Flexi NS - SGSN ATCA, Rel.

SG8.0 ATCA, Operating

Documentation, v. 2

SGSN - MS Interface Description, Logical

Link Control (LLC)
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The information in this document is subject to change without notice and describes only the
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This product may present safety risks due to laser, electricity, heat, and other sources
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The same text in German:

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Von diesem Produkt können Gefahren durch Laser, Elektrizität, Hitzeentwicklung oder
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Installation, Betrieb, Wartung und sonstige Handhabung des Produktes darf nur durch
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Table of Contents
This document has 31 pages.

Summary of changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1 Introduction to Logical Link Control Interface Description . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2 Interface Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3 Interface Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.1 Position of Logical Link Control (LLC) within the protocol stack on the Gb
and Um interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2 Frame structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.2 Address field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2.3 Control field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3.2.4 Information field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2.5 Frame Check Sequence (FCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.2.6 Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.2.7 Format convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.2.8 Invalid frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3 Procedure elements and field formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3.1 Address field format and variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.3.2 Control field formats, parameters and variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.3.3 Command and Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
3.4 Addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.4.1 Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.5 Unacknowledged Information Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.6 Establishment and Release of ABM Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.6.1 Establishment procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.6.2 Termination of the ABM operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.7 Information Transfer in ABM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.7.1 Transmitting I frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.7.2 Receiving I frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.7.3 Sending and receiving acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.7.4 Peer receiver busy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.7.5 Own Receiver Busy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.8 Tunnelling of Messages (TOM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.9 Negotiation of LLC and SNDCP parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.9.1 Negotiation mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.10 Re-establishment of ABM operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.11 Exceptional conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.12 Ciphering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.13 LLC layer parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.13.1 Version number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.13.2 Input Offset Value (IOV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.13.3 Retransmission timers (T200, T201) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.13.4 Maximum number of retransmissions (N200) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.13.5 Maximum number of octets in information field (N201) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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3.13.6 Maximum number of octets in SNDCP header (N202) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

3.13.7 Maximum I frame buffer size (m) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.13.8 Maximum number of outstanding I frames (k) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.13.9 LLC parameter default values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

4 Support protocol description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

5 Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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List of Figures
Figure 1 The protocol stack on the Gb and Um interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 2 LLC frame structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 3 The address field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Figure 4 Control field structure, I, S, UI, and U formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 5 Control field structure, SACK format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 6 TOM Protocol Envelope format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 7 XID parameter field format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Figure 8 GPRS ciphering environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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List of Tables
Table 1 Allocation of SAPI values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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Summary of changes
Changes between document issues are cumulative. Therefore, the latest document
issue contains all changes made to previous issues.

Changes made between issues 7–0 and 6–0

Release-specific information has been updated in the document.

Changes made between issues 6–0 and 5–0

No content changes have been made.

Changes made between issues 5–0 and 4–1

The reference to ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 04.64 v 8.6.0) has been updated to ETSI TS
101 351 (3GPP 44.064 4.3-0), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-
SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification throughout the document.
Section Appendix A: Abbreviations has been added.

Section Sending and receiving acknowledgements:

The following sentence has been added:
V(S) = V(A) + k/2 as a result of the transmission of the I frame.

Section Negotiation of parameter Reset:

The following sentence has been added:
The 2G SGSN sends an XID command frame, with GMM signalling SAPI, when the MS
enters the area of a new 2G SGSN or PAPU routing area update.

Section Negotiation of parameter m:

The following sentences have been added:
If the 2G SGSN receives a SABM or XID command with mD (mU) unequal to 0, the 2G
SGSN negotiates mD to a value no greater than 30 kB and mU to a value no greater
than 20 kB, according to the negotiation rules specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (3GPP
44.064 4.3-0), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link
Control (LLC) Layer Specification.
When the 2G SGSN sends a SABM command to the MS, it includes mD with a value of
30 kB and mU with a value of 20 kB.

Section Maximum number of outstanding I frames (k):

The following sentence has been added:
The maximum number (k) of consecutively numbered I frames that may be outstanding
(that is, unacknowledged) at any given time is an LLC layer parameter that has a Nokia
2G SGSN supported value between 1 and 32. k is also the denoted window size.

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1 Introduction to Logical Link Control Interface

Description
This interface description is based on ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station -
Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specifica-
tion. It describes the Logical Link Control (LLC) implementation for the control of GSM
packet data services in the 2G SGSN software. The document defines what is supported
in the Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN - MS interface from the SGSN point of view.

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2 Interface Modifications
No interface changes have been made in this interface since the previous release.

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3 Interface Description
As a general rule, the GSM Recommendation must be implemented. Generally all
frames and parameters received without a protocol error have to be processed as
defined in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support
Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification. Any exception to this
general rule is mentioned in this document.
The following remarks are used in this document:
• 'not supported': feature is not implemented
• 'not used': primitive or parameter is not implemented
• 'compliant', 'supported', or 'no remark': feature is implemented as defined in the
GSM Recommendation.

3.1 Position of Logical Link Control (LLC) within the protocol

stack on the Gb and Um interfaces
The LLC layer operates above the Radio Link Control (RLC) and the Base Station
System GPRS Position (BSSGP) layers in the reference architecture to provide logical
links between a Mobile Station (MS) and its 2G SGSN. The Subnetwork Dependent
Convergence Protocol (SNDCP) layer is located above the LLC layer. The SNDCP
controls the transfer of user data Network Layer Protocol Data Units (N-PDUs) between
the MS and the 2G SGSN. The SNDCP functionality is described in ETSI TS 301 344
(GSM 03.60), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Service description; Stage 2 and
specified in ETSI TS 101 297 (GSM 04.65), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS);
Mobile Station (MS) - Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); Subnetwork Dependent
Convergence Protocol (SNDCP).
Unless stated otherwise, the LLC and the SNDCP refer in this document to the LLC and
SNDCP layers in the 2G SGSN.

