charge@once mediate, mediation for convergent networks

1 © Nokia Siemens Networks charge@once mediate marketing set / MSa / 19.09.2007

charge@once mediateMediation for convergent networks

Presenters nameLocationSeptember 2007


charge@once mediate = UCS Mediate

• Our mediation solution has been renamed as Nokia Siemens Networks charge@once mediate

– Known previously as UCS Mediate

• This change only affects the name of the product

– current development program and the future plans remain as they are

– The release number currently being developed remains as release 2.1

Any post-processing

systemBilling Customer Care Fraud Detection

UCS Mediate

Network layer

Circuit Core

Packet core

IMSApplication

serversMessagingplatforms

Fixed switching

charge@oncemediate


The content

Mediation within Nokia Siemens Networks portfolio

charge@once mediate features

Architecture

Availability

Evolution towards charge@once mediate


Mediation from Nokia Siemens Networks?

1. Full in-house OSS/BSS solution

2. Full charging product portfolio enabling Convergent charging

3. Convergent mediator within one solution

4. End-to-end provider of telecom networks and services– Off-the-shelf interface support for all Nokia Siemens Networks’ telecom

equipment

– Deep in-house knowledge on network technologies including IMS and their impact on charging

5. Flexibility in service & charging logic creation

6. Evolution path (re-use of HW and licences) for our 150+ Charging Gateway customers


Mediation offering today – Charging Gateway

Nokia Charging Gateway has provided the CDR collection capabilities since 2000

• Over 150 customers

• Over 350 installations

Collection and processing capability covering CDRs from

• Nokia Packet core solution

• Nokia ICD solution

• Nokia MSC Server

• Nokia IMS and PoC solutions

• Extendable also to collect CDRs from any 3rd party element

Currently being developed towards a full-fledged mediation engine for convergent networks

6 © Nokia Siemens Networks charge@once mediate marketing set / MSa / 19.09.2007For internal use

We combine best-in-class telecom and IT expertise to create the proposed tightly integrated system

…to turn your marketing concepts into business reality

CRMCustomer Care and self-care


Telco BillingTelco Billing

Converged rating, charging and session control


Network (2G, 2,5G, 3G incl. IMS)

Top-up management

Top-up management

PartnerNokia Siemens Networks

Product lifecycle

management

Product lifecycle

management

Application servers

CRM Customer Relationship Management systems ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

ERPERP

Subscriber provisioningSubscriber provisioning

BillingBilling

Convergedmediation

Convergedmediation

Enterprise Layer• Industry-generic• Enterprise-specific

business processes

Telco Layer• Telecommunication-

specific• Strictest online

and availability requirements


What is mediation?

• Converting data from one format to another between the network elements and the operator’s billing/CRM systems

• Preparing the data for billing system

• Centralised consolidation point hiding the complexity of the telecom network from the billing system

• Typical functions of a mediation system:

– Collection of the data from the network

– Pre-processing and consolidation of the data from multiple sources

– Conversion of the data into a format understandable by the billing system

– Temporary storage of the UsageData Records

Any post-processing

systemBilling Customer Care Fraud Detection

Mediation device

Network layer

Circuit Core

Packet core

IMSApplication

serversMessagingplatforms

Fixed switching


charge@once mediateMediation for Convergent networks

• Convergent mediation capabilities within a single system

– Batch based mediation– (Near) real time mediation (one

directional enabling for example hot billing)

– Active mediation (bi-directional)

• Flexible and fast integration ability provided by convergent mediation

• Mediation capability from any system/protocol towards any system/protocol

• Multiple deployment options– As standardised CGF functionality– As full mediation solution for all

network entities– As active mediation like protocol

conversion cases (including event enrichment, database queries etc)

Network elements (2G, 3G, IMS, including Nokia Siemens Networks, Nokia, Siemens and any 3rd party elements)

Batchmediation

Active mediation

charge@once mediate

BillingFraud

ManagementTraffic

AnalysisOnline

charging

Real timemediation


charge@once mediate release 2.1 featuresBasic mediation featurescharge@once mediate UtilitiesOperations and ManagementSupported off the shelf interfaces and formatsOff the shelf collection and distribution agents Supported off the shelf workflows


Basic Mediation features

Convergent mediation• Batch mode (file based e.g. FTP)• Online/active mediation (e.g. Diameter)

Flexible translation of data formats• Decoding and encoding• Support for any format based on ASCII or binary • Support for proprietary formats (input and output)• ASN.1/BER support based on 3GPP directives (GSM, TAP/RAP, GPRS,

etc)• Support for XML formats

Comprehensive and flexible processing functionality• Data manipulation e.g. aggregation, correlation, combining, enrichment • Ready made processing agents available• Possibility to create custom agents


