LBO or not, I want to break out...
This article was written by Peter Nas, Senior Solution Architect of F5's Traffix SDC solution For more than 10 years, the technology to offer local breakout (commonly known as LBO) exists, allowing the data use by roaming customers to be supported by the visited operator’s network. This is in contrast to the scenario in which data requests are sent back to the roamer’s home network, which of course, costs more. But despite the obvious fact that many people would like to get lower data roaming rates, a wish not limited to Europeans traveling in the EU, sadly it is not offered yet. I can definitely understand some key arguments why mobile operators are not inclined to offer LBO, particularly when it applies to their subscriber. I also understand (a bit) that visited networks don't want to offer LBO, but let's see if we are about to see a change. After all, roaming has been a significant source of revenue for operators on both sides for some time now. When I worked at a MNO over 10 years ago, I did some testing myself to see if and how LBO works. At the time, I became very enthusiastic and never expected it would take so long before this technology would be deployed on a large scale. In the early days of GPRS, indeed data roaming rates were also very high. However in those days, roamers used their mobile phones for data much more infrequently than when in their home network. And if you have been observing the investments that have been made by mobile operators and GRX operators (GPRS roaming operators) to allow good quality data roaming, I can understand that these investments need to be earned back before the business could consider offering LBO. In the meanwhile, I believe that many things have changed and surveys have shown that customers consider data roaming far too expensive. As a result, roamers typically switch off their data while traveling abroad (some recent figures show 73% of the roamers as silent roamers, meaning while abroad but disabled their device for data roaming). Now the EU Roaming Regulations, in effect since July 2014, is explicitly mandating EU citizens to have the right to use LBO (when offered by the visited EU network), and VoLTE (Voice over LTE) is expected to be available. Therefore, we are approaching the inflection point during which LBO will be a realistic option for roamers. If I was an IPX carrier how should I approach LBO? Today all users’ data is backhauled via IPX carriers to the home network. IPX carriers have various sources of revenues and transporting users’ data is one important source of revenues. Currently, the main advantage to use IPX carriers seems to be the ease of connectivity among MNOs. However, people expect prices for pure transport to decrease making new and differentiating services the way IPX carriers can stay competitive and valuable. It is simply a matter of time that IPX carriers will offer a wide range and the right destinations of roaming agreements that will bring prices down. So while anticipating that operators are willing to pay less per transported bit... and remaining confident in the escalating trend of high data growth in the future, would I advise MNOs to invest heavily in more transport capacity or try to be innovative by leveraging wide-scale LBO usage? Let’s look at it this way. Assume an MNO can achieve service differentiation by looking at what opportunities LBO would bring. Well similarly, there are opportunities around LBO for IPX carriers which must be looked at as LBO will reduce revenues from backhauled data. One interesting aspect of LBO is that the signaling for two additional Diameter interfaces, S9 for policy and Gy for charging, could be exchanged between visited and home networks, and if so, this will be done via an IPX network as per GSMA guidelines (IR.88). There are different views on whether or not using the S9 interface to exchange policy information between the visited PCRF and home PCRF, will be massively used once LBO is offered, but let's assume it will be used. In this case, an IPX carrier can offer various services around Diameter interworking, security and perhaps also screening, overload control, prioritization and potentially adapting policy rules and more. People who doubt the uptake of using the S9 interface might be more interested if IPX carriers could offer services that help visited networks control which policies can be applied in the home network or in the visited network. The offering around S9 signaling can be the same as what is currently offered for transporting and managing S6a signaling (for authentication and mobility management), but offers security, quality, and many more differentiating features. Another very interesting Diameter interface is the Gy, related to charging. Once LBO is offered, the visited network will have primary control of charging the visitor (for example to offer various ways how a customer can be charged, like per credit card, voucher, scratch card, loyalty points, other credits from OTT applications, etc.) but there is also interest by the home network to receive charging information. Again, an IPX carrier can offer various innovative services beyond just transporting Gy charging information between visited network and home network. As we discuss charging information, what comes to mind are the potential of services in the areas of security, priority, firewalling, interworking, overload control, enriching, for example. If you think about other creative services that a mobile customer like myself would like to have while roaming, there are more services that an IPX carrier is well positioned to offer. For instance, perhaps I’d like to choose the visited network that best fits to my needs (there could be static rules but also dynamic rules). For instance, intelligent steering in roaming could be a service offered by the home network, but perhaps might be offered by an IPX carrier, at least as an outsourcing partner for the various aspects of having a new Diameter based solution next to potentially existing SS7 steering. Some other ideas are in the area of OTT apps, such as enabling an IPX carrier to provide value add to the QoE of the apps that I am using while abroad. Also when looking at LBO, it might be an IPX carrier that hosts other parties who want to offer LBO, or the IPX carrier itself can provide its 'own' LBO services via a local breakout gateway that reduces the costs (in region or on the other side of the world). Also IPX carriers can start to offer MVNE services that enable MVNOs to operate in their specific niche by providing the infrastructure and other services around it. Much more value-add can be added by IPX carriers, and some will become a commercial success and others maybe not.... but if you don't explore, you'll never know. Let’s discuss some other value-add ideas in more detail in a next post, so stay tuned.Why do you need a Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) in a VoLTE deployment?
