5G RAN

Flow Control Feature Parameter

Description

Issue Draft A
Date 2021-12-30

HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.

Copyright © Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. 2022. All rights reserved.
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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description Contents

Contents

1 Change History.........................................................................................................................1
1.1 5G RAN6.1 Draft A (2021-12-30)...................................................................................................................................... 1

2 About This Document.............................................................................................................2

2.1 General Statements................................................................................................................................................................ 2
2.2 Features in This Document.................................................................................................................................................. 2
2.3 Differences Between NR FDD and NR TDD................................................................................................................... 3
2.4 Differences Between NSA and SA..................................................................................................................................... 3
2.5 Differences Between High Frequency Bands and Low Frequency Bands............................................................ 3

3 Overview....................................................................................................................................5
3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................... 5
3.2 Application Scenarios............................................................................................................................................................. 5
3.3 Basic Principles......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
3.3.1 Control-Plane Data Flows and Protocols..................................................................................................................... 7
3.3.2 User-Plane Data Flows and Protocols...........................................................................................................................8
3.3.3 Internal Functional Architecture of a gNodeB........................................................................................................ 10

4 Control-Plane Flow Control................................................................................................ 12

4.1 Flow Control over SgNB Addition Messages............................................................................................................... 12
4.1.1 Objective............................................................................................................................................................................... 12
4.1.2 Principle................................................................................................................................................................................ 12
4.1.2.1 Flow Control Points....................................................................................................................................................... 12
4.1.2.2 Flow Control Actions..................................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1.3 Monitoring........................................................................................................................................................................... 14
4.2 Flow Control over Random Access Messages............................................................................................................. 14
4.2.1 Objective............................................................................................................................................................................... 14
4.2.2 Principle................................................................................................................................................................................ 14
4.2.2.1 Flow Control Points....................................................................................................................................................... 15
4.2.2.2 Flow Control Actions..................................................................................................................................................... 15
4.2.3 Monitoring........................................................................................................................................................................... 16
4.3 Flow Control over Initial Access Request Messages................................................................................................. 16
4.3.1 Objective............................................................................................................................................................................... 16
4.3.2 Principle................................................................................................................................................................................ 16
4.3.2.1 Flow Control Points....................................................................................................................................................... 17

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description Contents

4.3.2.2 Flow Control Actions..................................................................................................................................................... 17

4.3.3 Monitoring........................................................................................................................................................................... 19
4.4 Flow Control over Handover Request Messages....................................................................................................... 19
4.4.1 Objective............................................................................................................................................................................... 19
4.4.2 Principle................................................................................................................................................................................ 19
4.4.2.1 Flow Control Points....................................................................................................................................................... 19
4.4.2.2 Flow Control Actions..................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.4.3 Monitoring........................................................................................................................................................................... 21
4.5 Flow Control over Paging Messages.............................................................................................................................. 21
4.5.1 Objective............................................................................................................................................................................... 21
4.5.2 Principle................................................................................................................................................................................ 22
4.5.2.1 Flow Control Points....................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.5.2.2 Flow Control Actions..................................................................................................................................................... 22
4.5.3 Monitoring........................................................................................................................................................................... 23

5 User-Plane Flow Control...................................................................................................... 24

5.1 Objective.................................................................................................................................................................................. 24
5.2 Principle.................................................................................................................................................................................... 24
5.2.1 Flow Control Actions........................................................................................................................................................ 24
5.3 Monitoring...............................................................................................................................................................................26

6 Parameters.............................................................................................................................. 27
7 Counters.................................................................................................................................. 28
8 Glossary................................................................................................................................... 29
9 Reference Documents...........................................................................................................30

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 1 Change History

1 Change History

This chapter describes changes not included in the "Parameters", "Counters",

"Glossary", and "Reference Documents" chapters. These changes include:
● Technical changes
Changes in functions and their corresponding parameters
● Editorial changes
Improvements or revisions to the documentation

1.1 5G RAN6.1 Draft A (2021-12-30)

This issue introduces no changes to 5G RAN5.1 02 (2021-04-30).

