Service Verification Solution for GPRS and GSM

User Guide

December 2002

Confidential and Proprietary Actix SVS-GP1-V1.00-UG-E01-2002-12-10 Copyright 1998-2002 Actix Ltd. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, or reduced to any electronic medium or machinereadable form without the prior written consent of Actix Ltd. All brand names and product names included in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders.

Contents
1 ABOUT SVS FOR GPRS AND GSM .........................................................3 INTRODUCTION TO SVS GPRS AND GSM......................................................3 2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................4 RECOMMENDED SYSTEM CONFIGURATION .......................................................4 MINIMUM SYSTEM CONFIGURATION .................................................................5 3 CONFIGURING SVS FOR GPRS AND GSM ............................................6 CONFIGURING NETWORK INFORMATION ...........................................................6
Network data format suitable for SVS ............................................................. 6 Network data format suitable for the Network Explorer................................... 8 Importing network information using Network Explorer................................. 10 Setting a network information file .................................................................. 12 Setting the binning......................................................................................... 13

CONFIGURING MAPS ....................................................................................14

Adding map backgrounds and layers ............................................................ 14 Configuring cells on the map......................................................................... 16

COMBINING FILES IN SVS ............................................................................17 4 USING SVS GPRS...................................................................................20 USING SVS GPRS ANALYSES .....................................................................20 ABOUT SVS GPRS APPLICATIONS ..............................................................23
DT GPRS MM/SM Procedures and IP Data Summary ................................. 23 DT GPRS Radio Link Performance Analysis ................................................ 23

DT GPRS MM/SM PROCEDURES AND IP DATA SUMMARY REPORTS.............25

MM Attach Detach report .............................................................................. 25 Other MM Procedures report......................................................................... 28 PDP Context report ....................................................................................... 29 AA PDP Context report ................................................................................. 31 Other SM Info report...................................................................................... 32 TCP data summary report ............................................................................. 35

DT GPRS RADIO LINK PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS REPORTS ...........................36

Coding Schemes and Throughput per TS report .......................................... 36

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Contents 1

Timeslot allocation statistics report ............................................................... 37 Level and Quality report ................................................................................ 38 RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report.......................................................... 40 RLC Throughput and Coding Scheme report................................................ 42 RLC Throughput and Level report................................................................. 43 RLC Throughput and Quality report .............................................................. 44 RLC and LLC Throughput per TBF report..................................................... 45 BLER and Retransmissions report ................................................................ 47

USING SVS GSM ANALYSES .......................................................................49

DT Design Validation and Quick Analysis ..................................................... 49 DT Handover settings and Power Control..................................................... 54

COMBINED ANALYSIS OF USER APPLICATIONS, IP PROTOCOLS AND RADIO LINK .62 COMBINED ANALYSIS OF RADIO NETWORK AND IP/APPLICATION LAYERS ...........65
Example 1 ..................................................................................................... 66 Example 2 ..................................................................................................... 71

DATA SOURCES FOR SVS GPRS AND GSM.................................................77 5 INDEX ......................................................................................................78

2 About SVS for GPRS and GSM

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1 About SVS for GPRS and GSM

Introduction to SVS GPRS and GSM

Actix GPRS and GSM Service Verification Solution (SVS) provides a novel approach to troubleshooting and verifying service quality levels of GSM networks and GPRS packet data, before and after the launch of new data services. It is also a powerful aid for radio network optimization of GPRS services. SVS includes GSM drivetest analysis tools and the Radio Link Analysis Solution. GPRS and GSM SVS is part of the "A Platform" family of solutions: data-analysis solutions for streamlining the introduction of new wireless technologies and optimizing the performance of both existing and new technologies. All Actix Solutions embody our extensive experience as the market leader in optimization solutions for CDMA and GSM. All of the lessons learned and the techniques developed over a 10-year period have been incorporated into these powerful, vendor independent solutions. For a more detailed presentation on the benefits of SVS, please refer to the GPRS and GSM SVS overview included in the installation CD. For additional information on Actix Solutions, including white papers and other literature, please refer to www.actix.com.

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About SVS for GPRS and GSM 3

2 System requirements

The following section defines the recommended and minimum system requirements for successfully running Actix A-SVS for GPRS and GSM. If you install the Analyzer on a system that does not meet the recommended configuration requirements, you may experience the following limitations: You may be unable to process large amounts of data You may experience delays when trying to perform certain tasks You may not be able to take advantage of some mapping capabilities Analyzers advanced correlation and analysis capabilities may not perform as desired

Recommended system configuration

Processor (CPU) Operating System Memory (RAM) Available Hard Disk Space Pentium III 700-MHz or higher Microsoft Windows XP 512 Megabytes 15 Gigabytes (about 80MB for the application; most of this space is for drive test data files, map information, and virtual memory needs)

note

A paging file size of at least 1 GB is recommended on Windows 2000 and NT systems. You can set the paging file size by modifying the System properties from the Windows Control Panel.

4 System requirements

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Minimum system configuration

Processor (CPU) Operating System Pentium II 333-MHz or higher Microsoft Windows 98 (or later) operating system, Microsoft Windows NT Workstation operating system version 4.0 Service Pack 3 or later, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional or later operating system. 128 Megabytes 1 Gigabyte (for the application, drive test data files, map information, and virtual memory needs)

Memory (RAM) Available Hard Disk Space

note

A paging file size of at least 1 GB is recommended on Windows 2000 and NT systems. You can set the paging file size by modifying the System properties from the Windows Control Panel.