This article was written by Peter Nas, Senior Solution Architect for the Traffix SDC Operators have begun to get more and more serious around deploying VoLTE (Voice over LTE) in their networks. Since the announcements of VoLTE services from some Korean and US operators, others, particularly in Asia, North America and EMEA, have launched or are about to launch VoLTE (see GSA announcement of 17th Sep 2014: 71 operators in 36 countries investing in VoLTE deployments, studies or trials, 10 operators commercially launched HD voice using VoLTE). More often than not, operators use a Diameter Routing Agent (DRA) to support correct routing and control of the Diameter signaling related to VoLTE. Basic session binding In 3GPP, a DRA is defined for session binding in IP-CAN sessions (equivalent to PDP context in 3G) towards a PCRF server. This was designed for multiple Diameter sessions in VoLTE in order to control the LTE and the IMS parts of the VoLTE service. To maintain an efficient and scalable network rollout, it is important that the LTE parts of an IMS VoLTE call, together with the IMS parts, are controlled by one and the same PCRF (server). Similarly, consistent policy rules need to be applied to the session that are related to the same VoLTE call. Let's explore in some more detail what needs to be managed by the same PCRF server and why. When using a VoLTE-enabled device, the mobile subscriber first needs to register to the network and establish the default data bearer to exchange data with the network or applications. This is followed by the authentication and authorization procedures, and mobility management communication between an MME and the HSS where the subscriber profile is stored. (Incidentally, the signaling for these procedures typically uses the Diameter S6a interface that is also often routed with help of a DRA). Now this device can establish the always-on LTE default user data bearer. In order to do so the device communicates with the PGW and establishes a user data session. For that user data session, in this case still the default bearer, the PGW needs to contact the PCRF via the Diameter Gx interface and receive the policy and charging rules for this customer's data session. Once the policies have been exchanged and applied by the PGW and sometimes there are other involved PCEFs (Policy and Charging Enforcement Function), the mobile user can either use Internet services via the established default bearer or in our scenario, opts to continue to establish a VoLTE call. To do so the VoLTE application on the handset will communicate (via SIP, over the established default LTE bearer) with the IMS network and its embedded VoLTE application server. First a SIP signaling bearer needs to be established after policy for that bearer is applied. To apply the policy, the IMS's P-CSCF needs to communicate via the Diameter Rx interface with a PCRF server. Actually, it needs to communicate with the same PCRF server that was already involved in managing the related LTE default bearer. This is exactly where the added-value of a DRA's session binding functionality becomes necessary, because the DRA has to search its memory for the same PCRF server that was used in the Gx session for that specific customer (e.g. specific IMSI and session ID). It has to match the unique and related information in the Rx signaling in order to make the same routing decision and end up at the same PCRF server. The relevant IMS information is the Framed-IP address because IMSIs are not usually required in IMS. A smart DRA has stored in its memory the association between an IMSI and Session-ID plus the Framed-IP address used by the device. If now that same Framed-IP address shows up in an IMS Diameter Rx message, a match can be made and the same routing decision can be applied. Now once the Diameter Gx for the LTE part and the Diameter Rx for the IMS part are bound to the same PCRF server we are almost there. Next comes the exchange and application of the policy and charging rules for the SIP Signaling bearer. And now we can move to the third key component of the VoLTE call and that is the SIP signaled voice. For voice signaling, the same PCRF server needs to be addressed, and the related IMS signaling is again exchanged via the Diameter Rx interface. Finally, once the policies and charging have been exchanged and applied, the VoLTE call can be made successfully. If there is a need for changing the policy or charging rules (for instance, if a customer reaches a certain threshold), than the same PCRF server can communicate via Gx to the LTE's PCEFs and via Rx to the involved IMS elements like the P-CSCF. In this way, the various sessions that are related to the same VoLTE service are managed consistently. Also when the VoLTE call is terminated the various sessions need to be released, except for the LTE default bearer, and the correlation between the LTE and IMS part of this VoLTE call can be cancelled. Other DRA added-value in VoLTE There’s additional value to the fundamental session binding functionality of a DRA. A DRA can enable optimal call management ensuring higher