SIGTRAN Protocol

V1.1

CN Team
 Objectives
Upon the completion of this chapter, you
will be able to:
Understand the history and components of
SIGTRAN protocol stack

Understand the concept of SCTP

Understand the concept of M3UA

 Outline
SIGTRAN Protocol Suite

SCTP Protocol

M3UA Protocol
Reliable Protocols - Sigtran
SIGTRAN adaptation and peer protocols specifically designed to
handle ss7 stack over IP
M3UA: MTP3 User Adaptation
M2UA: MTP2 User Adaptation
M2PA: MTP2 Peer Adaptation
SUA: SCCP User Adaptation
IUA: ISDN User Adaptation

ISDN MTP3 TUP ISUP SCCP TCAP

IUA M2UA/M2PA M3UA SUA

SCTP

IP
Position of Sigtran in NGN

SG

SCN SCN

SIGTRAN

SoftSwitch

Media RTP Media

stream stream stream
SIGTRAN in ZTE Softswitch

SG

Interworking
NGN
Function M3UA/ SIP
SCN SS7
STP
SCTP MGC APP
SS7 SS7 IP
H.248

SSP MG
M3UA Position
SEP SG MGC/SS

ISUP ISUP NIF ISUP

MTP3 MTP3 M3UA M3UA

MTP2 MTP2 SCTP SCTP

MTP1 MTP1 IP IP

PSTN IP
 Outline
SIGTRAN Protocol Suite

SCTP Protocol

M3UA Protocol
SCTP in SIGTRAN

ISDN MTP3 TUP ISUP SCCP TCAP

IUA M2UA/M2PA M3UA SUA

SCTP

IP
SCTP terminologies
SCTP End PointIdentified by IP + Port number, similar to
TCP
AssociationA logical link set up between a pair of SCTP end
points through four-way handshakes. C/S mode
StreamOne association includes multiple streams. Stream is
a unidirectional logical channel from one SCTP point to another.

SCTP point A SCTP point B

Stream
Unidirectional

SCTP association
SCTP link configuration
SG SoftSwitch

Streams

SCTP link

C/S: client / server mode, here SG

act as the server side.
End point: IP address + port number
Incoming/outgoing stream No.: by
default 10.
SCTP message
Initiate association
InitiationINIT
Initiation AcknowledgementINIT ACK
State CookieCOOKIE ECHO
Cookie AcknowledgeCOOKIE ACK
Transmit DATA
Payload Data ( DATA )
Selective AcknowledgeSACK
Heartbeat message
Heartbeat RequestHEARTBEAT
Heartbeat AcknowledgeHEARTBEAT ACK
SCTP message (2)
Disrupt the association
Abort AssociationABORT
Shutdown association
Shutdown AssociationSHUTDOWN
Shutdown AcknowledgeSHUTDOWN ACK
Shutdown CompleteSHUTDOWN COMPLETE
Errors and other
Operation ErrorERROR
Other Reserved
Association Initiation
Soft Switch SG

Create TCB
Send INIT
Start init-timer
Receive INIT
INIT Create Cookie
Cookie wait Send INIT-ACK
Start cookie-timer
Receive ACK
Stop init timer
INIT-ACK
Send Cookie-Echo Close
Start cookie-timer
Receive Cookie-Echo
Cookie-Echo Stop cookie timer
Cookie-Echoed
Create TCB
Send Cookie-ACK

Receive Cookie-ACK Cookie-ACK

Established
Stop Cookie-Timer
Shutdown (3-way handshake)
Shutdown Receive SHUTDOWN
Pending Stop accepting new data

Send all outstanding-DATA Shutdown

Send SHUTDOWN received
Start shutdown timer

Send all outstanding Data

Cookie wait Send SHUTDOWN-ACK
Start shutdown-timer

Receive SHUTDOWN-ACK
Stop shutdown timer Established
Send SHUTDOWN-COMPLETE

Receive SHUTDOWN-COMPLETE
Closed Send SHUTDOWN-ACK
Stop shutdown-timer
Closed
SCTP start up and transmission
SG SoftSwitch

Init
Init Ack
Cookie Echo
Cookie Ack

Payload
Sack

Heartbeat
Heartbeat Ack
Questions:
1. What is the structure of SIGTRAN protocol stack?
2. What is the startup flow of SCTP?
3. By tracing the SCTP protocol, how to judge the association is
already built up?
4. Between SG and SS, which should send the first message to
build up the association?
5. When the SCTP association is interrupt occasionally, will it
recovery by system itself?
 Outline
SIGTRAN Protocol Suite

SCTP Protocol

M3UA Protocol
Sigtran protocol suite

ISDN MTP3 TUP ISUP SCCP TCAP

IUA M2UA/M2PA M3UA SUA

SCTP

IP

In ZTE NGN system, we always use M3UA + SCTP to transmit

TUP,ISUP or SCCP message.
Terminology
AS: Application Server. A logical entity called in M3UA protocol.
Here it refers to SoftSwitch.
ASP: Application server process. A M3UA process instance
which serves for specific AS to process the M3UA protocol.
Concept introduction
AS is similar to the Office ID of SS7 system.
ASP is similar to the signaling link to Softswitch which AS point to.
So each ASP will occupy one SCTP link.