Basic Mediation features - Workflow agents

Collection Agents

Processing Agents

Forwarding Agents


The principles of UDR* processing logic

Validation

Combination Correlation

Aggregation

Checking the validity of the

UDRs in order to prevent

duplicate records or

invalid content

Merging of two (or more)

different UDRs to form a new

UDR

Aggregating multiple UDRs

from one session into one

UDR

Copying parts from one UDR

type to another, resulting a UDR of desired type

*Usage Data Record


Basic Mediation features

User friendly GUI for workflow process modelingNumber of off-the-shelf agents for administrative purposes• Eg. for database operations, disk operations, pass data in between

workflows, archiving data, etc

Error correction • Validation of incoming data• Failure analysis• Correction of UDRs• Re-processing of data according to defined rules

Extensive toolkit for customising the functionality • For introducing new interface agents• For implementing new processing logic• For integration towards 3rd party systems• For customisation requests, please consult Nokia Siemens Networks

consultation (CSI) organisation


Modeling of the processing logic

Processing logic based on flexible workflow concept• Workflows are modeled, debugged and

deployed in workflow designer

• Workflows based on software agents that are linked to mediation tasks

• Workflow agents are dragged-dropped and connected in the designer area

• Mediation tasks of agents can be customised

Additional workflow functions including• Scheduling

• Distributed execution

• Version handling


Modeling of the processing logic

Processing logic based on flexible workflow concept

• Workflows are modeled, debugged and deployed in workflow designer

• Workflows based on software agents that are linked to mediation tasks

• Workflow agents are dragged-dropped and connected in the designer area

• Mediation tasks of agents can be freely customised

Additional workflow functions including

• Scheduling

• Distributed execution

• Version handling

• Workflow agents can be further customized

• Complementing the off-the-self functionality of the agents

• Implemented by scripting language called Analysis Programming Language (APL), which is a JAVA like language


Active mediation

• Active mediation means bi-directional mediation for online transactions

• charge@once mediate has productized support for active mediation from ▪ NSN Diameter (Flexi ISN)

▪ IACC (In Advance Credit Check from SMSC, MMSC)

to any online protocol

• Northbound (from charge@once mediate towards 3rd party systems) protocols needs to be implemented as customised solution as per project bases

▪ Supported by Nokia Siemens Networks consultation (CSI) organisation

▪ For example customized Diameter, Corba, OSA Parlay

• Active mediation logic can contain▪ Online protocol conversion

▪ Enhanced processing logic for the online events (for example database query)

• Productized support for Active mediation will be done in charge@once mediate as on top feature (release 2.2), preliminary scheduled for 2Q08

▪ The base functionality and standard protocol support already exists in the platform


charge@once mediate

(Active Mediation)

Network elements

Pre-paid System

Case example - active mediation

1. Diameter server receives Diameter accounting messages from network element

2. Analysis agent makes a query to external database, converts it to another format and sends it to Diameter client

3. Diameter client sends request to external diameter server

7. Encoder formats UDR and sends it to Realtime_Disk_Forwarding for writing the CDR out to disk

5. Analysis Agent converts response to another format and sends response to diameter server

4. Diameter client receives response from external diameter server

6. Analysis agent creates UDR and sends it to Encoder for data formatting


Utilities

System import & export functionality• Migrate configuration data between two systems (e.g. from test system to

production environment)

Notifying mechanism that allows sending alarms, logs, emails, etc

UDR editor• Examining, filtering and updating data files (UDRs)

• Useful to create for example test data


Operations and Management (1/2)

System statistics and utilization measures• Platform monitoring and reporting (e.g. throughput and resource utilization)

Auditing

Log files

User access control• Different user groups with different access rights

• User groups and access rights can be defined according to the needs

• Dedicated GUI for access right management

Task management• Execution of general tasks, predefined or user defined (cleanup routines,

backups etc)


Operations and Management (2/2)

Alarms• Pre-integrated alarm interface with Nokia NetAct (NE3S)

• Application level alarms

• Platform alarms

• Resource utilization alarms

• Customization towards 3rd party alarm and management systems can be implemented as a customer specific project (using SNMP traps)

Key performance indicators• Application monitoring (e.g. number of UDR per day)

• Pre-integrated KPI interface with Nokia NetAct

Backup• System configuration

• UDRs (tailored according to the customised requirements)


Supported off the shelf interfaces and formats

Supported NSN collection interfaces:• 2G-SGSN (GTP’ and FTP) - Binary• 3G-SGSN (GTP’ and FTP) - TLV• GGSN (GTP’) –TLV• Flexi ISN (GTP’) –TLV• PoC (GTP’) - TLV• MSC, MSC Server (FTP) - Binary• VoIP/NVS (FTP) – Binary• MMSC (FTP) * rel 2.2• SMSC (FTP) * rel 2.2• CSCF (IMS5.0) • 3rd party NE’s implemented as customer project