quality-of-service VoLTE calls. For instance, think of all the different vendors’ equipment that is needed to exchange Diameter Gx and Rx signaling. One example is when the LTE PGW has a different Gx implementation than the PCRF. In turn that PCRF can have a different Diameter Rx implementation than the IMS's P-CSCF node. Typically inside an operator's network, there will be various vendors for LTE, PCRF and IMS core network elements. And this is the norm in roaming use cases where the visited LTE network is out of control (meaning a different vendor) than the home IMS network, where the P-CSCF (and other elements) will be involved. In addition, once VoLTE takes off more substantially, the quantity of signaling also will take off and increase dramatically. Therefore, a DRA will play the most significant role in providing load balancing and overload control, both in normal circumstance but clearly also under special circumstances like when network elements went down and recover or other heavy signaling loads are occurring. A DRA could also prioritize VoLTE related signaling, over all the various Diameter interfaces. When serving this function, operators can provide a higher quality VoLTE service over other services, particularly when other services load the network. In this case, a network without this DRA functionality of prioritization, would experience degraded VoLTE service. There are more added-value functionalities – all made possible by a DRA, like VoLTE specific KPI generation. As time goes on and we experience increased use of VoLTE, we will learn more and more about how a DRA can improve the quality and efficiency of VoLTE and its related services. Peter Nas serves as Senior Solution Architect for the Traffix SDC team at F5 Networks and draws from more than 20 years of telecom experience to advise operators how to leverage Diameter signaling solutions to enable the optimal LTE experience. Peter joined F5 with the company’s acquisition of Traffix where he was responsible for global business development. Prior to joining Traffix, he worked at Tekelec focusing on market development for Diameter and SIP routing. In his days before Tekelec, he served as Core Network Engineering Manager at a prominent mobile operator in the Netherlands.Neutered net-neutrality and Diameter signaling
Some parts of the media and concerned internet users are up in arms about the recent ruling on the FCC’s net-neutrality regulations, preventing the agency from ensuring that all web traffic is treated equally. Their concern is understandable. No one wants to be in a situation where service providers routinely throttle traffic based on commercial agreements or even political views. The nightmare scenario is that ISPs become de facto dictators of the internet and control the flow of information unimpeded. However, if handled sensitively, there is a great opportunity for service providers to make use of policy enforcement and Diameter signalling management solutions to enhance the quality of service to users. There are always mobile consumers who would be very willing to pay for ensured quality as their communications are of premium value to them. Yet, although service quality is one thing, they are not interested in a service provider influencing the content that they view. And their fears aren’t entirely unfounded, particularly when we look at how operators have treated OTT services in the past – throttling traffic that was competitive to their own offers. However we have seen, anecdotally at least, that service providers are starting to take another look at OTT services as potential partners; either to attract customers with bundled subscription deals (for example Spotify premium membership) or for revenue sharing deals. It’s this approach which I think is more indicative of which way service providers will fall on their treatment of net-neutrality. Imagine, for example, that you frequently use mobile Skype video calls for work purposes. Unfortunately Skype calls do occasionally lose resolution or drop out altogether, which would be a terrible experience and loss for businesses and consumers that depend on it. For subscribers in this position it may be worth the extra expense to ensure that Skype data is treated differently to the rest of the data they use. Paying for assured quality of service (QoS) can make enormous sense for some services without deliberately hindering other data. Paying for a premium service which guarantees a higher Quality of service according to a specific paid-for policy is made possible by a combination use of Diameter signalling controllers and policy enforcement.. In conjunction, they enable the network to identify the subscriber and level of policy, and ensure the subscriber receives the quality of service provisioned for. An approach like this is a compelling value proposition for subscribers and provides a strong business case for service providers while, at the same time, respecting the central principles of net-neutrality. Net-neutrality is an important concept for a censorship free and open internet, but there is no reason that it cannot co-exist as a philosophy with the benefits that enhanced quality of service can provide.Why You Should Care about Diameter Management Solutions