TOM GMM SNDC SMS TOM GMM SNDC SMS

LLC LLC

Relay
RLC BSSGP
RLC BSSGP
Network Network
MAC MAC Service Service

GSM RF GSM RF L1 L1

Um Gb
MS BSS SGSN
Figure 1 The protocol stack on the Gb and Um interfaces
The LLC is considered to be a sublayer of layer 2 in the ISO 7-layer model. The purpose
of the LLC is to convey information between layer-3 entities in the MS and the 2G SGSN.
Specifically, the LLC supports the following:
• multiple MSS at the Um interface
• multiple layer-3 entities within an MS

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The LLC includes functions for the following:

• the provision of one or more logical link connections differentiated by a Data Link
Connection Identifier (DLCI)
• sequence control, to maintain the sequential order of frames across a logical link
connection
• detection of transmission, format and operational errors on a logical link connection
• recovery from detected transmission, format, and operational errors
• notification of unrecoverable errors
• flow control
• ciphering

3.2 Frame structure

3.2.1 General
All logical link control layer peer-to-peer exchanges are in frames conforming to the
format shown in Figure LLC frame structure. The frame header consists of the address
and control fields and it is minimum 2 octets and maximum 37 octets long.
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Address Field (1 octet)

Control Field
(variable length, max. 36 octets)

Information Field
(variable length, max. N201 octets)

Frame Check Sequence Field

(3 octets)

Figure 2 LLC frame structure

3.2.2 Address field

The address field consists of a single octet. The address field contains the SAPI and
identifies the DLCI for which a downlink frame is intended, and the DLCI transmitting an
uplink frame. The format of the address field is defined in Figure The address field.
Bit
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Octet
PD C/R X X SAPI 1

Figure 3 The address field

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3.2.3 Control field

The control field typically consists of one to three octets. The Selective Acknowledge-
ment (SACK) supervisory frame also includes a variable length bitmap field of up to 32
octets.
Control Field Bits
Format 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Octet
I Format 0 A X N(S) 1
(I+S) N(S) X N(R) 2
N(R) S1 S2 3
S Format 1 0 A X X N(R) 1
N(R) S1 S2 2
UI Format 1 1 0 X X N(U) 1
N(U) E PM 2
U Format 1 1 1 P/F M4 M3 M2 M1 1

A Acknowledgement request bit

E Encryption function bit
Mn Unnumbered function bit
N(R) Transmitter receive sequence number
N(S) Transmitter send sequence number
N(U) Transmitter unconfirmed sequence number
P/F Poll bit, when issued as a command
Final bit, when issued as a response
PM Protected mode bit
Sn Supervisory function bit
X Spare bit
Figure 4 Control field structure, I, S, UI, and U formats

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Control Field Bits

Format 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Octet

0 A X N(S) 1

N(S) X N(R) 2
I frame
SACK N(R) 1 1 3
format X X X K 4
R(1) R(2) R(3) R(4) R(5) R(6) R(7) R(8) 5

R(9) R(10) R(11) R(12) R(13) R(14) R(15) R(16) 6

:
R(249) R(250) R(251) R(252) R(253) R(254) R(255) X 36 (max)

1 0 A X X N(R) 1
S frame N(R) 1 1 2
SACK
format R(1) R(2) R(3) R(4) R(5) R(6) R(7) R(8) 3

R(9) R(10) R(11) R(12) R(13) R(14) R(15) R(16) 4

:
R(249) R(250) R(251) R(252) R(253) R(254) R(255) X 34 (max)

K Bitmap length indicator

R(n) Bitmap bit
Figure 5 Control field structure, SACK format

3.2.4 Information field

The information field of a frame, when present, follows the control field. The maximum
number of octets in the information field (N201) is defined in Section LLC layer param-
eters.

3.2.5 Frame Check Sequence (FCS)

The FCS field consists of a 24 bit Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code. The CRC-24
is used to detect bit errors in the frame header and information fields.
The FCS field contains the value of a CRC calculation that is performed over the entire
contents of the header and information field, except for UI frames transmitted in unpro-
tected mode, in which case the FCS field contains the value of a CRC calculation per-
formed over the frame header and the first N202 octets of the information field only. For
more information, see Section LLC layer parameters.
The CRC calculation is done before ciphering at the transmitting side and after decipher-
ing at the receiving side.
The CRC calculation is performed according to the algorithm specified in ETSI TS 101
351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical
Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification.

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3.2.6 Transparency
Because of the frame delimitation technique used in the LLC, the frame can include any
possible sequence of bits.

3.2.7 Format convention

Format conventions defined in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving
GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification are
supported.

3.2.8 Invalid frames

An invalid frame is a frame that has at least one of the following characteristics:
• fewer octets than necessary are included in the address field, control field, informa-
tion field, and FCS field necessary to constitute a complete frame according to the
contents of the control field
• the PD bit set to 1
• a reserved Service Access Point Identifier (SAPI) or a SAPI that is not supported or
not assigned to a layer-3 entity
• an FCS error
An invalid frame is discarded without a notification to the sender. No action is taken as
the result of that frame.

3.3 Procedure elements and field formats

The elements of procedures define the commands and responses that are used on the
logical link connections between the MS and the 2G SGSN.
If a bit position is marked as 'spare', it is coded as 0. A spare bit is indicated with an 'X'
in the format figures. For future compatibility reasons, the 2G SGSN receiving frames,
where spare bit positions are coded otherwise, ignore those values without a notification
of any error.