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3 Configuring SVS for GPRS and GSM

Configuring network information

As well as geographical data, it is also useful to display your network information on a map window. You must have your network information defined in a text file (usually called "cellrefs", although the file can have any name) before you can import it into SVS. You can use the Network Explorer to import, view and edit the cellrefs file.

Network data format suitable for SVS

If the network information is in the following tab-separated format, then you can select it from the Tools menu selection Preferences, and through CellRefs, File Location. The column headings and example file are shown on the next page.

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The column headings are:

GSM_Site= 1 2 3 4 GSM_Cell= 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 GSM_SiteIDForCell Sector_ID Azimuth Beamwidth EIRP BCCH MCC MNC LAC CI BSIC Site_Name SiteID Latitude Longitude

; #NetworkData GSM_Site 91WON3 GSM_Site 91WRS3 GSM_Site 91ZEC3 GSM_Site 91ZEL0 GSM_Site 91ZOC3 GSM_Site 91ZOT0 GSM_Site 91ZUL3 GSM_Cell 02AER GSM_Cell 02AER GSM_Cell 02AER GSM_Cell 02AGM GSM_Cell 02ALI GSM_Cell 02ALI GSM_Cell 02ALI GSM_Cell 02ALS

datafile 91WON 91WRS 91ZEC 91ZEL 91ZOC 91ZOT 91ZUL 02AER1 02AER2 02AER3 02AGM0 02ALI1 02ALI2 02ALI3 02ALS0

xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx xx.xxxxxxxxxxxxx 40 65 160 65 280 65 0 360 70 65 190 65 310 65 0 360

y.yyyyyyyyy y.yyyyyyyyy y.yyyyyyyyy y.yyyyyyyyy y.yyyyyyyyy y.yyyyyyyyy y.yyyyyyyyy 69 72 66 62 80 69 63 64 206 206 206 206 206 206 206 206 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 102 102 102 402 402 402 402 702 12611 12612 12192 12339 12774 12775 12776 12503

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Here is the example file:

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Network data format suitable for the Network Explorer

If the network information is in the following tab- or commaseparated format, then you can import it from the Tools menu selection Network Explorer.

F o r m a t g r o u p 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Site Name SiteID Latitude Longitude Sector_ID Azimuth Beamwidth EIRP BCCH MCC MNC LAC CI string string Degrees Degrees string Degrees -360 to 360 -360 to 360 -360 to 360

Beamwidth Angle 0 to 360 integer GSM ARFCN GSM MCC GSM MNC GSM LAC GSM CI 0 to 885 0 to 999 0 to 99 0 to 65535 0 to 65535

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14

BSIC

GSM BSIC

0 to 77

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Importing network information using Network Explorer

note
This will overwrite your existing cellrefs.txt file, so you may want to create a backup of that file and keep it in a safe location before following these steps.

1 From the toolbar, click Import and select Import From New Template. note
You can also right-click to display the pop-up menu, select Import and then Import From New Template.

2 Select the appropriate network data file. 3 Click Open to display the Custom Import Wizard.

Figure 1: Import Wizard page 1 Note the Data Preview section, which is common to both tabs of the dialog. The name of the selected text file appears at the top of the section. The pane below the file name shows how the contents of the selected text file will be imported, based on the current import selections. 4 Type in a meaningful Description for the template. 10 Configuring SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

5 Set the Column Delimiter, Number of rows to be ignored and Array (list) Separator according to the format used in your network information file. note
Avoid using the same character as a column delimiter, array separator or decimal separator.

6 Set the other parameters as appropriate. 7 Click on the Column Settings tab. The Column Settings tab allows you to associate a network parameter with a column of data in the text file.

Figure 2: Import Wizard page 2 Note that each of the field names has an associated icon: Key fields you must select a field type for this field, but you cannot set a default value. Required fields these must be bound to a particular type or must have a default value set. Other fields binding particular field types or setting default values is not strictly necessary for this field. Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Configuring SVS for GPRS and GSM 11

8 Under the Columns heading, click on a setting for a particular field. 9 Select a column description from the drop-down list. The Wizard then displays the selected parameter against the appropriate column. 10 Set the default value for that field as appropriate. 11 Continue for all appropriate columns. 12 Click Finish when all the columns have been assigned. The new cell information will be added at the bottom of the existing list in the Network Explorer. note
If any errors occurred during the import, a message box will let you know. All errors that occurred during the import are written to the file 'error.log' in the \actix\analyzer\bin\cellrefs folder. If the cellplan file is updated, you can use the template you have created on the new file. Because you can reuse the template, you do not have to repeat work you have already done, including the column-by-column parameter assignment.

Setting a network information file

1 From the Tools menu, select Preferences to open the Preferences dialog. 2 Click on File Location to display the Open dialog.

Figure 3: File Location in the Change Preferences dialog 12 Configuring SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

3 Select the cellrefs.txt file and click OK. 4 Click OK to close the Preferences dialog. You may now want to close and restart SVS for the change to take effect.