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 2 About This Document

2 About This Document

2.1 General Statements

Purpose
Feature Parameter Description documents are intended to acquaint readers with:
● The technical principles of features and their related parameters
● The scenarios where these features are used, the benefits they provide, and
the impact they have on networks and functions
● Requirements of the operating environment that must be met before feature
activation
● Parameter configuration required for feature activation, verification of feature
activation, and monitoring of feature performance
NOTE

This document only provides guidance for feature activation. Feature deployment and
feature gains depend on the specifics of the network scenario where the feature is
deployed. To achieve optimal gains, contact Huawei professional service engineers.

Software Interfaces
Any parameters, alarms, counters, or managed objects (MOs) described in Feature
Parameter Description documents apply only to the corresponding software
release. For future software releases, refer to the corresponding updated product
documentation.

2.2 Features in This Document

This document describes the following feature.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 2 About This Document

Feature ID Feature Name Chapter/Section

FBFD-020101 Reliability 4 Control-Plane

Flow Control
5 User-Plane Flow
Control

2.3 Differences Between NR FDD and NR TDD

Function Name Difference Chapter/Section

Control-plane flow None 4 Control-Plane

control Flow Control

User-plane flow None 5 User-Plane Flow

control Control

2.4 Differences Between NSA and SA

Function Name Difference Chapter/Section

Control-plane flow Supported in both NSA and SA 4 Control-Plane

control networking, with the following Flow Control
differences:
● Flow control over SgNB addition
messages is supported only in
NSA networking.
● Flow control over random access
messages, initial access
messages, handover request
messages, and paging messages
is supported only in SA
networking.

User-plane flow None 5 User-Plane Flow

control Control

2.5 Differences Between High Frequency Bands and

Low Frequency Bands
This document refers to frequency bands belonging to FR1 (410–7125 MHz) as
low frequency bands, and those belonging to FR2 (24250–52600 MHz) as high
frequency bands. For details about FR1 and FR2, see section 5.1 "General" in 3GPP
TS 38.104 V15.5.0.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 2 About This Document

Function Name Difference Chapter/Section

Control-plane flow Supported in both high and low 4 Control-Plane

control frequency bands, with the following Flow Control
differences:
Both SA networking and NSA
networking are supported in low
frequency bands, but only SA
networking in FWA scenarios and
NSA networking are supported in
high frequency bands.

User-plane flow Supported in both high and low 5 User-Plane Flow

control frequency bands, with the following Control
differences:
Both SA networking and NSA
networking are supported in low
frequency bands, but only SA
networking in FWA scenarios and
NSA networking are supported in
high frequency bands.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

3 Overview

3.1 Introduction
With flow control, a device controls input and output flows to prevent the device
from being overloaded and maintain device stability. Flow control is performed on
signaling, service, and operation and maintenance (O&M) data. The following two
methods are used to ensure the effect of flow control:
● Input flows are restricted to prevent the device from being overloaded and
ensure the processing capability of the device when its service traffic
dramatically increases.
● Output flows are restricted to prevent the peer device from being overloaded.
When heavy traffic exists on the device, flow control can reduce the device reset
risk and improve device reliability. Flow control also prevents the access success
rate and handover success rate from deteriorating, ensuring user experience.

3.2 Application Scenarios

Control-plane, user-plane, and management-plane data flows exist on the
network. These three types of data flows map to signaling, service, and O&M data
of flow control objects, respectively, as shown in Figure 3-1. This release supports
flow control only for signaling data and service data.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

Figure 3-1 gNodeB data flow

Table 3-1 Load points on NR networks

Data Flow Data Flow Load Point
Type

Control- Uplink signaling data Load point 1: A gNodeB is overloaded if a

plane data between a UE and a UE sends a large amount of access
flow gNodeB signaling data over the Uu interface to
the gNodeB.