ASP1 IP network AS
SG SS
ASP2
M3UA Terminology
Traffic mode type: override, load-sharing, and broadcast, load-
sharing mode is used mostly.
Route context: optional parameter, used to identify the AS.
Network appearance: optional parameter, used to represent
the network type of the AS, by default the network type is 1.
These parameters must be same in both SG and SS sides.
Two ASPs work for one AS
SS1B AS
ZXSS10 SS1B
ASP1 S S
P P
C C
1 2
ASP2

Core Packet Network

Here AS is like a signaling point code. To go to this AS,

you need the signaling link which is similar to the ASP.

SG
SCTP link ASlike the SPC
ASPlike the signaling link
Q how to improve the security of the way to AS
A each SPC card process one ASP.
M3UA Messages
Management (MGMT) Message
Transfer Messages
SS7 Signalling Network Management (SSNM) Message
ASP State Maintenance (ASPSM) Messages
ASP Traffic Maintenance (ASPTM) Messages
M3UA start up flow
SG ASP (SS)
ASP UP

ASP UP ACK

ASP ACTIVE

ASP ACTIVE ACK

M3UA Traffic Mode Type
The Traffic Mode Type parameter identifies the traffic mode of
operation of the ASP within an AS.
M3UA support N+K traffic mode. N means the minimum active ASPs
number needed in AS, K is the number of backup ASPs.
Override: Only one ASP works at the same time.
Load-sharing : multiple ASPs works together to distribute the
work.
Broadcast: All ASPs in the AS receive the same work. Usually not
used.

In the field, usually we configure the ASP works in Load-sharing

mode, and N+K = 1+0.
M3UA load-sharing (N+K)=(1+1)
SG ASP1 ASP2
ASP UP
ASP UP Ack

ASP UP

ASP UP Ack

ASP Active(Ldshr)

ASP Active Ack

ASP Active(Ldshr)

ASP Active Ack

M3UA Message flow (override mode)
SG ASP1 ASP2
ASP Inactive

ASP Inactive Ack

NTFY(AS-Pending)

ASP Active

ASP Active Ack

SSNM message
Reserved
Destination Unavailable (DUNA)
Destination Available (DAVA)
Destination State Audit (DAUD)
SS7 Network Congestion State (SCON)
Destination User Part Unavailable (DUPU)
M3UA Management Message
SEP/STP SG SS

TFR/TFP DAVA/
MTP3 MTP3 M3UA DUNA M3UA

TFR: Traffic reachable

TFP: traffic prohibit
DAVA: destination available
DUNA: Destination unavailable
M3UA Management Message
(Enquire Signaling Point)

SEP/STP SG SS

DAUD
MTP3 MTP3 M3UA M3UA

DAVA/DUNA/SCON
ASP Status
ASP-ACTIVE
OR
ALTERNATE ASP-STANDBY
ASP
TAKEOVER
ASP ASP
ACTIVE INACT

ASP DOWN ASP-INACT

ASP ASP
UP DOWN

ASP-DOWN
AS Status
One ASP trans ACTIVE

AS-INACT AS-ACTIVE

Tr Trigger
at least one
ASP in INACT
one ASP
trans all ASP one ASP trans
to INACT trans to to ACTIVE
DOWN

AS-PENDING
AS-DOWN
(queueing)
Tr Trigger no ASP
in INACT state
How does SG send M3UA to SS?
IAM M3UA (IAM)
LS SG SS

Suppose the LS send an IAM message the SG. Inside the message:
OPC is LS, DPC is SS. How does SG know where to transfer this
IAM message?
SG will check the adjacent SP configuration of OPC, and read value of
AS route selector.
AS route selector includes Destination office ID and ASID. If the DPC is
matched, then SG got the AS ID.
From the associating AS and ASP configuration, SG got the ASP.
Then go to the ASP configuration, it find the SCTP ID.
In SCTP link configuration it got the remote IP + destination port.So it
know to send it to SS.
OPCAS route selector AS IDASP No. SCTP ID send the
DATA to SS.
How does SS send message to SG?
ACM M3UA (ACM)
LS SG SS

Suppose SS need to send ACM back to LS. Inside the message:

OPC is SS, DPC is LS. How does SS process this message?
SS will check the DPC, and find the office ID.
In CO configuration, it will get SG group index.
In SG group, it will select one SG according the priority.
From the AS index configuration, it will find the AS connect to the SG above, and find
the relative User adaptor link (same as SCTP link No.).
In the SCTP link No. it can get the local port and remote port. And the source IP
address is the NIC IP address. Destination IP is the SGs IP address.
So it send the message to SG.
DPCCO configuration SG group index SG node ID Application server
index SCTP link ID send the DATA to SG.
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