Setting the binning

The adaptable data structure used by SVS lets you select different data aggregation modes, or "bins", depending upon how you want to view the data. SVS supports these binning modes: By Location/grid By Message By Time By Distance

For example, for Time binning, based on one-second intervals, data values are sorted according to the time at which they were logged. All values are sorted into one-second bins. An averaging operation is then performed on the data collected in each bin to produce a single value. This operation may be a simple Mean or one of a number of other operations such as Mode or Minimum value. The appropriate operation for each data attribute is used automatically. The net result of this process is a data set comprising values averaged from the original set of data values. Therefore changing the binning changes the way that data is presented in reports and in other data views such as maps, charts and so on. To change the binning mode 1 From the Tools menu, select Preferences to open the Preferences dialog. 2 Open up the heading Binning and select the appropriate binning mode. 3 Set any parameters related to the binning method - for example, Distance (m) for Distance binning. 4 Click OK to accept the method and associated parameters. All data will now be sorted into bins according to the selected binning method. Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Configuring SVS for GPRS and GSM 13

Configuring maps
Adding map backgrounds and layers
1 Display a data attribute in a map window. 2 Click Layers to open the Layer Control dialog.

Figure 4: The Layer Control dialog Checking one of these boxes for a layer controls: Whether the layer is visible Whether objects on it can be selected Whether the layer can be annotated (clearing the box 'locks' the Annotations layer so no new annotations can be added) 3 In the Layers box, click Add. 4 From the Open Layer dialog, select one or more MapInfo Map (.tab) files. MapInfo layers are named according to the geographic location of the datafor example, the abbreviated US state

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name and/or county nameand by the type of data contained in the file. 5 Click Open to show the .tab file in the layer list. The top of the layer list represents the uppermost layer in this map window. 6 Click Up and Down to move your MapInfo file to the bottom and 'Annotations' to the top. 7 Click Close to return to the map view. In a new SVS installation, the map location defaults to 0 longitude, 0 latitude, so you will need to check that the new map layer is displayed correctly. 8 Pan the map viewing area by right-clicking in the map area, then choosing Zoom, Go to Layer and selecting the new map layer. 9 Use the Zoom and Pan controls to arrange the map as required. To zoom in to an area, click Zoom In, then click and drag a rectangle around the area of interest. For some detailed layers, you can control at what degree of magnification they become visible. This helps to minimize map clutter. 10 Right-click on the map window and select Map Layers to display the Layer Control dialog. 11 Select an appropriate layer. 12 Click Display to open the Display Properties dialog. 13 Check Display within Zoom range and enter "0" for Min Zoom and "10" for Max Zoom.

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Configuring cells on the map

1 From the View menu, select Display new Map. 2 From the Map window, click Cell Sites to open the Map Options dialog.

Figure 5: Setting GSM Cell values 3 Ensure that SC, Field Style is set to "Color" and Beamwidth, Field Style is set to "Symbol".

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Combining files in SVS

Data from IP sniffer files can be combined with drive test data collected at the same time. This allows a combined analysis of the attributes referring to different layers (from the radio link till the TCP/UDP), using tables, charts, queries and reports. Moreover, the GPS coordinates in the drive test data can be matched to the IP sniffer information, so the IP information can then be plotted on a map. This process of combining data from different streams is called superstreaming. The drive test and IP sniffer files are collected on the same portable computer, so the time alignment should match exactly. However, sometimes there is a fixed time shift (for example, 1 or 2 hours), depending on the time references of the two applications. This may also occur if the Time offset setting under Tools/Preferences is not zero. To quantify the time difference, it is sufficient to see the time of the first messages in the two files. If the to files are in time alignment, use the Merge Method (see below) Use timestamps, otherwise select Time offsets and enter the time mismatch in seconds between the two files. To Superstream the data 1 Open an IP Sniffer file and an Um drive test file to be superstreamed. 2 From the Tools menu, select Create Superstream to open the Superstreaming dialog.

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Figure 6: The Superstreaming dialog 3 Select the appropriate streams. 4 Select the appropriate Merge Method settings for synchronizing the data streams. 5 Click OK to begin the superstreaming process. When the process is complete, the superstream is displayed in the Workspace Explorer.

Figure 7:The new superstream in the Workspace Explorer

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The normal data displays (maps, charts, tables, analysis reports) may be used to examine the data.

Figure 8: Displaying pop-up options for the superstream

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4 Using SVS GPRS

Using SVS GPRS analyses

SVS provides a novel top-down approach that allows you to start from high level reports (focused on the content of the drive test and on the high level problems, if any) and to drill down only if and where it is necessary (time saving for the operators). Data view High level Medium level Drill-down capability Technique Statistics shown in the Cell Explorer The reports included in the modules Queries, charts, customized reports, maps, etc.

The starting point for the Quality of Service Verification and Troubleshooting tasks are the modules: DT GPRS MM/SM Procedures and IP data Summary DT GPRS Radio Link Performance Analysis

These are available under the Analysis menu. As with any of the analyses created by Actix, these consist of a complete set of reports1 that combine the different key performance indicators, allowing you to navigate to not only the problems but also the causes and possible solutions.

In order to improve the processing time, we recommend that you close the Statistical Explorer (if open) before running the reports. User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

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The summary view for an analysiscalled the Cell Explorershows a statistical summary of the data and an appropriate set of reports. The data can be broken down by a key dimension, such as "cell", displaying a number of pertinent statistics for each value of the key dimension that appears in the data, allowing you to focus quickly on only those portions of the data that are of interest (for example the cells with the highest BLER, as shown in Figure 9).

Figure 9: The Cell Explorer, showing the upper filtering and data display, and the lower report selection panel The dimension (cells) can be sorted by ascending or descending values of a parameter (for example DL RLC throughput), by clicking on the title of the column.