3.3.1 Address field format and variables

The address field consists of the following:
• the Protocol Discriminator (PD) bit
• the Command/Response (C/R) bit
• the SAPI
The format of the address field is shown in Figure The address field.

Protocol Discriminator (PD)

The PD bit indicates if a frame is an LLC frame or belongs to a different protocol. The
LLC frames have the PD bit set to 0. If a frame with the PD bit set to 1 is received, it is
treated as an invalid frame.

Command/Response bit (C/R)

The C/R bit identifies a frame either as a command or a response. The MS side sends
commands with the C/R bit set to 0 and responds with the C/R bit set to 1. From the 2G

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SGSN side, the commands are sent with the C/R set to 1, and the responses are sent
with the C/R set to 0.

Service Access Point Identifier (SAPI)

The SAPI identifies a point at which a Logical Link Entity (LLE) provides the LLC
services to a layer-3 entity. Consequently, the SAPI identifies an LLE that has to process
an LLC frame (there are several LLEs within the LLC layer) and also a layer-3 entity that
is to receive information carried by the LLC frame.

SAPI Related Service SAP name

0000 Reserved -
0001 GPRS Mobility Management LLGMM
0010 Tunnelling of messages 2 TOM2
0011 User Data 3 LL3
0100 Reserved -
0101 User Data 5 LL5
0110 Reserved -
0111 Short Message Service LLSMS
1000 Tunnelling of Messages 8 TOM8
1001 User Data 9 LL9
1010 Reserved -
1011 User Data 11 LL11
1100 Reserved -
1101 Reserved -
1110 Reserved -
1111 Reserved -

Table 1 Allocation of SAPI values

3.3.2 Control field formats, parameters and variables

The control field identifies the type of frame. Four types of control field formats are spec-
ified and supported:
• confirmed information transfer (I format)
• supervisory functions (S format)
• unconfirmed information transfer (UI format)
• control functions (U format)

Information Transfer Format (I)

The I format is used to perform an information transfer between the SNDCP entities. The
functions of N(S), N(R), and A are independent, that is, each I frame consists of the fol-
lowing:
• an N(S) sequence number
• an N(R) sequence number that can or cannot acknowledge additional I frames
received by the LLE

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• an A bit that can be set to 0 or 1

Each I frame also contains supervisory information, in effect 'piggybacking' an S frame
with each I frame so that it can be considered to be an I+S frame.

Supervisory Format (S)

The S format is used to perform logical link supervisory control functions such as
acknowledge I frames and request a temporary suspension of I frame transmission. The
functions of N(R) and the A bit are independent, that is, each supervisory frame consists
of the following:
• an N(R) sequence number that can or cannot acknowledge additional I frames
received by the LLE
• an A bit that can be set to 0 or 1

Unconfirmed Information Format (UI)

The UI format is used to perform an information transfer between layer-3 entities without
acknowledgement. No verification of sequence numbers is performed for UI frames.
Therefore, a UI frame can be lost without a notification to the layer-3 entity if a logical
link exception occurs during the transmission of the frame. The information field can be
encrypted or not, this is indicated by the E bit. The frame also includes a PM bit that
allows the transfer of unprotected information.

Unnumbered Format (U)

The U format is used to provide additional logical link control functions. This format
contains no sequence number. The format includes a P/F bit that can be set to 0 or 1.

Control Field Parameters and Related Variables

Poll/Final (P/F) bit
All U frames contain the P/F bit. The P/F bit serves a function in both command frames
and response frames. In command frames, the P/F bit is referred to as the P bit. In
response frames, it is referred to as the F bit.
The P bit set to 1 is used by an LLE to solicit (poll) a response frame from the peer LLE.
The F bit is set to 1 by an LLE to indicate the response frame transmitted as a result of
a soliciting (poll) command.
Acknowledgement Request (A)
All I and S frames contain the A bit.
The A bit is set to 1 by an LLE to solicit an acknowledgement (that is, an I+S or an S
frame) from the peer LLE. The A bit is set to 0 by an LLE to indicate that the peer LLE
is not requested to send an acknowledgement.
Sequence Numbers and State Variables
Each I and UI frame is sequentially numbered by a sequence number that can have
values ranging from 0 to 511. Arithmetic acting on parameters and variables that are
related to such sequence numbers operates modulo 512, that is, N(S), N(R), N(U), V(S),
V(R), V(A), V(U), and V(UR).
In Asynchronous Balanced Mode (ABM), each LLE peer has an associated send state
variable V(S) when using I frames. V(S) denotes the sequence number of the next in-
sequence I frame to be transmitted. V(S) can take on the value from 0 to 511. The value
of V(S) is incremented by 1 with each successive I frame transmission and does not
exceed V(A) by more than the maximum number of outstanding I frames k. The range