Supported active mediation protocols:• Flexi ISN (Diameter) * rel 2.2• MMSC, SMSC (IACC) * rel 2.2

Supported distributor interfaces:• Generic ASCII output CDR formats (FTP and SFTP)• Support for Traffica, NetAct • Integration required for any 3rd party system

Roaming support based on TAP files• Supporting TAP/RAP format conversion (TAP IN, TAP OUT)• TAP processing typícally requires customisation

charge@once mediate release 2.1 time schedule:• Early trials July 2007

• Customer piloting (E4) 29.11.07

• Commercial rollout (E5) 20.12.07

Release 2.2 LE May 08


Supported protocols

• Wide set of standard interface agents available to connect to any box sending charging events

• Typically, customization is required to adapt 3rd party solutions

• Nokia Siemens Networks offers the adaptation services via CSI organization

• Off the shelf collection and distribution agents– Diameter

– Radius (Accounting data interface, only collection agent)

– FTP (push and pull and control file FTP)

– TCP/IP

– SNMP

– HTTPD (request/response)

– SFTP


charge@once mediate roadmap

Features

SupportedSystems

CS CDR collection and processing

FTP based CDR transfer from 2G/3G SGSN

Capacity licensing NE3S support for

alarms Support for NVS Multi-core support Enhanced GUI and

DPNs New KPI and new

alarm for capacity measures

IMS SR2 (ExNokia) MSS SR2.2 CMC SR1

•Siemens output for NSN MSS CDRs

•S-CSCF CDR Collection and processing, correlation with NVS CDRs

•Active mediation•New fixed output

format for packet core CDRs

•Convergent mediation platform

•Offline (batch) and real-time (GTP’) mediation

•Error Correction System•Shorter integration time

for 3rd-pty NW elements

•Increased flexibility in data handling processing

•Configuration portability•Pre-integrated with NSN

network elements•Enhanced capacity

licencing

•MSS SR4•NSN IMS

Availability

CG 4.3 charge@once mediate 2.1

Available Piloting 2Q/2008

Legend:Legend:

Committed content & timing E1-> Planned content &timing E0-E1 Tentative content & timing <-E0

charge@once mediate 2.2

• Charge@Once integration for offline charging

•Advantage Commander integration

•Feature licensing

•Internal development for usability and reliability

4Q/2008

charge@once mediate 3.0

CG evolves to a component of charge@once mediate.


Supported off the shelf workflows

Following standard workflows are available in charge@once mediate release 2.1• Predefined workflow for Packet core CDR processing

• Predefined workflow for PoC CDR processing

• Predefined workflow for MSC CDR processing


Alternatives for creating the CDR processing logic

charge@once mediate platform

Standardprocessing workflows

Customised development

by NSN consultation

personnel(CSI)

Developed by operator

personnelvia

workflow editor


Access-ZoneExecutes the Operations and Maintenance GUI used to configure and control the system

Control-ZoneThe control layer hosts the runtime control environment. It controls the distribution aspects of the system

Execution-ZoneExecutes individual workflows.

Software architecture of charge@once mediate

ACCESS ZONE

EXECUTION ZONE

O&M GUI Service 1

ExecutionContext 2

ExecutionContext 3

O&M GUI Service 2

O&M GUI Service n

TCP/IP

CONTROL ZONE

LoggingServices

Event /Alarm

Services

ArchivingServices

Export /Import

Services

TaskManagement

Services

AuditServices

ErrorCorrectionServices

UDRManagement

Services

UserManagement

Services

WorkflowConfiguration

Services

WorkflowExecutionServices

SchedulingServices

TCP/IP

Execution Context

Service 1

Execution Context

Service 2

Execution Context

Service n

Database

Optimal SW architecture centralizing the administration and distributing the execution • Centralized configuration and O&M ensures data and usage consistency• Scalability is enabled by incrementally adding additional execution

elements


HW Platform alternatives

• Platform independent architecture• The pre-tested platforms are based on current Charging

Gateway (HP Itanium rx series) platforms• High Availability for different needs

– Either high volume mediation (HA based on clustered architecture)– Or charging gateway function (HA based on GTP’ protocol, N+1)– Redundant network connections

• Scalable and distributed architecture– The HW can be placed in separate sites, however a cluster needs to be located

in the same site– It is possible to extend a basic configuration by adding new machines or

components


charge@once mediate HP rx server models

• There are 3 possible HP rx HW models used in charge@once mediate :

HP rx2660 – For new deliveries– With High-Availability or Stand-Alone resilience solutions– With internal or external disks for data storage

HP rx2620– For migration cases only (from CG4.x) – Requires some component extensions

HP rx6600– For high capacity mediation– Availability earliest in rel2.2


charge@once mediate Storage Options

• In charge@once mediate there can be two possibilities for data storage*:

– Using internal disks

– Using an external disk storage system

• Internal storage:– Capacity per server: 273GB (for both input & output data)

• External storage:– EMC CX3-20 capacity: From 0.9TB up to 3.2TB (6 different options)

*Note: In the clustered solution, external storage is mandatory


High-Availability

• Clustered High Availability option for mediation cases

• In a high-available (HA) solution there is no single point of failure in the HW configuration.