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By selecting a subset of the rows in the Cell Explorer before choosing to run a report, you can filter the data in the reports to include only data for the selected values of the key dimension (as shown in Figure 10).

Figure 10: Example of report based on the selected cells

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About SVS GPRS Applications

DT GPRS MM/SM Procedures and IP Data Summary
This application allows analysis of the procedures between the Mobile Station and the SGSN (with success rates and causes for failures), and provides a summary of packet data traffic. The module contains these reports: MM Attach Detach Other MM Procedures PDP Context AA PDP Context Other SM Info TCP data summary (must be run on a superstream of an IP sniffer file and the relevant drive test file)

DT GPRS Radio Link Performance Analysis

This application allows analysis of the radio link performances, and contains these reports: Coding Schemes and Throughput per TS Timeslot allocation statistics Level and Quality RLC and LLC Throughput Stats RLC Throughput and Coding Scheme RLC Throughput and Level RLC Throughput and Quality RLC and LLC Throughput per TBF BLER and Retransmissions

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From the metrics in the Cell Explorer, you can identify any cells that need specific analysis. Then by going through the reports on the selected cells, you can investigate the possible causes. For example, if the BLER is showing a bad behavior, it is possible to analyze the signal level and the quality or of the interference, then see the impact on the throughput, the relation with coding scheme usage, and so on.

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DT GPRS MM/SM Procedures and IP Data Summary reports

MM Attach Detach report
In this report, attach and detach procedures are analyzed. The success rate is provided. It is important to note the difference between "Attach Reject" and "Lost". The first is a failure message received from the network; the second takes into account the requests that receive no response from the network (so they are lost). Only after four unsuccessful retries, the procedure is aborted (see the note in the report). The same apply to the detach procedure. For the detach, no network response is expected in the case of mobile powering off. The cause breakdown table highlights the causes of reject messages, helping you to find the reasons for the failures. The Information Element is not mandatory in these messages, but if present, the table also shows the attach accept and detach request causes.

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The attach type and attach results are shown here.

Figure 11: First two tables of example MM Attach Detach report

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Figure 12: Second half of example MM Attach Detach report

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Other MM Procedures report

The following procedures are shown (giving an indication of the success rate): Routing area update P-TMSI reallocation (if requested by the network) Authentication and Cyphering

The causes for failures are presented, as well as the RA update types.

Figure 13: Example Other MM Procedures report

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PDP Context report

The following procedures are shown (giving an indication of the success rate): PdP Context Activation Network originated PdP Context Activation (if networkoriginated data calls are enabled, preliminary messages precede PdP Context Activation) PdP Context Deactivation PdP Context Modification (especially with more advanced features for QoS support, this procedure will be used to modify the QoS provisioned to the subscribers and negotiated between the MS and the SGSN)

For the meaning of "loss", refer to the first report and to the notes below the tables.

Figure 14: Example top half of PDP Context report Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Using SVS GPRS 29

Figure 15: Example bottom half of PDP Context report

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AA PDP Context report

AA stands for Anonymous Access. The procedures of the previous report are presented, in case the Anonymous Access is implemented.

Figure 16: Example AA PDP Context report

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Other SM Info report

This report presents the accessed APNs and the parameters relevant for the QoS.

Figure 17: Example Other SM Info report, top tables In particular, the NSAPI and SAPI (requested and negotiated, used by the SNDCP and LLC layers to manage the QoS) and the QoS classes (requested by the MS and obtained after negotiation with the SGSN) are shown. When QoS management is implemented, these statistics will be key in verifying the correct dimensioning of the network to support the subscribed QoS profiles (the QoS modification will be particularly interesting). 32 Using SVS GPRS User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

The same parameters for the radio interface (Radio Priority) are presented.

Figure 18: Example Other SM Info report, middle tables

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Figure 19: Example Other SM Info report, bottom tables

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TCP data summary report

This report applies to the super stream of drive test and IP sniffer files, and shows a recap of the data sessions during the drive test. These indicators are quite close to the application behavior because signaling packets are excluded by the computation (the same applies to the Uplink and Downlink throughput calculations). The three main indicators are: The duration of the TCP transfers in milliseconds (the single sessions and the total) The quantity of data sent and received in Kbytes The mean and maximum end-to-end round trip time (calculated as the time between the transmission of an Uplink TCP packet and the time of the reception of the acknowledge) in milliseconds

Figure 20: Example of TCP data summary report

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DT GPRS Radio Link Performance Analysis reports

Coding Schemes and Throughput per TS report
In this report, the value of the throughput (orange line) and the coding scheme usage (CS1 and CS2 columns) is presented for every possible number of allocated timeslots in downlink (from 1 to 4, for the present mobiles).

Figure 21: Example DT GPRS Radio Link Performance Analysis report It is important to note that coding scheme 1 is used for signaling, while coding scheme 2 is preferably used by the allocation algorithms to give higher throughput values, especially in good radio conditions. Some vendors use dynamic algorithms to move from CS1 to CS2 depending on the radio conditions, while others have a fixed CS2 allocation. In this last case, CS1 is only given by the signaling traffic.

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Timeslot allocation statistics report

This report shows the percentage usage for the different number of allocated timeslots, which can be combined with the results of the previous report.