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of the value of k can range from 1 to 255. V(S) is not incremented when an I frame is
retransmitted.
In ABM, each LLE peer must have an associated acknowledge state variable V(A) when
using I frame and supervisory frame commands and responses. V(A) identifies the first
I frame in the transmit window so that V(A) - 1 equals N(S) of the last in-sequence
acknowledged I frame.
V(A) can have a value ranging from 0 to 511. The value of V(A) is updated by the valid
N(R) values received from its peer. A valid N(R) value range is V(A) <= N(R) <= V(S).
In ABM, only I frames contain N(S), the send sequence number of transmitted I frames.
At the time when an in-sequence I frame is designated for transmission, the value of
N(S) is set equal to the value of the send state variable V(S).
In ABM, each LLE peer has an associated receive state variable V(R) when using I
frame and supervisory frame commands and responses. V(R) denotes the sequence
number of the next in-sequence I frame expected to be received. V(R) can have values
ranging from 0 to 511. The value of V(R) is incremented by one with the receipt of an
error-free, in-sequence I frame whose send sequence number N(S) equals V(R).
In ABM, all I frames and supervisory frames contain N(R), the expected send sequence
number of the next in-sequence received I frame. When a frame of the above types is
designated for transmission, the value of N(R) is set equal to the value of the received
state variable V(R). N(R) indicates that the LLE transmitting the N(R) has correctly
received all I frames numbered up to and including N(R) - 1.
In ABM, all I+S and S SACK frames contain R(n), the SACK bitmap. When a SACK
frame is designated for transmission, the value of each bit R(n) in the bitmap is set to 0
or 1 depending on if the I frame number N(R) + n has been received. R(n) = 1 indicates
that the LLE transmitting the SACK frame has correctly received I frame number N(R) +
n. R(n) = 0 indicates that the LLE transmitting the SACK frame has not correctly received
I frame number N(R) + n.
The SACK bitmap contains a maximum of 255 bits or 32 octets. The bitmap is truncated
so that only bitmap octets up to and including the last bitmap octet that contains at least
one bit set to 1 are transmitted. The trailing bitmap octets are not transmitted.
The I+S SACK frame contains a bitmap length indicator K. K + 1 indicates the number
of octets in the bitmap. K can take any value from 0 to 31.
In ABM, each LLE peer must have an associated I frame buffer variable B when using I
frame and supervisory frame commands and responses. The range of the value of B is
0 <= B <= M.
Function L(x) gives the total information field length in octets of the I frame with
sequence number x. B must be incremented with L(x) of each transmitted I frame. B
must be decremented by L(x) of each acknowledged I frame.
Unacknowledged operation variables and parameters
The E bit is used to indicate whether the information and FCS fields of the UI frame are
encrypted (ciphered) to provide user data confidentiality. The E bit is set to 1 to indicate
an encrypted frame. The E bit is set to 0 to indicate a frame sent without encryption.
The PM bit is used to indicate if the FCS field is calculated using both the frame header
and information fields. The PM bit is set to 1 to indicate that the FCS covers the frame
header and information fields. The PM bit is set to 0 to indicate that the FCS covers only
the frame header field and the first N202 octets of the information field. If the length of
the information field is less than N202 octets, the FCS covers the complete information

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field. This permits UI frames to transport 'unprotected' information, meaning that errors
beyond the first N202 octets of the information field do not result in the frame being dis-
carded.

3.3.3 Command and Responses

Unnumbered Frames
The following list describers the unnumbered commands and responses:
• The Set Asynchronous Balanced Mode (SABM) command is used to place the
addressed MS or 2G SGSN side into ABM acknowledged operation.
• The Disconnect (DISC) command is transmitted in order to terminate the ABM oper-
ation.
• The Unnumbered Acknowledgement (UA) response is used by an LLE to acknowl-
edge the receipt and acceptance of the mode-setting commands (SABM or DISC).
• The Disconnected Mode (DM) response is used by an LLE to report to its peer that
the LLE is in such a state that the ABM operation cannot be performed.
• The Frame Reject Response (FRMR) response is received by an LLE as a report of
a frame rejection condition not recoverable by retransmission of the identical frame.
For more information, see 'Frame rejection condition' in Section Exceptional condi-
tions.
• The Exchange Identification Command/Response is used to negotiate and re-nego-
tiate LLC layer parameters and SNDCP parameters.

Unconfirmed information Frame

When a layer-3 entity requests unacknowledged information transfer, the Unconfirmed
Information (UI) command is used to send information to its peer entity.

Combined Information and Supervisory Frames

The function of the information (I) frame is to transfer, across a logical link connection,
sequentially numbered frames containing information fields provided by layer 3. This
frame is only used in the ABM operation.
Numbered I frames also carry supervisory information therefore, they are also called I+S
frames. A separate S frame is sent when there is no information field to be transferred.
In the ABM procedures, it is insignificant if an I+S or S frame is transmitted as a
command or a response.
• Receive Ready (RR) Command/Response is used by an LLE to indicate that it is
ready to receive an I frame and to acknowledge previously received I frames
numbered up to and including N(R) - 1.
• Acknowledgement (ACK) Command/Response is used by an LLE to acknowledge
a single or multiple I frames. Frames up to and including N(R) - 1 and frame N(R) +
1, have been received correctly.
• SACK Command/Response is used by an LLE to acknowledge a single or multiple
I frames. Frames up to and including N(R) - 1 and frames indicated by the SACK
bitmap, have been received correctly.
• Receive Not Ready (RNR) Command/Response is used by an LLE to indicate a
busy condition; that is, a temporary inability to accept additional incoming I frames.
The value of N(R) in the RNR frame acknowledges I frames numbered up to and
including N(R) - 1.

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In addition to indicating the status of an LLE, the RR, ACK, SACK, or RNR frame with
the A bit set to 1 is used by the LLE for requesting an acknowledgement from its peer
LLE.

3.4 Addressing

3.4.1 Data Link Connection Identifier (DLCI)

A logical link connection is identified by a DLCI that consists of two identifiers: a SAPI
and a TLLI.

Temporary Logical Link Identity (TLLI)

The TLLI is used to identify a specific MS. The TLLI assignment is controlled by the
GMM. The TLLI is not carried in LLC frames, but in BSSGP messages as defined in
ETSI TS 101 343 (GSM 08.18), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS); Base Station
System (BSS) - Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN); BSS GPRS Protocol, and in
RLC/MAC blocks as defined in 3GPP TS 24.008, Mobile radio interface Layer 3 speci-
fication; Core network protocols; Stage 3.
The TLLI assignment is controlled by the GPRS Mobility Management functionality. For
more information, see Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN - MS Interface Description,
GPRS Mobility and Session Management.

