Components of cellular network architecture

MSC
v connects cells to wired tel. net.
v manages call setup (more later!)
v handles mobility (more later!)
cell
v covers geographical
region
Mobile
v base station (BS)
Switching
analogous to 802.11 AP Center
Public telephone
v mobile users attach to
network
network through BS
v air-interface: physical
Mobile
and link layer protocol Switching
Center
between mobile and BS

wired network

1  
 Cellular networks: the first hop
Two techniques for sharing
mobile-to-BS radio spectrum
• combined FDMA/TDMA: divide
spectrum in frequency
channels, divide each channel time slots
into time slots
• CDMA: code division multiple
access frequency
bands

2  
2G (voice) network architecture
Base station system (BSS)
MSC
BTS BSC G Public
telephone
network
Gateway
MSC

Legend

Base transceiver station (BTS)

Base station controller (BSC)

Mobile Switching Center (MSC)

Mobile subscribers

3  
3G (voice+data) network architecture
MSC
G Public
telephone
network
radio
network Gateway
controller MSC

G Public
SGSN Internet
Key insight: new cellular data
network operates in parallel GGSN
(except at edge) with existing
cellular voice network Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)
v voice network unchanged in core
v data network operates in parallel Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN)

4  
3G (voice+data) network architecture
MSC
G Public
telephone
network
radio
network Gateway
controller MSC

G Public
SGSN Internet

GGSN
radio interface
(WCDMA, HSPA)
radio access network core network public
Universal Terrestrial Radio General Packet Radio Service Internet
Access Network (UTRAN) (GPRS) Core Network

5  
 What is mobility?
• spectrum of mobility, from the network perspective:

no mobility high mobility

mobile wireless user, mobile user, mobile user, passing

using same access connecting/ through multiple
point disconnecting from access point while
network using maintaining ongoing
DHCP. connections (like cell
phone)

6  
 Mobility: vocabulary
home network: permanent home agent: entity that will
“home” of mobile perform mobility functions on
(e.g., 128.119.40/24)
behalf of mobile, when mobile is
remote

wide area
network
permanent address:
address in home
network, can always be
used to reach mobile
e.g., 128.119.40.186

7  
 Mobility: more vocabulary
permanent address: remains visited network: network in
constant (e.g., 128.119.40.186) which mobile currently
resides (e.g., 79.129.13/24)
care-of-address: address
in visited network.
(e.g., 79,129.13.2)

wide area
network

foreign agent: entity in

visited network that
performs mobility
correspondent: wants functions on behalf of
to communicate with mobile.
mobile
8  
How do you contact a mobile friend:
Consider friend frequently changing I wonder where
addresses, how do you find her? Alice moved to?
• search all phone books?
• call her parents?
• expect her to let you
know where he/she is?

9  
 Mobility: approaches
• let routing handle it: routers advertise permanent address of
mobile-nodes-in-residence via usual routing table exchange.
– routing tables indicate where each mobile located
– no changes to end-systems
• let end-systems handle it:
– indirect routing: communication from
correspondent to mobile goes through home
agent, then forwarded to remote
– direct routing: correspondent gets foreign address
of mobile, sends directly to mobile

10  
 Mobility: approaches
• let routing handle it: routers advertise permanent address of
mobile-nodes-in-residence not via usual routing table exchange.
scalable where each mobile located
– routing tables indicate
to millions of
– no changes to end-systems
mobiles
• let end-systems handle it:
– indirect routing: communication from
correspondent to mobile goes through home
agent, then forwarded to remote
– direct routing: correspondent gets foreign address
of mobile, sends directly to mobile

11  
 Select a correct statement  
A. A  mobile  device  has  a  permanent  address  even  it  moves  to  
another  network    

B. A  mobile  device  has  a  foreign  address  when  it  moves  to  

another  network    

C. An  acDve  connecDon  between  a  correspondent  and  a  

mobile  device  is  disconDnued  when  the  mobile  device  
moves  to  another  network    
 
D. A  and  B    
 
E. A,  B  and  C  

12  
 Mobility: registration
visited network
home network

1
2 area
wide
network

mobile contacts
foreign agent contacts home foreign agent on
agent home: “this mobile is entering visited
resident in my network” network

end result:
• foreign agent knows about mobile
• home agent knows location of mobile
13  
 Mobility via indirect routing
foreign agent
receives packets,
home agent intercepts forwards to mobile
packets, forwards to visited
foreign agent network
home
network
3
wide area
network
2
1
correspondent 4
addresses packets
mobile replies
using home address of
directly to
mobile
correspondent

14  
 Indirect Routing: comments
• mobile uses two addresses:
– permanent address: used by correspondent (hence
mobile location is transparent to correspondent)
– care-of-address: used by home agent to forward
datagrams to mobile
• foreign agent functions may be done by mobile
itself
• triangle routing: correspondent-home-network-
mobile
– inefficient when
correspondent, mobile
are in same network

15  
Indirect routing: moving between networks
• suppose mobile user moves to another
network
– registers with new foreign agent
– new foreign agent registers with home agent
– home agent update care-of-address for mobile
– packets continue to be forwarded to mobile (but
with new care-of-address)
• mobility, changing foreign networks
transparent: on going connections can be
maintained!
16  
 Mobility via direct routing
foreign agent
receives packets,
correspondent forwards forwards to mobile
to foreign agent visited
network
home
network
3
1 2
4
mobile replies
correspondent
directly to
requests, receives
correspondent
foreign address of
mobile

17  
Mobility via direct routing: comments
• overcome triangle routing problem
• non-transparent to correspondent:
correspondent must get care-of-address from
home agent
– what if mobile changes visited network?

3
1 2
4

18  
Accommodating mobility with direct routing
• anchor foreign agent: FA in first visited network
• data always routed first to anchor FA
• when mobile moves: new FA arranges to have data
forwarded from old FA (chaining)

foreign net visited

at session start
anchor
foreign
wide area agent
2
network
1 4
3
5
new
correspondent foreign
new foreign
agent network
agent
correspondent

19  
 Select a correct statement  
A. In  indirect  rouDng,  locaDon  and  foreign  address  of  a  
mobile  device  are  transparent  to  correspondent  

B. In  direct  rouDng,  foreign  address  of  a  mobile  device  are  

needed  for  correspondent  to  establish  a  connecDon  

C. In  direct  rouDng,  mobility  to  another  network  will  

interrupt    an  ongoing  connecDon  
 
D. A  and  B    
 
E. A,  B  and  C  

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 Next  lecture  
•  Security  in  Computer  Networks  
Readings  Chapter  8  
 

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