“Diameter for the Technically Challenged” or what should you know about Diameter signaling protocol even if you are not a telecom engineer During your average day how many times do you: Speak and text on your smartphone, Browse on your tablet, or Work on your laptop? In the evenings you may read ebooks, Message from your mobile, or Check your Facebook. You go on vacation and watch videos while waiting for the plane, Take pictures with your phone and send them to friends back home. You leave your Skype or instant messenger open … In short, you are always connected to the network, meaning that the mobile operator’s processing behind the scenes to support all your data communications is always on, and has now become a critical factor in the performance of the mobile network. And the trend to use the mobile network for data is growing in leaps and bounds… Your Mobile Network is Moving to IP To support your constant use of the Internet through your cellular network, many mobile operators are beginning to empower networks with Internet Protocol (IP) using technologies generally referred to as 4G such as IMS, LTE and others. These technologies require systems to communicate with each other using what is known as a signaling protocol that can support millions of subscribers accessing the Internet all the time. The particular signaling protocol selected by the telecommunication industry is known as Diameter. Diameter: The Chosen Standard The organizations who set international standards in the telecommunications industry (such as 3GPP and ETSI) have selected Diameter as the signaling protocol to enable operators to support 4G services. Why is that? Because Diameter is the only signaling protocol that is capable of managing the constant flow of core network signaling in an environment that has become far more complex with many more network elements needed to fulfill the promises of 4G. Fulfilling the Promises of LTE Mobile Technology Today’s mobile network operator growth is fueled by data traffic; voice has become secondary. On paper, LTE and other IP-based technologies have made amazing promises to provide you with high quality mobile broadband, sophisticated services, tiered charging plans, better roaming schemes, and much more. However, the implementation of all these promised services takes place in the core network and requires signaling that will tackle the challenges for cost-effective connectivity, scalability and control in the section of the network known as the control plane. Data Brings Complexity In fact, your mobile operator’s focus on data will only increase in time as the initiatives of voice over LTE (VoLTE) take hold, introducing a network where everything is data. Access to data, meaning the web, video, SMS, MMS, presence, and VoIP, requires constant Diameter signaling with a spaghetti of network nodes and interfaces. Network operators need a configuration of Diameter solutions such as gateways to connect the new elements to the old ones, load balancers for scalability meaning to grow the network easily, and routers that ensure the messages from each subscriber go to the right places – in short, to support communications that are becoming increasingly complicated. Using Diameter to Control the Complexity Once upon a time, network signaling was activated when a phone call began and ended when the speakers hung up. Now this scenario is no longer relevant, and your mobile operator has far greater challenges to solve. The only way for your mobile operator to successfully manage its network is to focus on its control plane with the right signaling products that provide cost effective, robust and intelligent solutions. You may not be a telecom engineer, but you want to know that your network will respond rapidly to your request the next time you pick up your tablet or mobile device. Whether you want to send a message home, check your train’s timetable or download an app, you want fast communications. In summary, it doesn’t take a telecom engineer to understand that almost everything you do with your mobile device depends on data communications, and that the right Diameter solution is the key ingredient for high performance, excellent quality of service, and advanced service enablement.The Critical Need for Diameter Management Solutions - More than Ever