Service Access Point Identifier (SAPI)

The SAPI is used to identify the service access point on the 2G SGSN side and the MS
side of the LLC interface. The SAPI is carried in the address field of each LLC frame.

3.5 Unacknowledged Information Transfer

With this type of operation, layer-3 information is transmitted in numbered Unconfirmed
Information (UI) frames. The UI frames are not acknowledged at the LLC layer. Neither
error recovery nor reordering mechanisms are defined, but transmission and format
errors are detected. Duplicate UI frames are discarded.
The following modes of unacknowledged operation are defined:
• protected mode in which the FCS field protects the frame header and information
field
• unprotected mode in which the FCS field protects the frame header and only the first
octets of the information field (carrying the SNDCP header)
For user data transfer, the mode of operation is selected according to the Quality of
Service Reliability Class negotiated in PDP Context Activation. For more information,
see Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN - MS Interface Description, GPRS Mobility and
Session Management. For GMM signalling, TOM, and SMS transfer, protected mode is
always used.
If ciphering has been enabled, all UI frames are ciphered with the exception of those
GMM signalling frames which are defined to be sent unciphered. For more information,
see Security, System Feature Description.
Unacknowledged operation is allowed for GMM signalling SAPI, TOM2 SAPI, TOM8
SAPI, SMS SAPI, and data transfer SAPIs allocated by the Session Management func-

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tionality. For more information, see Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN - MS Interface
Description, GPRS Mobility and Session Management.

3.6 Establishment and Release of ABM Operation

3.6.1 Establishment procedures

Before peer-to-peer acknowledged information transfer can start, an exchange of a Set
Asynchronous Balanced Mode (SABM) frame and an Unnumbered Acknowledgement
(UA) frame must take place.
All frames other than U and UI received during the establishment procedures are
ignored.
Establishment of ABM operation is allowed for one data transfer SAPI allocated by the
Session Management functionality. For more information, see Features SG01011,
SG01012: Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN Mobility and Session Management, Feature
Description.
MS-initiated establishment
MS-initiated establishment is used in conjunction with PDP context activation. For more
information, see Features SG01011, SG01012: Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN
Mobility and Session Management, Feature Description.
The 2G SGSN performs the following actions when it receives the SABM command:
• It informs the SNDCP, delivering the possibly included SNDCP XID parameters to it.
• If the received SABM contained SNDCP XID parameters, it waits for the SNDCP to
respond before continuing.
• It responds with UA response with the F-bit set to the same values as in the received
SABM command.
• It resets timer T200.
• It sets state variables V(S), V(R), V(A), and B to 0.
• It enters the ABM state, thereby clearing any possibly existing peer receiver busy
condition.
Any included XID parameters are handled as described in Section Negotiation of LLC
and SNDCP parameters.
If the Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN receives a SABM for the GMM signalling or SMS
SAPIs, it is discarded.
2G SGSN-initiated establishment
2G SGSN-initiated establishment is used in conjunction with inter-SGSN and inter-
PAPU routing area updates. For more information, see Features SG01011, SG01012:
Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN Mobility and Session Management, Feature Descrip-
tion. The request to establish the connection is received from the SNDCP.
The 2G SGSN initiates the ABM establishment by sending a SABM command to the MS,
with the P bit set to 1. The 2G SGSN resets the retransmission counter and sets timer
T200.
When the 2G SGSN receives the UA response with the F bit set to 1, the 2G SGSN does
the following:
• It resets timer T200.

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• It sets state variables V(S), V(A), V(R), and B to 0.

• The LLC indicates to the SNDCP that connection has been successfully established.
• The LLE enters the ABM state.
If the 2G SGSN receives a DM response with the F bit set to 1, the LLC indicates to the
SNDCP that a connection cannot be established (with cause 'DM received') and resets
timer T200. The LLE then enters the ADM state. The DM responses with the F bit set to
0 are ignored in this case.
Expiry of T200
If timer T200 expires before the UA or DM response with the F bit set to 1 is received,
the 2G SGSN retransmits the SABM command, sets timer T200, and increments the
retransmission counter. After N200 retransmissions, without the required response of
the SABM, the LLC indicates to the SNDCP that a connection cannot be established.

3.6.2 Termination of the ABM operation

These procedures are used to terminate the ABM operation between the 2G SGSN and
an MS.
MS-initiated release
An LLE in the 2G SGSN that receives a DISC command while in the ABM state transmits
a UA response to the MS with the F bit set to the same binary value as the P bit in the
received DISC command. The LLE indicates the release to the SNDCP and enters the
ADM state.
2G SGSN-initiated release
The 2G SGSN initiates a release upon a request by the SNDCP. The release can be
local, that is, if the SNDCP requests so, the MS is not informed.
If the release is local, the LLE enters the ADM state, resets timer T200, and confirms the
release to the SNDCP. Otherwise, the following procedures are performed:
• The 2G SGSN initiates a request for the release of the ABM operation by transmit-
ting the DISC command with the P bit set to 1. Timer T200 is then set, and the
retransmission counter is reset.
• The LLE enters the ADM state, and T200 is reset in the following two cases:
• if the 2G SGSN receives an UA response with the F bit set to 1
• if the 2G SGSN receives a DM response with the F bit set to 1, indicating that
the peer LLE is already in the ADM state
• The LLE in the 2G SGSN is in the ADM state, and it confirms the release to the
SNDCP.
Expiry of T200
If timer T200 expires before the UA or DM response with the F bit set to 1 is received,
the 2G SGSN retransmits the DISC command, sets timer T200, and increments the
retransmission counter. After N200 retransmissions, without the required response of
the DISC, the LLC confirms the release to the SNDCP, and the LLE enters the ADM
state.