Figure 22: Example Timeslot allocation statistics report

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Level and Quality report

This report gives an overview of the radio conditions on the cells tested during the drive. Three graphs are shown: The distribution (vertical bars) and cumulative distribution function or total (dotted line) of the samples of C value (signal strength) The distribution (vertical bars) and CDF (dotted line) of the samples of the received quality The interference analysis (obtained combining level and quality measurements)

The last graph highlights the possible presence of interference, when bad quality is shown in combination of good signal strength. The information about C value and Quality are taken from the acknowledge messages. For any given signal strength interval, the number of occurrences (to weight the importance) and the mean received level is presented.

Figure 23: C Value Distribution and Statistics from example Level and Quality report 38 Using SVS GPRS User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

Figure 24: RxQual distribution from example Level and Quality report

Figure 25: Interference Analysis from example Level and Quality report

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RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report

This report provides statistics for the throughput for the RLC/MAC and LLC layers, in both Uplink and Downlink directions. The first two graphs give the minimum, mean and maximum values for the bit rate, and are useful as general references for radio link performance.

Figure 26: Downlink RLC and LLC Throughput from an example RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report

Figure 27: Uplink RLC and LLC Throughput from an example RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report

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The distributions of the throughput valuesthe bars indicate the number of occurrencesare useful for studying the nature of the traffic supported. FTP traffic will have a profile similar to Figure 31 with a throughput concentrated in the higher intervals, while the profile generated by web browsing will be more scattered on the different values, given the less regular pattern of the application level. Accordingly, the Uplink throughput values of an FTP download will be concentrated on low intervals, given by the acknowledge messages.

Figure 28: Downlink LLC and RLC Throughput Distribution from an example RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report

Figure 29: Uplink LLC and RLC Throughput Distribution from an example RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report

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RLC Throughput and Coding Scheme report

This report displays the coding scheme distribution correlated to the throughput values of the RLC/MAC layer transmitted on the radio interface. High throughput values usually correspond to a high percentage of Coding Scheme 2, while for lower levels of throughput CS1 usually prevails, as signaling traffic is low throughput and uses the power coding scheme. In the combined graph, the RLC throughput distribution and cumulative value are shown as colored areas. The trend lines represent the percentage of the coding schemes. In case there is no throughput in a certain interval, a default value of 50% is assigned to CS1 and CS2.

Figure 30: Example Throughput and Coding Scheme report

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RLC Throughput and Level report

The aim of this report is to show the mean signal level (right vertical axis) for the different throughput values. The distribution of occurrences is also reported to weight the importance of the given results (left vertical axis).

Figure 31: Example RLC Throughput and Level report

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RLC Throughput and Quality report

The aim of this report is to show the mean received quality (right vertical axis) for the different throughput values. The distribution of occurrences (left vertical axis) is also reported to weight the importance of the given results.

Figure 32: Example RLC Throughput and Quality report

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RLC and LLC Throughput per TBF report

This graph shows the mean DL throughput at RLC and LLC level for any given TFI number.

Figure 33: Mean DL Throughput from an example RLC and LLC Throughput per TBF report

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Figure 34: DL statistics from an example RLC and LLC Throughput per TBF report

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BLER and Retransmissions report

This report shows the effect of the radio link quality in terms of retransmissions in Uplink and Downlink (not all drive test collection tools support this) and Block Error Rate (BLER). For any interval of retransmission rate values (0 x < 1%, 1 x < 2%, etc.), the distribution (vertical bars) and the cumulative (trend line) are represented. A similar approach applies to Block Error Rate.

Figure 35: RLC Retransmission Rate from an example BLER and Retransmissions report

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Figure 36: Block Error Rates from an example BLER and Retransmissions report

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Using SVS GSM analyses

The GSM module of SVS includes the applications DT Design Validation and Quick Analysis and DT Handover Settings and Power Control Analysis, which are available from the Analysis menu.

DT Design Validation and Quick Analysis

The set of reports contained in this application gives a summary of voice traffic performance and allows a verification of the radio network design. Drive Test Call Details report This report provides a complete overview of the content of the drive test in terms of performed calls, call duration, performance indicators (call setup success rate, call completion rate, handover success rate and location update success rate) and a detailed list of the procedural messages. Various attributes of the file decoded from specific messages or sequences of messages can be counted or combined to give general indications, such as number of call setup procedures, call setup success rate and call completion success rate, or Location Update success rate in idle mode.

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Figure 37: Example of the Call Details report

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Design Validation report Combining several of the elements described above into a single stream of results will give a clear and efficient view of the overall quality of the network design. It also let us efficiently identify the nature of the problems along the test route. In the report, the following information elements have been combined: RxQual: the quality is considered acceptable if RxQual is greater than or equal to three. RxLev: the level is considered sufficient if greater than or equal to 85 dBm. Server Dominance: the serving cell is considered dominant if there are less than three neighbors within 5 dB from the server.

Based on these criteria the report calculates the percentage where a good design is shown. "Good design" is defined to be the condition where all three criteria are met. When at least criterion fails, this is classified as bad design. After the display showing the percentage of good design, details on the sources of problems are shown. Combining the information, a diagnosis can be performed (for example, all points where the level is considered good and the quality is not acceptable may be classified as points of interference).

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Figure 38: Example of the Design Validation report Measurement Reports contain information concerning receive level, and in dedicated mode, the quality and timing advance. The statistical distribution of these elements allows engineers to assess the overall quality of the radio conditions on the test route. Peaks in the distribution of level and quality measurements may already give some indications about particular problems or specific network settings related to power control or interference. Timing advance distribution helps in identifying average serving distance (the distance to the BTS serving the test mobile) and can eventually indicate abnormally distant connections.