Downlink signaling Load point 2: A gNodeB is overloaded if

data between a an NG-CP sends a large amount of
gNodeB and a next signaling data to the gNodeB.
generation control
plane (NG-CP)

Uplink signaling data Load point 3: An NG-CP is overloaded if

between a gNodeB a gNodeB sends a large amount of
and an NG-CP signaling data to the NG-CP.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

Data Flow Data Flow Load Point

Type

Signaling data Load point 4: A gNodeB is overloaded if

between gNodeBs there is a large amount of signaling data
between gNodeBs.

Signaling data Load point 5: A gNodeB is overloaded if

between a gNodeB there is a large amount of signaling data
and an eNodeB between a gNodeB and an eNodeB.

Downlink signaling There is no load point on the gNodeB

data between a side.
gNodeB and a UE

User-plane gNodeB uplink and Load point 6: The CPU of a gNodeB is

data flow downlink service data overloaded if there is a large amount of
uplink and downlink service data.

3.3 Basic Principles

Flow control is performed on control-plane and user-plane data flows within a
gNodeB or between a gNodeB and an external NE.

Flow control methods are as follows:

● Restricting output flows of the gNodeB or reducing the data flows received
from the peer NE through backpressure
● Actively reducing the flow output rate of the gNodeB, or that of the peer NE
through backpressure
● Identifying service priorities and suppressing the access of low-priority data
NOTE

Backpressure is a traffic control method. When detecting that the transmit end transmits an
excessively large volume of traffic, the receive end sends signals to instruct the transmit end
to lower the transmission rate.

3.3.1 Control-Plane Data Flows and Protocols

As shown in Figure 3-1, control-plane data flows include:

● Uplink signaling data from a UE to a gNodeB

● Downlink signaling data from a gNodeB to a UE
● Uplink control-plane data from a gNodeB to an NG-CP
● Downlink signaling data from an NG-CP to a gNodeB
● Signaling data between gNodeBs
● Signaling data between a gNodeB and an eNodeB

Figure 3-2, Figure 3-3, and Figure 3-4 show the protocol stacks related to the
control plane.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

Figure 3-2 Control-plane protocol stacks between a UE and an eNodeB and

between an eNodeB and a gNodeB in NSA networking

Figure 3-3 Control-plane protocol stacks between a UE and a gNodeB and

between a gNodeB and an NGC in SA networking

Figure 3-4 Control-plane protocol stacks between gNodeBs

3.3.2 User-Plane Data Flows and Protocols

As shown in Figure 3-1, user-plane data flows include:

● Uplink service data from a UE to a gNodeB

● Downlink service data from a gNodeB to a UE

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

● Service data between a gNodeB and an eNodeB

● Downlink service data from a user plane gateway (UPGW) to a gNodeB
● Uplink service data from a gNodeB to a UPGW
Figure 3-5, Figure 3-6, and Figure 3-7 show the protocol stacks related to the
user plane.

Figure 3-5 User-plane protocol stacks between a UE and a gNodeB, between a

gNodeB and an eNodeB, and between an eNodeB and an S-GW in NSA
networking

Figure 3-6 User-plane protocol stacks between a UE and a gNodeB and between
a gNodeB and an NGC in SA networking

Figure 3-7 User-plane protocol stacks between gNodeBs

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

3.3.3 Internal Functional Architecture of a gNodeB

Figure 3-8 shows the internal functional architecture of a gNodeB.

Figure 3-8 Internal functional architecture of a gNodeB

Functions of the main processing and transmission unit (MPT) are as follows:

● Radio resource control (RRC), X2 Application Protocol (X2AP), Xn Application

Protocol (XnAP), and NG Application Protocol (NGAP) functions and paging
functions on the control plane
– RRC functions over the Uu interface
– X2AP functions over the X2 interface
– XnAP functions over the Xn interface
– NGAP functions over the NG interface
– Paging functions
● Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) and GPRS Tunneling Protocol-User
Plane (GTP-U) functions on the user plane:
– PDCP functions over the Uu interface
– GTP-U user plane functions and transmission algorithms over the X2, Xn,
and NG interfaces

Functions of the baseband processing unit (BBP) are as follows:

● RRC and Cell Manage (CELLM) functions on the control plane

– RRC functions over the Uu interface
– CELLM functions, including the Uu interface resource allocation function

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 3 Overview

● Radio Link Control (RLC) and Media Access Control (MAC) functions over the
Uu interface on the user plane

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

4 Control-Plane Flow Control

4.1 Flow Control over SgNB Addition Messages

4.1.1 Objective
In NSA networking, the signaling data exchanged between a UE and a gNodeB is
carried by an eNodeB. Therefore, control-plane flow control is only performed on
the X2 interface between an eNodeB and a gNodeB to prevent signaling overload.