3.7 Information Transfer in ABM

Having either the UA response transmitted to a received SABM command, or received
the UA response to a transmitted SABM, I frames and supervisory frames may be trans-

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mitted and received. The procedures that apply to the transmission of I frames are
defined below.

3.7.1 Transmitting I frames

The control field parameters N(S) and N(R) are assigned the values V(S) and V(R),
respectively. V(S) is incremented by 1 at the end of the transmission of the I frame.
I frames are transmitted in ascending N(S) order. When I frames are retransmitted, the
frame with the lowest N(S) is retransmitted first.
The I frame buffer variable B is incremented with the length of the information field of I
frame number N(S), so that B = B + L(N(S)). The value of B is never allowed to exceed
M. If L(N(S)) > M - B (where M is the maximum buffer size), the LLE does not transmit
any new I frames, but can retransmit I frames as a result of error recovery procedures
as described in the following sections.
When there is an opportunity to transmit a frame, the LLE does one of the following in
order of priority:
a) If there are any I frames marked for retransmission and if the LLE is not
in the peer receive busy condition, the LLE increments the retransmis-
sion count variable by 1 for the I frame with the lowest send sequence
number N(S). If the retransmission count variable exceeds the value of
N200, the LLE initiates the re-establishment procedure. If the retrans-
mission count variable does not exceed the value of N200, the LLE
retransmits the I frame.
b) If the LLE has a new I frame to transmit, if V(S) < V(A) + k (where k is
the maximum number of outstanding I frames), and if the LLE is not in
the peer receiver busy condition, the new I frame is transmitted.
c) If the LLE has an acknowledgement to transmit, the LLE transmits an S
frame.
If the LLE wants to request an acknowledgement (see 'Requesting acknowledgements'
in Section Sending and receiving acknowledgements), the A bit of the transmitted frame
is set to 1.

3.7.2 Receiving I frames

When the LLE receives a valid I frame whose N(S) is equal to the current V(R), the LLE:
• passes the information field of this frame to the SNDCP
• increments its V(R) by 1
• if the A bit of the received I frame was set to 1, the LLE responds to its peer with an
RR, RNR, SACK, or ACK frame
When an LLE receives a valid I frame whose N(S) is not in the range V(R) <= N(S) <
V(R) + k, the LLE discards the frame as a duplicate.
When an LLE receives a valid I frame where V(R) < N(S) < V(R) + k, the LLE stores the
I frame until all frames from V(R) to N(S) - 1 inclusive are correctly received. The LLE
uses the control field information of the received I frame before storing the frame. The
LLE does the following:
• passes the information field of this I frame to the SNDCP
• sets its V(R) = N(S) + 1

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3.7.3 Sending and receiving acknowledgements

Sending and receiving acknowledgements refer to the transmission and reception of
frames carrying ABM acknowledgement information, that is, I+S and S frames.

Sending acknowledgements
Whenever an LLE receives a frame with the A bit set to 1, it transmits an I+S or S frame.
Whenever an LLE detects an error in the sequence of received I frames, it transmits an
I+S or S frame. The supervisory function bits of the transmitted frame must be set
according to the Section Supervisory frame selection.
The receiving LLE uses the knowledge of the (re-)transmission strategy of its peer LLE,
specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support
Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification, to detect sequence
errors. If the LLE receives an I frame with a higher N(S) than the N(S) of the previously
received I frame, and if there are I frames missing between these two N(S) values, the
LLE assumes that the missing I frames have been lost.
If the LLE receives an I frame with a lower N(S) than the N(S) of the previously received
I frame, it assumes that its peer LLE has (re-)started retransmission due to the reception
of an acknowledgement.

Receiving acknowledgements
On receipt of a valid I+S or S frame, the LLE, if the N(R) is valid, treats the N(R) con-
tained in this frame as an acknowledgement for all the I frames it has transmitted with
an N(S) up to and including the received N(R) - 1. A valid N(R) value is one that is in the
range V(A) <= N(R) <= V(S).
If the N(R) is not valid, the received A bit is treated as defined in Section Sending
acknowledgements; and if the N(R) and the SACK bitmap are received, they are disre-
garded.
The following applies to each I frame transmitted with N(S) in the range V(A) <= N(S) <
N(R):
• The LLE confirms the delivery to the SNDCP.
• The frame length L(N(S)) is subtracted from the I frame buffer variable B, so that B
= B - L(N(S)). The value of B is never set to less than 0.
V(A) is then set to N(R).
On receipt of a valid ACK frame, the LLE considers the I frame transmitted with
sequence number N(R) + 1 as acknowledged. On receipt of a valid SACK frame, the
LLE considers all I frames with the corresponding bit set to 1 in the SACK bitmap as
acknowledged.
If timer T201 is active and associated with an acknowledged I frame, timer T201 is reset.
The LLE determines which I frames to retransmit by analysing its I frame transmission
sequence history and the acknowledgements received. An unacknowledged I frame that
was transmitted prior to an acknowledged I frame is considered lost and is marked for
retransmission. Acknowledged I frames are removed from the I frame transmission
sequence history.

Requesting acknowledgements
The LLE requests an acknowledgement from the peer LLE by transmitting an I+S or S
frame with the A bit set to 1. An acknowledgement is requested in the following cases:

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• The last I frame in a sequence of one or more I frames is transmitted.

• B > M - N201 as a result of the transmission of the I frame, unless the next I frame
to be transmitted is available and has an information field length that is less than or
equal to M - B.
• V(S) = V(A) + k as a result of the transmission of the I frame.
• V(S) = V(A) + k/2 as a result of the transmission of the I frame.
When requesting an acknowledgement, the LLE sets timer T201 and associates the
timer with the I frame currently being transmitted, or, if the A bit is transmitted in an S
frame, with the I frame last transmitted.