The Critical Need for Diameter Solutions – Why More Now than Ever Before The mass market penetration of smart phones has skyrocketed the use of mobile data. Mobile applications create many signaling transactions in operators’ networks, sometimes hundreds of messages per session, per subscriber, and each application has specific signaling behavior patterns. This massive signaling growth creates major network management, reliability and scalability issues for operators and needs to be handled properly. The move to an all-IP network significantly increases the amount of signaling. Although the move from circuit-switch to packet-switch will bring many other advantages, it generates tons more data traffic, and data is one of the major forces behind growth in signaling. Operators need to confront the blitz of signaling from a multitude of fronts never seen before and must be managed before damage is caused to their networks. Just the addition of 4G network elements to support advanced services and higher broadband capacity causes unprecedented network growth and fragmentation that ultimately leads to poor network operation. However, 4G networks can maintain high quality, top performance service despite the many potential pitfalls if network engineers place a renewed emphasis on the control plane with Diameter signaling solutions. Significant revenues will be generated to those operators who understand the critical need for innovative signaling solutions to support both network and business strategies. Diameter signaling solutions have transformed to become the enabler in launching reliable, top performing services to unlimited subscribers. However with the unparalleled growth in signaling, new signaling trends, and the need to handle signaling in completely different ways than in the past, operators need constant and finer-grained management and control of their signaling traffic to ensure reliability and resiliency in their networks. It's critical for operators to manage their Diameter signaling closely with the right Diameter solutions to succeed in today’s new exciting era of communications.Diameter Resources
Since Diameter is a relatively new protocol introduced to support data in telecommunications networks, I think it's worth providing a series of links to the industry standards bodies thatplay a significant role in Diameter's development and in emerging use cases. This is not a finite list, just a good start. 3GPP – The 3rd Generation Partnership Project The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) unites six telecommunications standards bodies, known as “Organizational Partners” and provides their members with a stable environment to produce the highly successful Reports and Specifications that define 3GPP technologies. http://www.3gpp.org/ 3GPP2 – The Third Generation Partnership Project 2 3GPP2 was born out of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) International Mobile Telecommunications “IMT-2000″ initiative, covering high speed, broadband, and Internet Protocol (IP)-based mobile systems featuring network-to-network interconnection, feature/service transparency, global roaming and seamless services independent of location. IMT-2000 is intended to bring high-quality mobile multimedia telecommunications to a worldwide mass market by achieving the goals of increasing the speed and ease of wireless communications, responding to the problems faced by the increased demand to pass data via telecommunications, and providing “anytime, anywhere” services. http://www.3gpp2.org/ MSF – MultiService Forum The MSF is a global association of service providers, system suppliers and test equipment vendors committed to developing and promoting open-architecture, multiservice Next Generation Networks. Founded in 1998, the MSF is an open-membership organization comprised of the world’s leading telecommunications companies. The MSF’s activities include developing Implementation Agreements, promoting worldwide compatibility and interoperability of network elements, and encouraging input to appropriate national and international standards bodies. http://www.msforum.org/ MSF_VoLTE _2011_WhitePaper OMA – Open Mobile Alliance OMA is the focal point for the development of mobile service enabler specifications, which support the creation of interoperable end-to-end mobile services. OMA drives service enabler architectures and open enabler interfaces that are independent of the underlying wireless networks and platforms. OMA creates interoperable mobile data service enablers that work across devices, service providers, operators, networks, and geographies. Toward that end, OMA will develop test specifications, encourage third party tool development, and conduct test activities that allow vendors to test their implementations. http://www.openmobilealliance.org/ ETSI – The European Telecommunications Standards Institute ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged, broadcast and internet technologies. ETSI is a not-for-profit organization with more than 700 ETSI member organizations drawn from 62 countries across 5 continents worldwide. http://www.etsi.org/WebSite/homepage.aspx TISPAN – Telecom & Internet Converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks Since its creation in 2003, ETSI TISPAN (Telecommunications and Internet converged Services and Protocols for Advanced Networking) has been the key standardization body in creating the Next Generation Networks (NGN) specifications http://www.etsi.org/tispan/ ITU – International Telecommunication Union ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. We allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide. http://www.itu.int/en/pages/default.aspxSomething is Happening Here…Thoughts on my Way to Dallas.
