Our High-Performing Core Network
Fully virtualizable on VMware, K8S, Docker and OpenStack containers
Session Management Function(SMF)
SMF is a fundamental element of the 5G Service-Based Architecture (SBA). The SMF keeps trace of PDU sessions and QoS Flows in the 5GC for UEs and make sure their states and status are in sync between Network Functions in Control and User Planes.
It also receives PCC (Policy and Charging Control) Rules from PCF (Policy Charging Function) and convert PCC Rules into SDF Templates, QoS Profiles and QoS Rules for UPF, gNB and UE respectively for QoS Flows establishment, modification and release etc.
Key Benefits
Converged EPC SGW-C and 5GC SMF core network function
Designed and delivered as a Cloud-Native network function
Simplify and accelerate service deployment
Perfect compatibility with third-party core network elements
IPLOOK's 5GC SMF
- IPLOOK 5GC SMF builds upon the evolutions of the IPLOOK SGW solution in the 4G space and its evolution in the 4G architecture to evolve to CUPS to support a decomposed SGW-C as the central control plane entity that communicates over an Sx interface to the Distributed and intergrated user plane functions.
- In the 5G architecture, SMF is responsible for session management with individual functions being supported on a per session basis. SMF allocates IP addresses to UEs, and selects and controls the UPF for data transfer. SMF also acts as the external point for all communication related to the various services offered and enabled in the user plane and how the policy and charging treatment for these services is applied and controlled.
Video Series
Features
Comply to 3GPP R15/R16 Standards
Interface Function
- N4 Interface
- N7 Interface
- N10 Interface
- N11 Interface
- N4u Interface
- N26 interface
- An Interface
- Xn Interface
- Web Server
- N1N2 ---Nas And Ngap
- Northbound Interface (RESTful API)
Operation and Maintenance
- SSH
- SFTP
- Telnet
- KPI Management
- Fault Management
- Log Management
- Configuration Management
- License Management
- Remote Operation and Maintenance
- Web Server
- Process State Check
- System Alarm
- Session Back up
- Main backup
- Quick recovery
- Http proxy
- Multiple Distributed deployment
- Alarm data recovery
- Overload control
- Data retransmission
5GS interworking
- PGW-C/SMF
- UE/NETWORK PDU session Management
- Activate or UnActivate UP link
- QoS Flow/gate contronl
- Overload control function
- IPV6 Support
- Paging Support
- UP Strategy Selection
- Call trace
- Address assignment
- Secondary authentication
- Mobility Management procedures AN Switching
- Mobility Management procedures XN Switching
- Branching Point or UL CL controlled
- UE Triggered Service Request(session/PDU create,modify,release)
- Network Triggered Service Request(notify,Subscribe,session/pdu create modify release)
- Ladn
- N4 Reporting
- 5GS To EPS switching
- Procedures for Untrusted non-3GPP access(n3iwf)
- PFCP node management
- PFCP session management
- UE IP management
- SDF/APPID data checking
- Chr Billing
- UE/Network upip deactive
- Network side sponsored UP reselection support
- Signaling surface user data forwarding control
- Suspend billing process support
- Reflective QoS features
- SMF Service area support
- NEF
- PGW-C restart counter
- SMF event Exposure interface
- NF Register
- NF Deregister
- NF Subscription
FAQ
What are the core responsibilities of the SMF in a 5G Core network?
The Session Management Function (SMF) is primarily responsible for 5G control plane session management, mobility management, and user plane continuity. It handles UE IP address allocation, QoS policy enforcement, and interconnects with the UPF to control data forwarding tunnels and billing.
Does the IPLOOK SMF support 4G/5G interoperability for smooth network evolution?
Yes, our SMF is designed for seamless evolution. It converges the 4G PGW-C function and supports 4G/5G interoperability based on the N26 interface. This allows operators to manage both 4G bearers and 5G sessions within a unified framework.
How does the SMF select the most appropriate UPF for a user session?
The SMF features intelligent UPF selection logic based on several parameters, including Data Network Name (DNN), network slices, and access types. It also monitors and supports load control on UPFs to ensure optimal traffic distribution and network efficiency.
What is the maximum subscriber capacity and performance of the IPLOOK SMF?
Our SMF is highly scalable, supporting a registered capacity of 1,000 to 5,000,000 users. In terms of performance, it can handle a concurrent capacity of up to 5,000 sessions and a Call Attempts Per Second (CAPS) rate of up to 2,000.
How does the system ensure high availability and disaster recovery?
IPLOOK SMF supports multiple reliability mechanisms, including 1+1 hot standby and N+M cold standby. It also provides primary/backup disaster recovery with an automatic switchover time of ≤10 seconds, as well as multi-site active-active disaster recovery through load balancing across multiple SMF nodes.
Which deployment environments are supported for the SMF?
The SMF offers flexible deployment options to fit various infrastructures, including server bare metal, KVM virtual machines, and cloud-native environments like Kubernetes and OpenStack. It is also fully compatible with MANO platform management.
Does the SMF support advanced security features to protect the control plane?
Security is a core component of our SMF. It includes built-in DoS/DDoS attack protection, anti-SQL injection, and supports the encrypted transmission of message data. Additionally, it supports secondary authentication and lawful interception interfaces.
What are the typical hardware requirements for a large-scale SMF deployment?
Resource requirements scale with your user base. For a deployment of 1,000,000 users, a configuration of 80C CPU and 128GB RAM is recommended. For ultra-large scales up to 5,000,000 users, the system can scale out using a cluster of five such nodes.