4.1.2 Principle
In an SgNB addition procedure initiated by the eNodeB over the X2 interface, the
gNodeB informs the eNodeB of available radio resources through a configuration
message over the X2 interface, and then the eNodeB informs the UE of the radio
resources over the Uu interface. For details about the SgNB addition procedure,
see NSA Networking based on EPC.
In this release, X2 interface flow control applies only to the initial messages (SgNB
ADDITION REQUEST messages).

4.1.2.1 Flow Control Points

Figure 4-1 shows the data flow for SgNB addition messages and the flow control
point (marked 1) for initial messages (SgNB ADDITION REQUEST messages) in an
SgNB addition procedure in the gNodeB. The gNodeB performs flow control on
the initial messages to prevent signaling overload.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

Figure 4-1 Data flow and flow control point for SgNB addition messages

4.1.2.2 Flow Control Actions

The MPT collects the number of SgNB addition messages received from the
eNodeB within a period (one second), and determines whether this period has
sufficient tokens for processing all the received SgNB addition messages (one
token is consumed for processing one SgNB addition message). If this period does
not have sufficient tokens, the gNodeB directly discards the SgNB addition
messages that cannot be processed.
When the gNodeB is overloaded, the gNodeB dynamically adjusts the number of
tokens used in the next one-second period based on the CPU usage of the MPT,
message queue status on the MPT, or transmission link status. Table 4-1 details
actions for flow control over SgNB addition messages.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

Table 4-1 Flow control over SgNB addition messages

MPT CPU MPT Flow Control Flow Control Actions on the

Usage (N) Message Status MPT
Queue Status
or
Transmission
Link Status

N ≥ 95% - Overload The CPU load is relatively

high. All SgNB addition
messages will be discarded to
prevent system breakdown.
The number of tokens is
decreased at a specified step
within each period.

80% ≤ N < - Flow control The number of tokens is

95% enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 80% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 80% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

clearance released increased at a specified step
within each period.

Note: The step is adjusted following the slow-increase and quick-decrease

principle.

4.1.3 Monitoring
View the value of N.NsaDc.SgNB.Add.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number of times
SCG addition messages are discarded due to the flow control over SgNB addition
messages on the base station.

4.2 Flow Control over Random Access Messages

4.2.1 Objective
A large number of random access messages lead to high load and even cause the
system to reset. Flow control over random access messages aims to protect a
gNodeB from being overloaded when a large number of UEs initiate random
access.

4.2.2 Principle

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

4.2.2.1 Flow Control Points

Figure 4-2 shows the data flow for random access messages and the flow control
point (located in the CELLM processing module of the BBP, as marked 1) for
contention-based random access messages (Msg1) in the gNodeB. The gNodeB
does not perform flow control on non-contention-based random access messages.

Figure 4-2 Data flow and flow control point for random access messages

4.2.2.2 Flow Control Actions

Flow control over contention-based random access messages is implemented on
the BBP. After receiving Msg1 from a UE, the BBP uses a group of instance
resources from those allocated by the MPT to send Msg2 (random access response
message) to the UE. The MPT obtains the CPU usage every second. If the MPT
CPU usage exceeds 85%, the MPT message queue is congested, or the
transmission link is congested, backpressure is performed on the BBP to limit the
number of Msg1 messages. In other cases, flow control over random access
messages is released and the MPT notifies the BBP to restore normal services. The
BBP implements flow control over random access messages every 100 ms, and
adjusts the number of tokens within each flow control period. One token is
consumed each time the gNodeB processes one Msg1. If the number of Msg1
messages to be processed in the current period exceeds the total number of
tokens, new Msg1 messages will be discarded. Table 4-2 details flow control
actions. The gNodeB determines whether to trigger flow control based on the
backpressure status on the MPT.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

Table 4-2 Actions for flow control over random access messages
MPT CPU MPT Flow Control Flow Control Actions on the
Usage (N) Message Status BBP
Queue Status
or
Transmission
Link Status

N ≥ 95% - Overload The CPU load is relatively

high. All random access
messages will be directly
discarded to prevent system
breakdown. The number of
tokens is decreased at a
specified step within each
period.