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Neighbors within 5 dB from server report To understand further the quality of the network design, this report analyzes the relative level of reported neighbors along the drive test route.

Figure 39: Example of the close neighbors report The number of neighbors that are within a 5 dB range from the serving cell receive level (including, of course, any neighbor for which the level would be above the server) are counted, giving indicator of the server dominance in each point of the test route. Typically, one or two neighbors within this range may be considered a "sane" situation. More than two neighbors within 5 dB from the server typically indicates that there is no clear dominant server cell in the area; therefore this is a potentially risky area, subject to interference. Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Using SVS GPRS 53

Two different reports have been designed to take into consideration the case of single-band networks and dual-band networks. In the latter case, the general approach is very similar to the single band but the count of neighbors within 5 dB from the server no longer makes sense since the 1800-layer will usually be at a level lower than the 900-layer. So the analysis counts only those neighbors within 5 dB in the same band.

DT Handover settings and Power Control

The set of reports contained in this application is aimed to verify the handover and power control procedures and to help optimize the related parameters. HO Quality report When evaluating the quality of the handover procedures in a network, the classic indicator is the handover success rate. This is based on a ratio between Handover Command and Handover Complete signaling messages.

Figure 40: Example of the Handover Quality report To gain a better view of the efficiency and appropriateness of the handover procedures, we need to compare the quality of the radio 54 Using SVS GPRS User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

link before and after the handover. The time window is five seconds before and after the handover. A statistical comparative analysis of these average values indicates if the handovers effectively improve the quality of the radio links. In fact, under normal conditions, the quality after a handover should improve. This is visualized on a graph with: A statistical distribution of average quality before and after handover. The distribution after handover normally shows a shift of the distribution towards lower RxQualthat is, higher quality. As a reference, also the overall quality distribution in the entire trace is shown. A cumulative distribution of the previous indicators.

HO Level report An interesting indicator in analyzing handover settings along a drive test route is the level difference between the source cell and the target cell. The distribution of the level is shown in the graphic (again the time window is five seconds before and after the handover). The resulting dominant value should correspond to the handover margin defined in the handover-algorithm parameter settings.

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HO Interval report Measuring the time elapsed between two consecutive handovers is a good indicator of both the quality of the handover settings and the quality of the network design. Too many handovers at very short intervals will inevitably influence the quality of the communications as perceived by the users. There is always some loss of speech information during a handover.

Figure 41: Example of the Handover Interval report

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HO Classification report Besides the quality difference, level difference and handover intervals described above, a fast and efficient analysis process is to classify handovers based on their type. Unfortunately, the cause value for which the handover was triggered, which is the ideal indicator in this type of analysis, is only available on the Ainterface in the network structure. It is, however, possible to produce similar results to those obtained from A-interface HO analysis. The handover types can be computed from a combination of parameters, on which a statistical analysis is then run in a second step.

Figure 42: Example of the Handover Classification report

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Handovers can be classified according to the average value of the following parameters or indicators, in a window corresponding to the averaging window set in the handover algorithm parameterization: Average quality before handover Average level before handover Average server and target cell level difference before handover

By comparing these average values to the trigger levels defined in the handover algorithm settings, we can create a matrix of handover types. A normal handover (better cell) should occur in the following conditions: Average quality is acceptable (in the report: less than or equal to 3) Average level is sufficient to guarantee the stability and quality of the call (in the report: greater than or equal to 92 dBm) Level difference between server and target cell exceeds a reasonable handover margin (in the report: greater than 6 dB)

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MS Tx Power Distribution report The statistical distribution of transmit power lets you evaluate the quality of the network RF design and power control tuning along the drive test route.

Figure 43:Example of the Power Distribution report In a classical Power Control setting, power will always be at a maximum at call setup or after a handover. Only after sufficient measurement reports have been received by the BTS will the power be adjusted down to the adequate level. So, a normal statistical distribution would show the highest power levels as dominant. The distribution should decrease until the lowest level is attained, as all intermediate levels are necessary steps to reach a stable state. Note that some equipment manufacturers propose specific settings or algorithms to optimize the power level during handovers. The influence of these algorithms and their efficiency can be visualized on the MS Tx Power distribution plot, since not all intermediate steps are used to reach a stable power level in this case. So, the distribution will not be regularly decreasing towards lower Tx power levels, but will present gaps. These will be more or less visible, depending on the environmenturban with low Tx levels, or rural with higher Tx levels. From the total power samples, it is possible to compute the average transmit power for the entire drive-test route. This is a good Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM User Guide Using SVS GPRS 59

indicator of the general design and behavior of the network. It is also a perfect indicator for competitive benchmarking, as the average power level directly influences the MS battery life. In dual-band network, transmit power values in the 900-band and in the 1800-band can easily be separated. In fact, all 900-band power values are odd values, while 1800- power values are even values. It is therefore very easy to compare results from the two bands, or alternatively, to analyze them separately. Ms Tx Power Step distribution To investigate further the behavior of the Power Control algorithmand to verify that it is working according to the scenario imagined by the optimization engineers when defining its parameterizationwe analyze the various power steps. A statistical distribution of these steps will then reveal the behavior of the Power Control mechanism. A classical setting is to decrease the power by steps of two dB until a suitable level is reached, and to increase the level by steps of four to six dB if the quality or the level of the radio link becomes insufficient. This will appear clearly on a statistical distribution, where these specific values will be used most. Other step values may show on the plot, and will give an indication of the potential improvement of power usage by power optimization algorithms during handover, for example. In fact, during a handover, the classical approach is to return to maximum transmit power on the new cell. This will induce positive power steps that can be quite important, especially in an urban environment were cells are generally very small, and consequently very low power levels may be used.

