MAPS™ LTE for S1 Interface Emulator

Overview

GL’s Message Automation & Protocol Simulation (MAPS™) designed for testing LTE – S1 interface (any interface excluding Air interface) can emulate eNodeB (Evolved Node B), and MME (Mobility Management Entity).
MAPS™ is also designed for testing LTE S1 Conformance which MME and conformance script to emulate various network side procedures conforming various success/failure test cases and automating the entire eNodeB (DUT) testing.
The application is available as

• MAPS™ - LTE-S1 (Item # PKS140) for S1-MME interface
• MAPS™ LTE S1 Conformance (Item #PKS154)

MAPS™ is also capable of emulating S11 and S5/S8 (LTE-eGTP) interfaces. Refer to MAPS™ LTE eGTP (S3, S4, S5, S8, S10, S11 and S16) webpage for more details. Other interfaces such as S4, S11, and S12 will also be supported by the application in near future.

The application gives the users the unlimited ability to edit S1-AP/NAS messages and call scenarios (message sequences). "Message sequences" are generated through scripts. "Messages" are created using message templates.
Possible applications include:

• Emulate up to 500 Smartphones (UEs) powering up and down
• Authenticate and confirm security procedures
• QoS requests for greater or lesser bandwidth
• Temporary addressing management for mobility and security

GL Communications has enhanced its MAPS™ protocol emulation tool to emulate multi-protocol and multi-interface offering a complete range of test solutions, covering the entire 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G network.

By mimicking real-world customer behavior in lab environments, our solutions allow mobile operators and equipment manufacturers to verify their wireless networks before deployment. In other words, one can setup a virtual real-time network emulating all the network elements using “MAPS 4G Wireless Lab Suite”. The test suit supports emulation of S1-MME, S11, S5/S8, and other eGTP interfaces along with Diameter interfaces.

The product supports Mobile traffic core – GTP (ETH101) emulation for user-plane packet transmission and reception services between any two nodes in LTE and UMTS networks. Mobile Traffic Core – Gateway (ETH102) module allows emulation of Gateway Traffic to test media gateway telephony interfaces over IP. These modules also support generation and verification of data traffic such as Email, FTP, Web (HTTP), Video, and more.

MAPS™ LTE S1 emulator is enhanced with CSV based UE/Subscriber configuration option to allow massive UE emulation. In real time scenario, there exists huge number of subscribers with unique UE parameters.

GL's MAPS™ LTE Conformance Test Suite (PKS154) is designed with 50+ test cases, as per 3GPP TS 36.413 (LTE S1) specifications. It includes inbuilt conformance scripts (*.gls) for MME conformance in S1 interface as per 3GPP standards. Test cases include general Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); S1 Application Protocol (S1AP) messaging and call flow scenarios over LTE network. Logging and pass/fail results are also reported. Test cases verify conformance of actions such as UE attach/detach, periodic updating, E-RAB setup, Handover procedure, UE context release, and error indication.

GL also provides a GUI based LTE Analyzer for on-line capture and decode of the signaling in real-time both during tests and as a stand-alone tracer for live systems.

Main Features

• Setup a virtual real-time network emulating 4G-LTE network elements using ‘MAPS™ 4G Wireless Lab Suite’
• Emulate eNodeB and MME
• Supports LTE Control plane
• Generates hundreds of UE Signaling (Load Testing)
• Generates and process S1/NAS (valid and invalid) messages
• Supports GTP Traffic (GTP User Plane Data) which includes verification like HTTP traffic generation capability, GGSN/PGW can actually be connected to real IP network to emulate Gateway testing
• Insertion of impairments to create invalid messages
• Customization of call flow and message templates using Script and Message Editor
• Ready-to-use scripts for quick testing
• Scripted call generation and automated call reception
• Provides call statistics and events status
• Auto generation feature allows Massive UE simulation for high density load testing
• Supports large number of subscribers with CSV based profiles for bulk call generation
• Automation, Remote access, and Schedulers to run tests 24/7
• Supports PacketLoad PCAP playback feature
• Supports LTE Conformance testing as per 3GPP TS 36.413 (LTE S1) with 50+ test cases