85% ≤ N < - Flow control The number of tokens is

95% enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 85% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 85% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

clearance released increased at a specified step
within each period.

Note: The step is adjusted following the slow-increase and quick-decrease

principle.

4.2.3 Monitoring
None

4.3 Flow Control over Initial Access Request Messages

4.3.1 Objective
A large number of initial access request messages lead to high load and even
cause the system to reset. Flow control over initial access request messages
(Msg3) aims to relieve the gNodeB overload caused by the access of a large
number of UEs.

4.3.2 Principle
An RRC procedure starts with an initial access request message. Initial access
request messages include RRC Setup Request and RRC Reestablishment Request
messages. After an initial access request message is successfully processed, a series

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

of subsequent operations are required, causing excessive signaling overheads on

the system. Therefore, flow control is necessary from the beginning of a signaling
procedure to reduce the system load.

To guarantee user experience for high-priority services, control-plane flow control

takes different actions to process access requests based on the priorities of access
with different causes. The priorities for control-plane access requests are arranged
in descending order of the causes: Emergency, highPriorityAccess concerns, mt-
Access, Mo-Sig, Mo-Data, RRCReestablishment, and other RRC causes.

4.3.2.1 Flow Control Points

Figure 4-3 shows the data flow and flow control point (located in the RRC
processing module of the BBP, as marked 1) for initial access request messages in
the gNodeB.

Figure 4-3 Data flow and flow control point for initial access request messages

4.3.2.2 Flow Control Actions

The BBP collects the number of initial access messages received from UEs within a
period (one second), and determines whether this period has sufficient tokens for
processing all the received RRC request messages (one token is consumed for
processing one RRC request message).

When the gNodeB is overloaded, the gNodeB discards some initial access
messages based on the CPU usage of the MPT or BBP, the message queue status
of the MPT or BBP, or the transmission link status. Table 4-3 lists detailed flow
control measures.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

Table 4-3 Actions for flow control over initial access request messages
MPT/BBP MPT/BBP Flow Control Flow Control Actions on the
CPU Usage Message Status BBP
(N) Queue Status
or
Transmission
Link Status

N ≥ 95% - Overload The CPU load is relatively

high. All initial access
messages will be discarded to
prevent system breakdown.
The number of tokens is
decreased at a specified step
within each period.

80% ≤ N < - Flow control Flow control is performed on

95% enabled all types of messages
according to the priorities for
access causes of control-plane
access requests, and the
number of tokens is decreased
at a certain step within each
period. Messages of rejected
UEs will be directly discarded.

N < 80% Congestion Flow control Flow control is performed on

enabled all types of messages
according to the priorities for
access causes of control-plane
access requests, and the
number of tokens is decreased
at a certain step within each
period. Messages of rejected
UEs will be directly discarded.

N < 80% Congestion Flow control Flow control is gradually

clearance released released for all types of
messages according to the
priorities for access causes of
control-plane access requests,
and the number of tokens is
increased at a certain step
within each period.

Note: The step is adjusted following the slow-increase and quick-decrease

principle.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

4.3.3 Monitoring
● View the value of N.RRC.SetupReq.Msg.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number
of discarded RRC Setup Request messages due to flow control over initial
access request messages in SA networking.
● View the value of N.RRC.ReEst.Msg.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number of
discarded RRC Reestablishment Request messages due to flow control over
initial access request messages in SA networking.

