MAP Stack

The GSM/3GPP-compliant MAP stack from Aricent enables signaling between different network entities such as HLR, MSC/VLR, SGSN and GGSN. This stack is built on top of the Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP) layer, which is the top most layer of the Signaling System Number 7 (SS7) stack.

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Capabilities

The Aricent MAP stack, compliant to latest 3GPP specifications, has been successfully used by customers in their live networks and has successfully interoperated against other implementations. The Aricent MAP stack provides extensive layer management features via APIs which:

• Initialize stack entity
• Provision and un-provision data
• Collect and initialize statistics and enable or disable statistics collection
• Log trace messages, enable or disable tracing, and configure different trace levels
• Support error and alarm reporting

The diagram below depicts the MAP interfaces in a GSM network:

Architecture

Aricent's MAP stack provides individual packages for specific MAP users, which include:

• HLR
• SGSN
• GGSN
• MSC/VLR
• GSM SCF
• EIR
• SWIFS
• Combined SGSN, GGSN and MSC
• All Packages

Customized packages can also be provided, if required.

Aricent's MAP stack has a multi-threaded architecture to take advantage of a multi-processor environment. This ensures that independent tasks are performed in different threads. The Aricent MAP stack can also support single-threaded execution, if required. The stack has wrapper functions for encoding or decoding, which eliminates dependency on an ASN compiler.

Features

• Compliant with 3GPP TS 29.002 V 4.8.0 Release 4
• Support for version 3 messages with backward compatibility for version 2 and version 1
• Well-defined and documented APIs for third party application development
• Supports secure transport of MAP messages as defined by MAP protocol
• Easily portable across operating systems, and hardware platforms
• Provides non blocking APIs with C structure based as well as buffer based messages
• Packing and unpacking libraries for MAP messages
• Provides TCAP abstraction layer to ensure MAP stack runs over different TCAP implementations
• Available pre-integrated over SS7, Broadband SS7 and Sigtran
• Multiple MAP users supported
• Facilitates dynamic configuration of stack parameters
• Support of Guard Timers
• Supports ASN.1 encoding/decoding
• Proven interoperability
• Availability of wrapper functions for encoding or decoding to eliminate dependency on a specific ASN Compiler
• Support to configure on startup and update at runtime Security Policy database (SPD) and Security Association Database (SADB) using layer management API 's
• Extensive debugging and trace capabilities

Conformance to Standards

• 3GPP TS 29.002 version 4.8.0 Release 4, Mobile Application Part (MAP) specification.
• 3G TS 33.200: "3G Security; Network domain security; MAP application layer security"
• ISO/IEC 9797: "Information technology -- Security techniques -- Message Authentication Codes (MACs) -- Part 1: Mechanisms using a block cipher", Ed.1, 1999-12-15
• 3GPP TS 29.002 version 3.8.0 (2001-03) MAP Specification (Release 1999)
• ETSI GSM 09.02 (Phase 1) - version 3.11.0 May 1995 - Mobile Application Part Specifications
• ETSI GSM 09.02 (Phase 1) - version 4.19.1 - Mobile Application Part Specifications
• ETSI GSM 09.02 (Phase 1) - version 7.5.1 - Mobile Application Part Specifications

Conformance to AAPE™

• Layered architecture
• Stack data structures are hidden from the outside world
• Exclusion of functionality (compile time)

• Multiple configuration options - Multi-tasking/single-thread and message-based/functional interface
• Porting effort restricted to modules involving operating system interface, error handling/reporting, external interfaces
• Customization of tasking architecture, custom event handlers, communication between modules
• Debugging support

OS Ports Available

• Sun-Solaris (32bit as well as 64 bit)
• Linux
• VxWorks
• Windows NT
• Ports for other operating systems such as Lynx, Nucleus, etc., or proprietary OSs can be made available on request

Deliverables

• Source code or binary package for MAP stack
• OS Wrappers for common operating systems
• API documents
• User manual and porting guide
• Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement (PICS)
• Warranty and annual support plans
• Training and on-site consultancy
• Turnkey integration and porting services