Waiting for acknowledgement

Frames can be lost any time during transmission due to, for example, transmission
errors. An LLE that has not received acknowledgement for a transmitted I frame must,
therefore, upon expiry of timer T201, take appropriate recovery action.
The LLE maintains an internal retransmission count variable for each transmitted I
frame.
If timer T201 expires, the LLE increments the retransmission count variable by 1 for the
I frame associated with timer T201, and the following events take place:
• If the value of the retransmission count variable does not exceed N200, the LLE sets
timer T201 and retransmits the I frame with the A bit set to 1.
• If the value of the retransmission count variable exceeds N200, the LLE initiates a
re-establishment procedure.

Supervisory frame selection

If the I frame with the highest number was received with N(S) = V(R), the appropriate
supervisory frame is the RR frame. If the I frame with the highest number was received
with N(S) = V(R) + 1, the appropriate supervisory frame is the ACK frame. Otherwise,
the appropriate supervisory frame is the SACK frame.

3.7.4 Peer receiver busy

Peer receiver busy condition is handled as specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064),
Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC)
Layer Specification.

3.7.5 Own Receiver Busy

The LLE in the 2G SGSN never enters own receiver busy condition.

3.8 Tunnelling of Messages (TOM)

Description
This feature is supported from SG1.5 release onwards. TOM uses one of two reserved
SAPIs, number two or eight (TOM2 and TOM8). One of the TOM protocol functions is
to tunnel signalling messages between an MS and a non-GSM MSC/VLR through the
Gs interface, when GPRS network elements are used in non-GSM networks.

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TOM Protocol Envelope structure

All TOM protocol exchanges are in TOM Protocol Envelopes that conform to the format
shown in Figure TOM Protocol Envelope format.

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Remaining Length
TOM Protocol
of TOM Protocol
Discriminator
Header

Remaining Octects of TOM Protocol

Header
(variable lenght, max 14 octets)

Message Capsule
(variable lenght, max 220 octets)

Figure 6 TOM Protocol Envelope format

• TOM Protocol Discriminator indicates the specific technology (for example, TIA/EIA-
136) using TOM.
• Remaining Length of TOM Protocol Header indicates the number of octets remain-
ing in the TOM protocol header part of the TOM Protocol Envelope.
• Remaining Octets of TOM Protocol Header contains the octets following the first
octet in the TOM protocol header.
• Message Capsule field contains TOM Protocol Discriminator-specific payload in the
TOM Protocol Envelope.

3.9 Negotiation of LLC and SNDCP parameters

Each LLE has a set of LLC layer parameters necessary for correct peer-to-peer infor-
mation transport. Initialisation of the parameters is done either according to the default
values, or according to the values supplied by the peer entity. The latter method utilises
the parameter negotiation procedure.

g One of the parameters is an SNDCP XID block which carries SNDCP parameters that
are not interpreted by the LLC, which provides only the delivery of these parameters.

3.9.1 Negotiation mechanism

The LLC and the SNDCP parameters can be negotiated in ADM or ABM modes of oper-
ation. The LLC layer and the SNDCP parameters can be negotiated with the exchange
of XID frames or with the exchange of SABM and UA frames. After successful negotia-
tion with SABM and UA frames, the LLE must be in ABM mode of operation, according
to Section Establishment and release of ABM operation.
The XID block used to carry a parameter is shown in Figure XID parameter field format.

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Bit
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Octet
XL Type Length 1
Length X X 2
High-order octet 2 or 3

Low-order octet n

Figure 7 XID parameter field format

MS-originated negotiation
When the 2G SGSN receives an XID command frame with a SAPI assigned for a UI
transfer, it decodes the parameters related to the ADM and builds a XID response frame
according to the rules specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station -
Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specifica-
tion. All ABM-related parameters, if included, are ignored.
When the 2G SGSN receives an XID command frame (or SABM) with a SAPI assigned
for ABM information (I) transfer, it decodes the parameters related to ABM and builds an
XID response frame according to the rules specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064),
Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC)
Layer Specification.
The SNDCP parameters, if included, are handled by the SNDCP layer. In this case, the
LLC delivers the received SNDCP parameters to the SNDCP and waits for the SNDCP
to respond with the negotiated SNDCP parameters before sending the XID or UA
response to the MS.

2G SGSN-originated negotiation
The 2G SGSN sends an XID command containing the parameters that the LLE wants
to negotiate and sets timer T200. The peer LLE must, on receipt of the XID command,
return an XID response containing the list of parameter values that the peer can support.
Timer T200 is reset when the XID response is received. XID frames are transmitted with
the P/F bit set to 1.

Negotiation of parameter Reset

The Reset parameter is used, in the 2G SGSN originating Reset and in the MS receiving
Reset, to reset the LLC layer of the MS, as specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064),
Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC)
Layer Specification. The 2G SGSN sends an XID command frame with the GMM signal-
ling SAPI when the MS enters the area of a new 2G SGSN or PAPU with routing area
update.

Negotiation of parameter m
The following rules are applied when mD and mU are negotiated:
• If mD (mU) is negotiated to 0, the LLE does not keep count of the outstanding I frame
information field octets in downlink (uplink) direction.
• If the 2G SGSN receives a SABM or XID command with mD (mU) unequal to 0, the
2G SGSN negotiates mD to a value no higher than 30 kB and mU to a value no
higher than 20 kB, according to the negotiation rules specified in ETSI TS 101 351

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(GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical
Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification.
• When the 2G SGSN sends a SABM command to the MS, it includes mD with a value
of 30 kB and mU with a value of 20 kB.
• The minimum value for mD (mU) is the same as the negotiated value for N201–I.