4.4 Flow Control over Handover Request Messages

4.4.1 Objective
In SA networking, a handover procedure starts with a handover request message
(HANDOVER REQUEST). After a handover request message is successfully
processed, a series of subsequent operations are required, causing excessive
overheads on the system. Therefore, flow control over handover request messages
needs to be implemented from the beginning of a signaling procedure to reduce
system load.

4.4.2 Principle
This release allows for flow control over handover request messages (initial
messages in an Xn or NG handover procedure). If the CPU load on the gNodeB
exceeds a flow control threshold within a period, the gNodeB performs flow
control over handover request messages by lowering the capability of processing
handover request messages. When the number of handover request messages is
beyond the message processing capability within this period, the gNodeB will
directly discard the handover request messages that cannot be processed.

4.4.2.1 Flow Control Points

Figure 4-4 shows the data flow and flow control point (located in the RRC/X2AP/
XnAP/NGAP processing module of the MPT board, as indicated by "1" in the
figure) for handover request messages in the gNodeB. The same flow control
priority applies to handover request messages over the NG and Xn interfaces.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

Figure 4-4 Data flow and flow control point for handover request messages

4.4.2.2 Flow Control Actions

The MPT collects the number of handover request messages received from the
gNodeB or core network within a period (one second), and determines whether
this period has sufficient tokens for processing all of the received handover
request messages (one token is consumed for processing one handover request
message). If this period does not have sufficient tokens, the gNodeB directly
discards the handover request messages that cannot be processed.
When the gNodeB is overloaded, the gNodeB dynamically adjusts the number of
tokens used in the next one-second period based on the CPU usage of the MPT,
message queue status on the MPT, or transmission link status. Table 4-4 details
actions for flow control over handover request messages.

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Table 4-4 Actions for flow control over handover request messages
MPT CPU MPT Flow Control Flow Control Actions on the
Usage (N) Message Status MPT
Queue Status
or
Transmission
Link Status

N ≥ 95% - Overload The CPU load is relatively

high. All handover request
messages will be discarded to
prevent system breakdown.
The number of tokens is
decreased at a specified step
within each period.

90% ≤ N < - Flow control The number of tokens is

95% enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 90% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 90% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

clearance released increased at a specified step
within each period.

Note: The step is adjusted following the slow-increase and quick-decrease

principle.

4.4.3 Monitoring
● View the value of N.HO.IntraRAT.Msg.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number of
times intra-RAT incoming handover messages are discarded due to the flow
control over handover request messages in SA networking.
● View the value of N.HO.InterRAT.Msg.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number of
times inter-RAT incoming handover messages are discarded due to the flow
control over handover request messages in SA networking.

4.5 Flow Control over Paging Messages

4.5.1 Objective
In SA networking, a large number of paging messages cause heavy system load
and even a system reset. The aim of flow control over paging messages is to
protect a gNodeB from being overloaded due to numerous paging messages.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

4.5.2 Principle
A paging procedure starts with a paging message. After a paging message is
successfully processed, numerous UEs access the network, causing excessive
overheads on the system. Therefore, flow control needs to be implemented from
the beginning of a paging procedure to reduce system load.

4.5.2.1 Flow Control Points

Figure 4-5 shows the data flow and flow control point (located in the paging
processing module of the MPT board, as indicated by "1" in the figure) for paging
messages in the gNodeB. The same flow control priority applies to paging
messages over the NG and Xn interfaces.

Figure 4-5 Data flow and flow control point for paging messages

4.5.2.2 Flow Control Actions

If the MPT CPU usage of the gNodeB exceeds 75%, the MPT message queue
status is congested, or the transmission link status is congested within a period,
the gNodeB performs flow control over paging messages by lowering the
capability of processing paging messages. When the number of paging messages
is beyond the message processing capability within this period, the gNodeB will
directly discard the paging messages that cannot be processed.
The MPT collects the number of paging messages received from the gNodeB or
core network within a one-second period, and determines whether tokens in this
period are sufficient for processing all of the received paging messages (one token
is consumed for processing one paging message). If tokens within this period are
insufficient, the gNodeB directly discards the paging messages that cannot be
processed.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 4 Control-Plane Flow Control

If the gNodeB is overloaded, it dynamically adjusts the number of tokens used in

the subsequent one-second period based on the CPU usage or message queue
status on the MPT. Table 4-5 details actions for flow control over paging
messages.