Some thoughts as I begin packing my bags to attend Informa’s LTE North America show in Dallas, an event that promises to bring over 800 people solely focused on the subject of rolling out or optimizing their LTE networks for a high quality customer experience. There have been major changes in our dynamic industry since last year’s show, and I’d like to comment on a few changed attitudes, particularly among the analyst and journalist communities. Since 2011, I’ve been “preaching” that Diameter signaling protocol and its configured software solutions such as routing and connectivity are the key enablers for LTE. Reactions have been mixed: from a yawn, mild interest, or disbelief. I knew that signaling was always the most boring subject when speaking about telecommunications networks; and the few pundits who would listen to our story were the network infrastructure analysts. Typically, my pitch began by explaining that since Diameter protocol was selected as the communication language of telecom networks to support data, it plays a critical role in LTE network performance and reliability. And that role expands tremendously in significance once networks become completely IP-based. Despite the relevance that I thought that resonated from this story, many analysts in the mobile broadband space wouldn’t give me the time of day. I often wondered if I should begin to change my tact or tactic, or both. But then things began to happen…networks began to collapse under the weight and mismanagement of Diameter signaling messaging that were generated due to the massive use of smartphones and always-on applications. In addition, the new LTE based network elements produced more signaling and created fragmented networks never before experienced by operators. Use cases were apparent where connectivity such as between legacy prepaid and postpaid billing systems and the new LTE subscriber base was required. The constant growth of LTE rollouts required routing and connectivity solutions for LTE roamers to 3G and other LTE home networks. This year’s market introduction of VoLTE brought a whole new kettle of Diameter signaling messages as voice services operating over packet switching are much harder to manage than circuit switching, requiring more Diameter messages to keep things under control to maintain high quality of service. Always though, the most critical use of Diameter — and this has been proven over and over this past year — is the reliability of network performance. More central than any other functionality around Diameter routing solutions, is to keep the network operating — and to perform consistently high to ensure the optimal customer experience that LTE has been promised to deliver. So I think it’s not a coincidence that at this LTE event, there are a few from the media community who once raised their eyebrows in my direction yet today are participating in signaling forums and panels. They are contacting us for briefings and interviews. Suddenly the boring subject of Diameter signaling has gained tremendous interest in something that once was the sole realm of network engineers. Analysts now understand that there is an infinite list of use cases for Diameter. From policy and charging to connecting legacy prepaid and postpaid billing and VAS services, plus supporting new charging plans like shared family data plans. And I’m confident that we’ll be hearing from the media soon who write about cloud and M2M because both these paradigms can’t happen without reliable Diameter routing solutions. In short, every use case and those we haven’t yet encountered result in sending lots of Diameter messages — and all that “messaging chaos” requires better control and management with advanced, intelligent, context-aware routing solutions. So I’m arriving in Dallas with a new face to greet me – this time the face of the media community is eager to learn more about an aspect of the network long ignored and rarely news worthy — a very technical but essential part of the big picture – but one that keeps it all working – if done right.
F5 and Traffix: When Worlds Collide
#mwc12 #traffix #mobile Strategic points of control are critical to managing the convergence of technology in any network - enterprise or carrier What happens when technology converges? When old meets new? A fine example of what might happen is what has happened in the carrier space as voice and data services increasingly meet on the same network, each carrying unique characteristics forward from the older technology from which they sprung. In the carrier space having moved away from older communications technology does not mean having left behind core technology concepts. Though voice may be moving to IP with the advent of LTE/4G, it still carries with it the notion of signaling as a means to manage communication and users, and the impact on networks from that requisite signaling mechanism is significant. Along with the well-discussed and often-noted explosive growth of mobile and its impact on the enterprise comes a less-discussed and rarely noted explosive growth of signaling traffic and its impact on service providers. Enterprise experience with voice and signaling remains largely confined to SIP-focused deployments and are on a scale much smaller than that of the service provider. Hence the term “carrier-grade” to indicate the much more demanding environment. The number of signaling messages in 4G networks, for example, associated with a 3 minute IP voice call with data is 520. The same voice call today requires only 3. That exponential growth will put increasing pressure on carriers and require massive scale of infrastructure to support. All that signaling traffic in carrier networks occurs via Diameter, the standard agreed upon by 3GPP (3 rd Generation Partner Project) for network signaling in all 4G/LTE networks. Diameter is to carrier networks what HTTP is to web applications today: it’s the glue that makes it all happen. As the preeminent Diameter routing agent (DRA) for for 3G, 4G / LTE and IMS environments, Traffix’ solutions are fluent in the signaling