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MS Tx Power Step Interval Distribution report Much in the same way that in the previous distribution we looked at the changes in transmit power in terms of power steps, we can gain a better understanding or appreciation of the Power Control mechanism by looking at its behavior in time. Usually, the Power Control algorithms include parameters that control the interval between two consecutive power changes. This is to allow the Mobile Station to effectively change its transmit power, and for the Base Station to make enough control measurements that the power has effectively been reduced or increased.

Figure 44: Example of the Power Step Interval report The statistical distribution of these intervals should clearly show a peak corresponding to the interval value defined in the parameter settings. Smaller values are usually related to handovers, while bigger values indicate that the power has been stabilized. The latter is a good indication of the proper tuning of the Power Control algorithm, but also gives a view on the dynamics of the radio link. A drive-test at low speed in an area of good coverage will show the occurrence of longer intervals, while for a high-speed drive-test along a highway, the power will almost never stabilize.

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Combined analysis of user applications, IP protocols and radio link

A complete set of indicators is available for the analysis of user applications (http, WAP, e-mail, FTP, etc.) and the protocols (TCP, UDP, ICMP, etc. on top of IP). These let you investigate the user perception of the quality of the offered services. You can build specific queries and reports to combine the performances with the radio link status. note
The different vendors use similar methodologies for their drive-test data testing products. However, they do use different terminology. The SVS solution uses a common terminology, independent from any individual vendor terminology.

From the drive test files2:.. Connection Measurements Connection Setup Time Connection Duration Connection Failures Successful Connections Dropped Connections Connection IP address

Application Measurements Application Throughput UL and DL (Average, Peak, Minimum, Instantaneous) Application Received Bytes Application Transmitted Bytes Application Elapsed Time

The amount of attributes available varies depending on the collection device. User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

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Application Delay UL and DL (Average, Peak, Minimum, Instantaneous) Application Round Trip Time (RTT) Application Round Trip Time Max

Protocol Measurements IP Throughput ICMP Throughput PPP Throughput TCP Throughput Protocol Received Bytes Protocol Transmitted Bytes Protocol Elapsed Time

and others specific of single applications (Web, Ping, FTP, WAP). Using an IP sniffer allows an independent collection of many of the previous attributes, complementing them with other parameters such as: For IP IP Address (source and destination) Header and Payload Length Indicators of QoS class (precedence, delay, reliability)

For TCP TCP port number (source and destination: it allows the identification of the application) TCP connection establishment TCP connection closure TCP connection establishment abort TCP retransmissions Using SVS GPRS 63

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TCP transmissions timeout Session Payload Length Acknowledges Time with no acknowledge TCP Session duration

and others.

Figure 45: Example of reports combining application and radio analysis

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Combined analysis of radio network and IP/application layers

SVS GPRS provides the following features for advanced evaluation of radio link and subscriber-perceived performance: Detailed attributes for every network layer up to the application layer User-definable queries allow custom metric calculation based on finite-state event detection and time-series attributes User-definable reports to build ad-hoc statistical summaries of subscriber perceived performance metrics

While investigating the data, users can also benefit from the complete set of internal tools and features provided with SVS, such as: Mapping, charting, and reporting modules Message and protocol stack browsers Time-series and multi-dimensional statistical query module Network element database Filtering and binning module Finite-state event detection engine Data merging and synchronization / correlation module Open data import and export module

These features are described fully in the online help. Some examples of troubleshooting using ad hoc analysis are provided below. You can use these as the basis for creating other types of analysis, depending on the specific type of investigations required.

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Example 1
Operators are focused on verifying the service as perceived by the subscribers. To do that, it is necessary to identify the services used and evaluate the user perceived performance indicators (typically throughput and delay). It is possible to use predefined queries (provided during the training courses) that give the overall view of the single tasks (FTP sessions in this case):

Figure 46: List of application tasks displayed in the Statistical Explorer The proposed drive test shows a connection (result of the PdP Context Activation), and then a ping is performed. The ping although not a user applicationis often used to provide an indication of the minimum delay that the network can support. The actual service used is an FTP download and upload of 30K and 15K. The throughput results are generally good: around 30kbps using 3 timeslots (see Figure 47).

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Figure 47: Timeslot allocation statistics report Only one task (number 6, highlighted in Figure 46) is not showing a performance in line with the others, and should be investigated in more detail. The following chart (Figure 48) enables us to visualize the content of Figure 46, and shows the user-perceived metrics (application throughput and delay), combined with the corresponding network parameters (LLC and RLC throughput):

Throughput discontinuity

Figure 48: Delay and throughput for the complete drive test

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Again, task number 6 shows a throughput discontinuity, responsible for the overall low throughput. We can now investigate to see if radio events like cell reselection are responsible for the throughput degradation. In Figure 49, the DL TBF number (TFI) is displayed and shows a regular pattern.

