Deploying HTTP Proxy in 5G Network

2018-7-31
Restricted - Confidential Information
© GSM Association 2015
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 Challenge: More Concurrent Links to maintain for the 5G NFs

 Diameter links are two-way. Requests initiated by the P-GW

Compared with 4G network, 5G has:
● More nodes: AMF, NRF, NSSF, AUSF, UDR, NWDA, SMSF, etc
● More interfaces
and PCRF can be transferred on the same link.
 HTTP links are single-way. Different links are used for
requests from the SMF and PCF respectively.
 TCP protocol does not support Dual-homing.
In the same network topology, number of HTTP links is double
that of Diameter links.

More network entities, interfaces and single-way HTTP links mean that every NF has to maintain more
concurrent TCP links. High requirements are put forward for all NFs.
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 Link Aggregation, Failure Isolation and Monitoring by HTTP Proxy

UDM-1 UDM-2 UDM-3 UDM-m

Introducing HTTP Proxy can achieve the following effect.
 link aggregation. In general, long connections are used

Full-meshed
between NFs. In some large networks, there are hundreds of
network even thousands of NFs. It means that every NF, especially
UDM/PCF/AUSF, need to maintain ten thousands of concurrent
TCP links. Introducing HTTP Proxy can provide link aggregation
SMF-1 SMF-2 SMF-3 SMF-n
and has no requirement to the NFs.
 Failure isolation. If one NF fails, all the other NFs will not alarm
except the HTTP Proxy.
UDM-1 UDM-2 UDM-3 UDM-m
 Traffic and abnormality monitoring. Network traffic and
abnormal conditions are easy to monitor on the HTTP Proxy
which is an aggregation point.
Stellate
Proxy
Proxy network  For reliability, a pair of HTTP Proxies are needed.

SMF-1 SMF-2 SMF-3 SMF-n

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 Challenge：More Signaling Traffic in 5GC

MME HSS AMF AUSF/UDM

 More messages: due to service-based interface,

Authentication Authentication
message number on some interfaces increases.
12
Report RES* For example, 3 pairs of messages are added in
subscriber registration flow of 5G.
Location update Registration  2 pair for authentication interaction between
AMF and AUSF. 4G need 1 pair only.
13 Get subscription data
 3 pairs are used respectively for registration,
Subscribe data update getting subscription data and subscribing
date update explicitly. 4G need 1 pair of
Location Update only to complete these 3
Subscriber data changes Subscriber data changes actions.
 Greater messages: HTTP is based on plain text,
Insert subscriber data Subscription data notify message length will be 15%-30% greater when
the same content is transferred by HTTP than by
Diameter.

More signaling traffic means that load balance and overload control are more important in 5GC.
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 More Precise Load Balance and Overload Control by HTTP Proxy
UDM-1 …… UDM-n In NRF routing mode, there are some problems and requirements.
Return a list of
UDM instances  Load balance is executed by every consumer NFs which can’t
cooperate with each others. Overload occurs more easily when
NRF multiple consumer NFs choose the same provider NF at the same
time .
Select one UDM
instance to send  The consumer NFs need to support flexible routing policies and route
request.
reselection mechanism.
SMF-1 SMF-m  The consumer NFs need to cache the list of AUSF/PCF/UDM
instances information for every subscriber returned by the NRF.

UDM-1 …… UDM-n When HTTP Proxy is deployed, there are no such problems.
Return a list
of proxies  HTTP Proxy can provides more precise load balance and overload
control function according to the capability of provider NFs and the
NRF total traffic.
Select one
Proxy
Proxy UDM
 HTTP Proxy supports flexible routing policies and reselection
Select one
proxy capability, so there is no requirement to the consumer NFs.
 The consumer NFs need not to cache the list of AUSF/PCF/UDM
SMF-1 SMF-m instances information for every subscriber.

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 Reverse Proxy for Routing based on Subscriber Identities
As the reverse proxy of the UDM/PCF/AUSF, which need routing based on subscriber identities.
Mandatory Optional
Interface NF Message
Parameter Parameter
AMF：PCF Npcf_AMPolicyControl_Get SUPI GPSI
Npcf UDM1
SMF：PCF Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Get SUPI GPSI
PCFm
AMF/SMF/S Nudm_UECM_Registration UDMn
SUPI PCF1
MSF：UDM Nudm_UECM_Deregistration
Nudm_UECM_DeregistrationNotific
AMF：UDM SUPI Proxy
ation SUPI1：PCF1
SUPI2：PCF2
NEF/SMSF/G SUPI3：PCF3
Nudm_UECM_Get SUPI
MLC：UDM ……

Nudm NRF
AMF/SMF： Nudm_UECM_Update SUPI 5G Core of
UDM Nudm_UECM_PCscfRestoration SUPI Operator A
SMF
AMF：UDM Nudm_SDM_Info SUPI AMF
Nudm_EventExposure_Subscribe
GPSI
NEF：UDM Nudm_EventExposure_Unsubscribe
Nudm_ParameterProvision_Update GPSI

In large networks which have volumes of number segments, this solution is easy to maintain.
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 Three Possible BSF Deployment Solutions

Standalone BSF BSF Embedded in SMF DRA/HTTP Proxy/BSF Collocation

PCFs register/deregister binding info to BSF. BSF is embedded in SMF, to provide session BSF is embedded in HTTP Proxy, to provide
binding function. session binding function.