language used by carriers across the globe to identify users, manage provisioning, and authorize access to services and networks. One could reasonably describe Diameter as the Identity and Access Management (IAM) technology of choice for service providers. When a user does anything on a 4G network, Diameter is involved somehow. What Traffix Signaling Delivery Controller (which is both a highly capable DRA as well as Diameter Edge Agent (DEA)) offers is a strategic point of control in the service providers network, serving as an intelligent tier in that network that enables interoperability, security, scale, and flexibility in how signaling traffic is managed and optimized. That should sound familiar, as F5 is no stranger to similar responsibilities in enterprise and web-class data centers today. F5 with its application and control plane technologies serves as an intelligent tier in the network that ensures interoperability, security, scale, and flexibility for how applications and services are delivered, secured, and optimized. What service providers do with Diameter – user identification, permission to roam, authorization to use certain networks, basically anything a user does on a 4G network – is akin to what F5 does with application delivery technology in the data center. F5’s vision has been to create a converged carrier architecture that unifies IP services end-to-end across the application, data, and control plane. Diameter is a foundational piece of that puzzle, just as any-IP support is critical to providing that same converged application services approach in the data center, a data center routing agent, if you will. Both approaches are ultimately about context, control, and collaboration. CONVERGENCE BREEDS FRAGMENTATION These three characteristics (context, control, collaboration) are required for a dynamic data center to handle the volatility inherent in emerging data center models as well as the convergence in service provider networks of voice and data. But as technologies converge, supporting infrastructure tends to fragment. This dichotomy is clearly present even in the enterprise, where unified communications (UC) implementations are creating chaos. In its early days, Diameter deployments in service provider networks experienced similar trends, and it was the development of the DRA that resolved the issue, bringing order out of chaos and providing a strategic point of control through which subscriber activity could be more efficiently managed. Out of chaos, order. That’s the value Traffix brings to carrier networks with its Signaling Delivery Controller (SDC). Traffix solutions optimize signaling traffic, offering service provider operators scalability, availability, visibility, interoperability, and more in an operationally consistent solution. With the number of mobile devices predicted to exceed the world population in the next year, and the advanced services those devices provide driving exponential growth in signaling traffic, the need to optimize signaling traffic is top of mind for most service providers today. When diverse systems converge, their infrastructure must also converge in terms of support for the resulting unified system. This is particularly true as mobile and virtual desktops become more prevalent and bring with them their own unique delivery challenges to both the service provider and data center networks. The two worlds are colliding, out there on the Internets and inside data centers, with more and more IP-related traffic requiring management within the carrier networks, and more and more traditionally carrier network traffic such as voice being seen inside the data center. What both worlds need is a fully end-to-end IP core infrastructure solution – one that can support IP and Diameter and scale regardless of whether the need is enterprise-class or carrier-grade. One that maintains context and manages access to resources across both voice and data and does so both seamlessly and transparently. Bringing together F5’s control plane with that of Traffix brings a holistic approach to controlling a converged voice-data network that enhances critical network functions across the application, control, and data planes. Traffix aligns well with F5’s overall vision of enabling intelligence in the network and providing context and control for all types of network services – whether carrier or enterprise. Additional Resources: F5 Networks Acquires Traffix Systems The LTE signaling challenge F5 Circles The Wagons and Adds Diameter to its Portfolio Traffix Systems F5 Sends LTE Signal With Acquisition F5 Friday: The Dynamic Control PlaneiApp–Not just for apps
#devops #v11 #iapp Let’s spend some time talking about how iApp templates aren’t just for deploying and managing applications. Huh? The value of iApp templates extends far beyond applications. Remember, a template is used to describe the user interface and how the system will act on information gathered from the user, so practically any service, operational task or application can be delivered through this method. For instance, BIG-IPs are commonly used to provide high availability, scalability or proxy services for mission critical network services, such as LDAP, Radius, DNS, Diameter and SIP. The configurations are all supported by F5-provided iApp templates allowing administrators to deploy, manage and monitor them, just as easily as an application. F5-provided iApp templates have also been extended to regulatory standards such as NIST and ICSA. These iApp templates make it easy for users to configure and ensure compliance by setting logging, authentication policies, etc. iApp templates are also very helpful to manage operational tasks. Jason Rahm posted an iApp template example for scheduling configuration backups. Michael Earnhart (PME – with mean ice cream making skills. Vodka-blueberry ice cream anyone?!?!?) wrote an article and example about how users could create an iApp template to build and manage their iRules! (More on that next post) Pretty amazing technology. But, what about you? What would you do in an iApp?