Effect on throughput of cell reselection

Cell reselection

Figure 49: Cell reselection impact The cell reselection has an impact on the next task but not on number 6. We can focus on the task filtering it by selecting the task in the Statistics Explorer and clicking the Filter button:

Figure 50: Filtering a task 68 Using SVS GPRS User Guide Actix SVS for GPRS and GSM

Looking at the DT GPRS Radio link performance analysis module (Figure 54) it is clear that one of the two cells driven during that task (automatically everything has been filtered in accordance to it) has a quality problem (mean Rx Quality = 3 with mean C-value of 61 dBm):

Figure 51: DT GPRS Radio link performance analysis

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To make this more explicit, the report on the level and quality can be run on that cell. The interference analysis graph shows what is clearly an interference problem:

Figure 52: DT GPRS Radio link performance analysis The result of the analysis is, therefore, that the application is showing a good performance, but a specific cell is showing interference. This can then be eliminated, for instance by revising the frequency plan.

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Example 2
This example focuses on studying the throughput on the different layers (application, TCP, IP and RLC), using the information from the drive test combined with the IP sniffer data. The first step is to display a summary with a query in the Statistics Explorer:

Figure 53: Downlink throughput study for the single tasks The task type (i.e. application in use) is obtained using the TCP source port number (that indicates the type of application that is generating the downlink traffic) and ICMP type (some pings are occurring between the FTP downloads).

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The focus is on the first FTP session, filtering it and using the reports of the radio link module. The radio performance is good: level and quality, RLC and LLC throughput, timeslot allocation is 3 TS all the time, the CS used is CS2 92% of the time. However, the throughput is not maintained at the maximum all the timethis is unexpected since FTP is used and 3 timeslots are constantly allocated.

Figure 54: Cell Explorer filtered on the first task: level and quality are very good

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Figure 55: Throughput report for the first task

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Figure 56: Throughput and coding scheme per timeslot

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If there is no radio problem, let us raise the analysis to the higher layers, displaying the attribute TCP_Data_Pending_AckDL (indicates the total bytes with an acknowledgement pending in downlink), and TCP_Network_Bytes_Acknowledged (indicates the total bytes acknowledged from every acknowledgement message):

Figure 57: TCP investigation on a chart As we can see in Figure 57 in the red ellipse and in Figure 58 in the corresponding red square, the packets in downlink are no longer acknowledged, and the pending bytes accumulate until they reach the size of the TCP receiving Window (equal to 16072 bytes, as from Figure 58). At that point, the receiving buffer is full and the packets would be discarded, so the transmission is stopped. In fact the throughput goes to 0.

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As we see from Figure 58, the packets are received on the PC COM port (the sequence number continues to be incremented) but the corresponding acknowledgements do not (the uplink packets maintain the same acknowledgement number): the FTP application on the PC is probably causing this. When it is able to send the updated acknowledge, the transmission restarts.

Figure 58: TCP investigation on sequence numbers, acknowledges and received bytes Also in the rest of the session there are other events like this, but they have a smaller effect on the throughput because the receiving window does not saturate again (the acknowledges restart before the pending bytes reach the window size). So, in this example, an application problem was found in that the FTP client on the PC was not able to process all the received data. In case we want to analyze other tasks, we would need to go back to the old query and disable the filter on task number 1, select another task and repeat the analysis.

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Data sources for SVS GPRS and GSM

SVS supports the following performance data sources for a wide variety of test equipment vendors: Mobile Stations (Test and CommercialUm interface) Scanners (Um interface) Call Trace devices for GSM IP Sniffers3 (supporting the WinPCAP architecture4)

Gb SGSN BSC A MSC OMC

Test Mobile and Scanner IP Sniffer

BTS

Um

MS

Figure 59: Data sources used in SVS GPRS and GSM IP and Application Layer performance data are supported for IP sniffers powerful data collection software for collecting messaging, events and statistics from IP links, as well as for vendor specific data sets, typically integrated with drive-test hardware solutions.

A suggested freeware IP sniffer is the ethereal software (please see: www.ethereal.com). For references please see: http://winpcap.polito.it

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5 Index

A
AA PDP Context report, 30 Annotations, 14 attributes for analyzing user applications, 61

Level and Quality report, 37

M
map layers, adding, 13 MM Attach Detach report, 24 MS Tx Power Distribution report, 58 MS Tx Power Step Interval Distribution report, 60

B
BLER and Retransmissions report, 46

C
CDF, 37 Cell Explorer, 20 cellrefs, 6 cells, configuring, 15 Coding Schemes and Throughput per TS report, 35 combining files in SVS, 16 cumulative distribution function, 37

N
Neighbors within 5 dB from server report, 52 network information file, setting, 11

O
Other MM Procedures report, 27 Other SM Info report, 31

D
Data sources, 76 Design validation report, 50 Drive Test Call Details report, 48 DT GPRS MM/SM Procedures and IP data Summary, 19, 22 DT GPRS Radio Link Performance Analysis, 19, 22, 68

P
PDP Context report, 28 Preferences dialog, 11

R
RLC and LLC Throughput per TBF report, 44 RLC and LLC Throughput Stats report, 39 RLC Throughput and Coding Scheme report, 41 RLC Throughput and Level report, 42 RLC Throughput and Quality report, 43

H
HO Classification report, 56 HO Interval report, 55 HO Level report, 54 HO Quality report, 53

S
setting a network information file, 11 superstreaming data, 16 system requirements, 4

I
importing network information, 9

K
key dimension, 20

T
TCP data summary report, 34 Timeslot allocation statistics report, 36

L
Layer Control dialog, 13

U
user applications, analyzing, 61

78 Index

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