Unsuccessful negotiation
The XID or SABM commands with invalid XID information are discarded.
The XID or UA responses with invalid XID information are discarded, and the XID or
SABM command is retransmitted.
XID information is treated as invalid by the 2G SGSN in the following cases:
• It contains IOV-UI, IOV-I, or Reset in uplink.
• It contains SNDCP parameters on reserved, GMM signalling, or SMS SAPI.
• It contains a parameter with a value that violates the sense of negotiation or is out
of range in the XID or UA response.

Expiry of timer T200

If timer T200 expires before the XID or UA response with the F bit set to 1 is received,
the 2G SGSN retransmits the XID or SABM command, sets timer T200 and increments
the retransmission counter. After N200 retransmissions, without a required response of
the XID or SABM, the LLC indicates to the SNDCP that the negotiation was unsuccess-
ful.

3.10 Re-establishment of ABM operation

The criteria and procedures defined in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station
- Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specifica-
tion for re-establishing the ABM mode of operation are supported by the Nokia Siemens
Networks SGSN.

3.11 Exceptional conditions

Invalid frame condition
Invalid frames are discarded without taking any action as a result of the frame.

Frame rejection condition

FRMR response frames sent by the MS are discarded.
The 2G SGSN discards frames causing a frame rejection condition without taking any
action as a result of the frame.

Unsolicited response frames

Unsolicited response frames are handled as specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM
44.064), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control
(LLC) Layer Specification.

3.12 Ciphering
The ciphering algorithm has the following three input parameters:

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• the ciphering key (Kc)

• the frame-dependent input (Input)
• the transfer direction (Direction)
The ciphering algorithm has one output parameter:
• Output
The relationship between the input and output parameters and the ciphering algorithm
is illustrated in Figure GPRS ciphering environment.
Input Direction Input Direction

Ciphering Ciphering
Kc Kc
Algorithm Algorithm

Output Output

Unciphered Deciphered
Frame Ciphered Frame Frame

MS or SGSN SGSN or MS
Figure 8 GPRS ciphering environment
For more information on ciphering, see Security, System Feature Description and ETSI
TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN)
Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification.

3.13 LLC layer parameters

3.13.1 Version number

Version number 0, the only version defined in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile
Station - Serving GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer
Specification is supported by the 2G SGSN.

3.13.2 Input Offset Value (IOV)

Input offset value is used as an input value for ciphering. For more information, see
Section Ciphering.

3.13.3 Retransmission timers (T200, T201)

Both retransmission timer T200 and T201 have the value negotiated for T200. These
timers are used as described in earlier sections.

3.13.4 Maximum number of retransmissions (N200)

The maximum number of retransmissions (N200) shows how many times a frame can
be retransmitted before retransmissions are stopped.

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3.13.5 Maximum number of octets in information field (N201)

The maximum number of octets can be different for UI/U and I frames, N201–U and
N201–I are used, respectively.

3.13.6 Maximum number of octets in SNDCP header (N202)

The maximum number of octets in the SNDCP header (N202) tells how many bytes from
the beginning of the information field are protected when the unprotected ADM mode of
operation is used. For version 0, N202 has the value 4.

3.13.7 Maximum I frame buffer size (m)

The maximum I frame buffer size (m) that can be used to buffer outstanding I frame
information fields at any given time is an LLC layer parameter that must be either 0 or
from 9 through 24 320 in units of 16 octets. If the value of m equals 0, the LLE does not
keep count of the number of outstanding I frame octets, that is, the I frame buffer
variable B is not used. M is the maximum buffer size expressed in octets, so that M = m
* 16.
The value of m can be different in each direction of transmission. Parameter mD is m in
the downlink direction. Parameter mU is value m in the uplink direction.

3.13.8 Maximum number of outstanding I frames (k)

The maximum number (k) of consecutively numbered I frames that can be outstanding
(that is, unacknowledged) at any given time is an LLC layer parameter that has a Nokia
Siemens Networks SGSN supported value between 1 and 32.
Value k is also the denoted window size.
The value of k can be different in each direction of transmission. Parameter kD is k in
the downlink direction, and parameter kU is k in the uplink direction.

3.13.9 LLC parameter default values

The default values specified in ETSI TS 101 351 (GSM 44.064), Mobile Station - Serving
GPRS Support Node (MS-SGSN) Logical Link Control (LLC) Layer Specification are
supported.

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4 Support protocol description

For more information on the BSSGP, see Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN-BSS Inter-
face Description, BSS GPRS Protocol (BSSGP).
For more information on the SNDCP, see Nokia Siemens Networks SGSN-MS Interface
Specification, Subnetwork Dependent Convergence Protocol (SNDCP).
For more information on the GPRS Mobility and Session Management, see Nokia
Siemens Networks SGSN-MS Interface Description, GPRS Mobility and Session Man-
agement.

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5 Abbreviations
ABM Asynchronous Balanced Mode
ACK ACKnowledgement
ADM Asynchronous Disconnected Mode
DISC DISConnect
DLCI Data Link Connection Identifier
DM Disconnected Mode
FRMR FRaMe Reject
GMM GPRS Mobility Management
I Information
IOV Input Offset Value
LL Logical Link
LLC Logical Link Control
LLE Logical Link Entity
LLGMM LLC to GPRS Mobility Management service access point
N(R) Transmitter receive sequence number
N(S) Transmitter send sequence number
N(U) Transmitter unconfirmed sequence number
RLC Radio Link Control
RNR Receive Not Ready
RR Receive Ready
S Supervisory
SABM Set Asynchronous Balanced Mode
SACK Selective ACKnowledgement
SAPI Service Access Point Identifier
SNDCP Subnetwork Dependent Convergence Protocol
TIA Telecommunications Industry Association
TOM Tunnelling Of Messages
UA Unnumbered Acknowledgement
UI Unconfirmed Information
XID eXchange IDentification

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