• The collection and processing of UDRs is done without any downtime, even if there is a malfunction in one of the servers.

• The HA HW is clustered and the solutions are built with an EMC CLARiiON external disk storage system and Veritas cluster server SW solution.

• All the critical HW components are redundant.

• Upto 8 servers within one cluster

Veritas controls the processing, making sure there is no downtime. When it detects a server failure, it brings the processing up on a different node in the cluster. It virtualizes IP addresses and system names, so that the sending network elements continue to access the servers and are unaware of which one they use.


• N+1 redundancy for CGF/packet core cases

• The GTP’ protocol takes care of the redirection of the CDR traffic to another server, in case of a communication failure

• To ensure that no CDRs are lost in communication failure situations, a minimum of 2 servers are needed (1 active + 1 backup)

• The performance of the ’backup’ server has to be as high as the highest active server

Note1: it is not recommended to have more than 4 active servers with only 1 backup.

N active server

1 server waiting for Redirection

GTP’ based n+1 redundancy


Evolution towards charge@once mediateBenefits gained in developing Nokia Charging Gateway


Long development history in mediation based on Charging Gateway

Nokia has been active in the mediation business since early GPRS days introducing centralized solution for postpaid CDR collection

Charging Gateway has been developed further in each release towards mediation to collect CDRs centrally from multiple sources

charge@once mediate brings the full mediation capabilities, including the pre-integrated and tested interfaces to core equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks bringing the complete convergent charging solution

• Embedding the mediation functionality to provide full prepaid/postpaid convergence

4 © Nokia Siemens Networks Presentation / Author / DateFor internal use

We combine best-in-class telecom and IT expertise to create the proposed tightly integrated system

…to turn your marketing concepts into business reality


Telco Billing


Network (2G, 2,5G, 3G incl. IMS)

Top-up management

PartnerNokia Siemens Networks

Product lifecycle

management

Application servers

CRM Customer Relationship Management systems ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

ERP

Subscriber provisioning

Billing

Convergedmediation

Enterprise Layer• Industry-generic• Enterprise-specific

business processes

Telco Layer• Telecommunication-

specific• Strictest online

and availability requirements


Evolution from Charging Gateway to charge@once mediate

Evolution for the Charging Gateway customers has been one of the key design criteria for charge@once mediate

charge@once mediate is supported also in the CG based hardware• HP Itanium series rx26x0 servers

• Older models (RP series, L andK series) no longer supported

Due to the changed softwarearchitecture, customizationsand processing logic needsto be re-done

Further integration ongoing towards Nokia SiemensNetworks’ charging portfolio

1 ©2005 Nokia V1-Filename.ppt / yyyy-mm-dd / Initials

Company Confidential

Operator’s IP backbone

Service Providers

Internet

Nokia Intelligent Service Node or 3rd party GGSN

Nokia or 3rd

party SGSN sAP

IP multimedia

Operator Wireless LAN

Circuit switched network

Customer Care and Billing System,Operational, Business and decision support applications

CPS, PoC

Corporate intranet

Radio network

Productized if

Customized if

Operational Environment of CG 4.3

Other 3rd party network elements

Charging Gateway


Why to upgrade to charge@once mediate

• charge@once mediate is extending the event collection capabilities to full mediation

• charge@once mediate brings wide set of enhanced functionality and added mediation flexibility

• charge@once mediate is a convergent mediation engine embedding also active mediation into one single solution

• Fully redundant solution with clustered architecture


Summary

charge@once mediate is an evolutionary step from today’s Charging Gateway

charge@once mediate introduces the full, convergent mediation capabilities in a single system• Batch based mediation

• Real time mediation

• Active mediation

charge@once mediate supports off-the-shelf wide range of pre-integrated interfaces• More collection agents introduced in the following releases

• Customised agents can be developed per request

charge@once mediate is part of the Nokia Siemens Networks’ customer centric convergent charging solution


Thank You!

charge@once mediate, mediation for convergent networks

Education

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ftp onlineactive mediation

fullfledged mediation

marketing concepts

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