Table 4-5 Actions for flow control over paging messages

MPT CPU MPT Flow Control Flow Control Actions on the
Usage (N) Message Status MPT
Queue Status
or
Transmission
Link Status

N ≥ 95% - Overload The CPU load is relatively

high. All paging messages will
be discarded to prevent
system breakdown. The
number of tokens is decreased
at a specified step within each
period.

75% ≤ N < - Flow control The number of tokens is

95% enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 75% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

enabled decreased at a specified step
within each period.

N < 75% Congestion Flow control The number of tokens is

clearance released increased at a specified step
within each period.

Note: The step is adjusted following the slow-increase and quick-decrease

principle.

4.5.3 Monitoring
● View the value of N.Paging.Xn.Msg.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number of
times paging messages over the Xn interface are discarded due to the flow
control over paging messages in SA networking.
● View the value of N.Paging.Ng.Msg.Disc.FlowCtrl to check the number of
times paging messages over the NG interface are discarded due to the flow
control over paging messages in SA networking.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 5 User-Plane Flow Control

5 User-Plane Flow Control

5.1 Objective
The RLC and MAC protocol processing of a gNodeB and air interface transmission
must meet specific delay requirements. If the CPU is overloaded, a gNodeB will be
unable to meet delay requirements for air interface transmission, resulting in
packet loss. Therefore, load control needs to be performed based on the CPU
usage to ensure real-time RLC and MAC protocol processing.

5.2 Principle
The RLC and MAC protocol processing units of a gNodeB periodically checks the
CPU load and calculates the load from each cell. If the CPU load exceeds the flow
control threshold, flow control is triggered and is performed on the cell with the
largest load by reducing the number of scheduled users and traffic. After the
number of users scheduled for the cell is reduced, the RLC buffer may increase. In
this case, congestion backpressure actions are taken by instructing the
transmission module to reduce the number of transmitted packets. This helps
avoid a buffer overflow and alleviates CPU load.
In this release, flow control in the uplink and downlink is supported.

5.2.1 Flow Control Actions

Downlink Flow Control
The downlink traffic flows among the protocol processing units of the gNodeB in
the following direction: GTP-U > PDCP > RLC > MAC, as shown in Figure 5-1. The
downlink flow control on the user plane is performed on the RLC and MAC
protocol processing units.
● The RLC protocol processing unit receives and buffers packets from the PDCP
processing unit. If the CPU load of the RLC and MAC protocol processing units
exceeds 85%, the GTP-U module is instructed to lower the transmit rate for
downlink packets until the CPU load is below 80%. Afterwards, the GTP-U
module is instructed to gradually restore the transmit rate for downlink
packets.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 5 User-Plane Flow Control

● The RLC and MAC protocol processing units process the downlink packets as
instructed by the downlink scheduling module.
– If the CPU load of the RLC and MAC protocol processing units exceeds
80%, the downlink scheduling module is instructed to reduce the number
of users scheduled in the corresponding cell in the downlink. This helps
reduce the CPU load and ensure real-time RLC and MAC protocol
processing.
– If the CPU load of the RLC and MAC protocol processing units is less than
80%, the congestion has been relieved. In this case, the downlink
scheduling module is notified to increase the number of users scheduled
in the downlink in the corresponding cell.

