solution. Define
proprietary signaling or corrupt elements to facilitate negative testing. You can specify when
your elements are used with SmartEvents.
Traffic Profile — Draw the shape of your test actions across time with Traffic Profile. You can
define the rate for any action as a static rate or reference a Traffic Profile configuration, which
also means that multiple Traffic Profiles can be running currently. Use Traffic Profile in
conjunction with the randomizing features in SmartEvents to design a test that more truly
simulates real-world network activity.

Operational Measurements
dsTest provides rich sets of measurements for the S3 interface:

 Transaction and transport layer attempts, successes, and failures

 Transaction duration, transactions-per-second, and round-trip delay
 Message and byte counters
 Errors encountered and error indications received in messages

See our Online Help for S3 measurements and socket measurements.