Overview MSF LTE/EPC IOT
David Francisco, Helmut Schink
ITU Regional Consultation on
Conformance/Interoperability
Nairobi, Kenya
What is the MSF?
• The MultiService Forum (MSF) is a global association of
service providers and system suppliers committed to
developing and promoting open-architecture, multiservice
switching systems.
• Founded in 1998, the MSF is an open-membership
organization.
• The MSF’s activities include developing implementation
agreements, promoting worldwide compatibility and
interoperability, and encouraging input to appropriate
national and international standards bodies.
• For more information about the MSF and its members, visit
the MSF web site at www.msforum.org.
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
MSF Principal Members- 2009/10
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
Where the MSF Fits
• MSF is not a Standards Development Organization
(SDO)
• Focus on developing meaningful physical
implementations of standards
• Use of large-scale interoperability events to test and
validate standards implementations of interest to major
carriers
• Provides significant resource for members to leverage
for achieving multi-vendor solutions
• Provides key implementation feedback to vendors,
carriers and SDO’s
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MSF Industry fit
SDO community
MSF
NGN Architectural
Framework
Physical Scenarios
Protocol Selection
Vendors
Implementations
Standards
MSF IA’s
Test Plans
Carriers
Testing & Interoperability
Programmes
Validated, commercially viable
Implementation Agreements (IAs)
Feedback
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
MSF Focus
MSF
NGN Architectural
Framework
Physical Scenarios
Interop testing is only meaningful in the
context of a specific network configuration
Options must be specified, and ambiguities
clarified
Protocol Selection
MSF IA’s
Test Plans
Testing & Interoperability
Programmes
Validated, commercially viable
Implementation Agreements (IAs)
Detailed test plans required to ensure
complete coverage and consistency
Interop program requires start-to-finish
program management and coordination
Interop programs are best at validating the
standards (not products)
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
MSF Delivery Process
•
Focus on accelerating the deployment of new technologies
emerging from standards by supporting interoperability and
test events as required by MSF members
•
Rapid development model
– Mapping of SDO architectures to real world implementations
– Develop physical scenarios
– Develop detailed test cases
– Profile protocols where necessary to facilitate the testing
•
Provide key implementation feedback to vendors, carriers and
standards organisations
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
EPC / LTE Interop Event
• MSF EPC/LTE Interoperability Event was hosted
March 15 – 20, 2010 by the Vodafone Test and
Innovation Centre, Dusseldorf, Germany and China
Mobile facilities in Beijing
• Designed to test standards compliance of vendors
implementation of Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network
scenarios to 3GPP Release 8 standards
• Gauge vendor support for this technology
• Mix and match of different vendor EPC network
elements to test interoperability
• Performed inter-site and intra-site testing
• 8 Vendors participated in the event
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The Test Network - Düsseldorf
HSS BW
HSS ZTE
S9
PCRF BW
PCRF ZTE
Rx
MME STA
ZTE eNB 2.6 GHz
IMS
simulator
Starent
Gx
MME NEC
SGi
UE Samsung
MME ZTE
S1 CP
X2
S6a
P-GW STA
S10
S1 UP
ZTE eNB 2.6GHz
UE Samsung
P-GW NEC
P-GW ZTE
S11
S-GW STA
IP VPN
Tunnel
S5
S-GW NEC
S-GW ZTE
S8
S101
eHRPD
simulator
Starent
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The Test Network - Beijing
HSS HUA HSS ZTE
S9
PCRF HUA PCRF ZTE PCRF ALU
MME STA
Gx
MME ALU
S1 CP
MME ZTE
S6a
Huawei eNB
P-GW STA
S10
P-GW ALU
UE Simulator
P-GW ZTE
SGi
IP VPN
Tunnel
S11
S1 UP
S5
S-GW STA
S-GW ALU
S8
S-GW ZTE
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
Event Planning
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Project Plan
Hire full-time Event Coordinator
Determine host sites i.e., carrier labs
Project Requirements Document (PRD)
Event announcement to industry – press release
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
Participant recruitment package
Letter of Invitation
Letter of Intent
Participant contract (Event Agreement)
Event execution documents, etc.
Tool requirements (scheduling, test data recording, reports)
Network and addressing plans
Requests for information from participants
Master test schedule
Pre-event briefing presentations
Implementation Agreements (IAs)
Test Plans
Other documents as needed
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Event Testing
• Determine interfaces and functions to be tested
• Create physical architecture document
• Test plans written from 3GPP R8 specifications
by MSF member companies
• Protocol profiles written where required
• Labs and vendor equipment configured (1 week
set-up, 2 weeks testing, 1 week removal)
• Test results loaded into test tool by event
monitors – only test partners see results
• Patching/retesting if time permits
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Event Wrap-up
• Create Press Release
• Analysis test data
• Write White Paper – test setup, results (all results
are non-attributable)
• Liaison appropriate SDOs regarding problems
found
• Lessons learned – all participants discuss what
went well and what could be done better
• Determine what event testing is to be carried
forward as well as candidates for future testing
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
MSF LTE/EPC by the Numbers
•
2 Number of test labs
•
18 Months from planning to white paper
•
50 Engineers on site (both labs)
•
40 Company support engineers on call (both labs)
•
300 Test plan pages
•
95 Test cases
•
550 Scheduled tests – different vendor configurations
•
12 days of testing
•
11 hours/day of testing
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum
EPC / LTE Interop Event White Paper
• A free download of the event white paper “MSF LTE
Interoperability Event – Multivendor testing in global
Evolved Packet Core Networks” is currently available:
http://www.msforum.org/interoperability/LTE.shtml
• The MSF work plan for 2010/2011 consist of 1) LTE/EPS
Phase 2 that builds on the recent LTE event success, 2)
MSF/ATIS IIF IPTV IOT, 3) Content Distribution Networks
(CDN) that builds on and broadens the IPTV work, 4)
Performance Testing and 5) Robustness testing across all
of the above mentioned areas.
Copyright 2007: MultiService Forum