Rx
IMS 2 DRA
Rx AF
IMS AF DRA IMS AF
3 5
Rx
4 4
3 2
5 PCF/
PCF/ PCF-1 PCRF-1
PCRF-1

Proxy/BSF
Proxy/BSF
PCF-n 1 PCF/
PCF/ NRF
2 BSF PCRF-n
PCRF-n BSF

1 1
SMF/ SMF/ SMF
SMF BSF-1 BSF-n

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 Comparison about three BSF Deployment Solutions
Items Standalone BSF BSF embedded in SMF DRA/HTTP Proxy/BSF Collocation
High.
High Low.
● Deploy a pair of BSFs.
● Upgrade the SMFs for BSF function. ● Deploy HTTP Proxy/BSF, sharing
Deployment Cost ● Expand the PCFs.
● Upgrade the existing DRAs to support the session data with the existing
● Upgrade the existing DRAs to
SBI to visit the BSF. DRAs
support SBI to visit the BSF.
Deployment
Long. Long. Short.
Circle
4/5G binding solutions are unified. It
can evolve from 4G to 5G smoothly.
Evolution 4/5G binding solutions can’t be unified. 4/5G binding solutions can’t be unified. (In C3-184585 for 29.513, it requires
that the BSF support diameter proxy
agent and diameter redirect agent.)
Bad. Once the binding interface is Bad. Once the binding interface is changed,
Good. The change of binding interface
Extensibility changed, all the PCF, BSF and DRA need all the SMF, NRF and DRA need to be
only impacts the BSF.
to be upgraded. upgraded.
Bad. The binding info are distributed in
Good. The binding info are centralized, lots of SMFs. The NRF must maintain the Good. The binding info are centralized,
Maintainability
so it’s easy to maintain. mapping between IP address segment and so it’s easy to maintain.
the SMFs.

In all the dimensions, DRA/HTTP Proxy/BSF collocation is the best solution.

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 Protocol Transformation and Protocol Adaption

Protocol Transformation Protocol Adaption

Operators want to reuse some old devices in 5G, which
have no driver to support SBI. In this case, HTTP Proxy with
protocol transformation function is useful to reuse the old
devices and protect investment.
For example, HTTP Proxy makes AMF interworking with 4G
EIR (HTTP/Diameter) or 2/3G EIR (HTTP/SS7).
The compliance of different vendors to HTTP protocol are
different, so it is easy to encounter various problems when
integrating with each others. Push multi-vendors to fix the
problems is hard and upgrade the NFs needs times. HTTP
Proxy can resolve this kind of problems quickly and simply
with less cost. It’s help to reduce TTM.

EIR 3rd AF PCF

GET…… GET……
Diameter Diameter Accept: …… Accept: ……
…… ……

{ “userid":“8613812345678" , { “MSISDN":“8613812345678"
……}, , ……},
Proxy
Proxy Proxy
Proxy
MME
4G Core
HTTP
5G Core 5G Core
AMF SMF

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 HTTP Proxy Cooperates the NRF to Fulfill 5G Signaling Routing
 The NRF provides NF routing function, e.g. the AMF initiates request to the SMF.
 The HTTP proxy provides user level routing function, e.g. routing based on subscriber identity for UDM/PCF/AUSF.

【Service Registration/Deregistration】
UDM
UDM PCF
PCF OCS
OCS
AUSF
UDM PCF
 UDM/PCF/AUSF register/deregister services to the
3 HTTP Proxy.
 HTTP Proxy replaces UDM/PCF/AUSF to
HTTP Proxy register/deregister services to NRF.
HTTP Proxy

2
NRF 【SMF routing to UDM】
① The SMF queries UDM service to the NRF, the NRF
1 returns IP or FQDN of the HTTP proxy.
AMF SMF
② The SMF sends request to the HTTP Proxy.
③ The HTTP Proxy routes request to UDM/PCF/AUSF
Registration/Deregistration/Discovery message based on subscriber identity (SUPI, GPSI).
Service message

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 Suggestion: Deploying HTTP Proxy in 5GC Network

Deploying HTTP Proxy in 5GC network brings the following benefits.

 Link Aggregation, which avoids NFs maintaining too much concurrent TCP
connections and provides failure isolation.
 More precise load balance and overload control for AUSF/UDM/PCF instances.
 Reverse Proxy of the AUSF/UDM/PCF instances to provide routing based on
subscriber number.
 HTTP Proxy/DRA collocation to provide PCF binding for 4/5G subscribers and
share session data.
 Protocol Transformation to reuse the old devices and protect investment.
Protocol Adaption to resolve integration problems quickly and simply with less
cost and reduce TTM.

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Thank you!