Figure 5-1 Functional architecture of a gNodeB

Uplink Flow Control

The uplink traffic flows among the protocol processing units of the gNodeB in the
following direction: MAC > RLC > PDCP > GTP-U, as shown in Figure 5-1. The
uplink flow control on the user plane is performed on the MAC, RLC, and PDCP
protocol processing units.
● After being overloaded, the GTP-U processing unit notifies the PDCP
processing unit of the overload through backpressure. Then, the PDCP
processing unit decreases the uplink packet transmit rate.
● The RLC and MAC protocol processing units process the uplink packets as
instructed by the uplink scheduling module.
– If the CPU load of the RLC and MAC protocol processing units exceeds
80%, the uplink scheduling module is instructed to reduce the number of
users scheduled in the corresponding cell in the uplink. This helps reduce
the CPU load and ensure real-time RLC and MAC protocol processing.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 5 User-Plane Flow Control

– If the CPU load of the RLC and MAC protocol processing units is less than
80%, the congestion has been relieved. In this case, the uplink scheduling
module is notified to increase the number of users scheduled in the
corresponding cell in the uplink.
Uplink user-plane flow control is controlled by the UL_UU_FLOW_CTRL_SWITCH
(non-dual connectivity (DC) scenarios) or
UL_UU_FLOW_CTRL_ENHANCED_SWITCH (DC scenarios) option of the
gNodeBParam.UlFlowCtrlAlgoSwitch parameter. When the specific option is
selected, the MAC processing unit of the BBP performs uplink user-plane flow
control to limit the uplink rates of UEs in case of uplink transmission congestions,
thereby avoiding gNodeB internal congestions in the uplink.
● When the gNodeB is overloaded, the BBP reduces available resources at a
step of 10%. The MAC protocol processing unit schedules a small amount of
data in the uplink, accordingly.
● When the gNodeB is no longer overloaded, the BBP increases available
resources at a step of 10%. The MAC protocol processing unit schedules a
large amount of data in the uplink, accordingly.
NOTE

The UL_UU_FLOW_CTRL_ENHANCED_SWITCH option can be selected only when the

UL_UU_FLOW_CTRL_SWITCH option is selected.

5.3 Monitoring
The trigger of user-plane flow control cannot be observed based on traffic-related
counters because traffic change is related to various factors, such as normal traffic
volume fluctuation and channel quality over the air interface. However, the
counters indicating CPU usage of the BBP can be used to evaluate whether user-
plane flow control has been triggered. The average user-plane CPU usage of a
board in a gNodeB is indicated by the VS.NRBoard.UPlane.CPULoad.Avg counter.
If the average user-plane CPU usage increases to about 80% and then remains
this level, flow control has taken effect.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 6 Parameters

6 Parameters

The following hyperlinked EXCEL files of parameter reference match the software
version with which this document is released.
● Node Parameter Reference: contains device and transport parameters.
● gNodeBFunction Parameter Reference: contains all parameters related to
radio access functions, including air interface management, access control,
mobility control, and radio resource management.
NOTE

You can find the EXCEL files of parameter reference for the software version used on the
live network from the product documentation delivered with that version.

FAQ: How do I find the parameters related to a certain feature from

parameter reference?

Step 1 Open the EXCEL file of parameter reference.

Step 2 On the Parameter List sheet, filter the Feature ID column. Click Text Filters and
choose Contains. Enter the feature ID, for example, FBFD-010011.
Step 3 Click OK. All parameters related to the feature are displayed.

----End

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 7 Counters

7 Counters

The following hyperlinked EXCEL files of performance counter reference match the
software version with which this document is released.
● Node Performance Counter Summary: contains device and transport counters.
● gNodeBFunction Performance Counter Summary: contains all counters related
to radio access functions, including air interface management, access control,
mobility control, and radio resource management.
NOTE

You can find the EXCEL files of performance counter reference for the software version used
on the live network from the product documentation delivered with that version.

FAQ: How do I find the counters related to a certain feature from

performance counter reference?

Step 1 Open the EXCEL file of performance counter reference.

Step 2 On the Counter Summary(En) sheet, filter the Feature ID column. Click Text
Filters and choose Contains. Enter the feature ID, for example, FBFD-010011.
Step 3 Click OK. All counters related to the feature are displayed.

----End

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 8 Glossary

8 Glossary

For the acronyms, abbreviations, terms, and definitions, see Glossary.

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Flow Control Feature Parameter Description 9 Reference Documents

9 Reference Documents

3GPP TS 38.104: "NR; Base Station (BS) radio transmission and reception"
NSA Networking based on EPC

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