UMTS PS Service Analysis

ZTE University

Content

PS Service Protocol Architecture

Access Failure
User Plane Inaccessible
Data Transmission Performance
Case Analysis

Overview

In the throughput aspect, poor HSPA performance is

reflected as unstable rate, fluctuation, and abnormally
low rate, etc.
In the Qos aspect, poor HSPA performance is reflected
as fuzzy images and buffer of streaming media, long FTP
downloading time, and slow response when browsing
webpages.
The course will analyze the factors that impact on HSPA
throughput rate and provides optimization methods.

Overview

Most HSPA services, like FTP and HTTP, use TCP

protocol, whose retransmission greatly impacts on rate.
HSPA service low rate can be caused by improper
parameters, packet error or loss during transmission. In
order to analyze it, firstly locate the fault in the diagram
below by alarms, signaling trace and packet capture.

UE

SGSN/GGSN
Node B

Server
RNC

PS Service Protocol Architecture

PS data reaches UE after running through Internet service server,

GGSN, SGSN, RNC, and NodeB via Gi, Gn, IuPS, Iub, and Uu
interfaces in turn. Any faults occurred during this process may bring
impacts on PS services.

HSDPA User Plane Protocol Architecture

DTCH

DCCH

DTCH

MAC-d

MAC-d

MAC-hs

MAChs

HSDSCH FP

HS-DSCH FP

PHY

PHY

AAL2 or
UDP/ IP

AAL2 or UDP/IP

ATM or
IP

ATM or IP

UE

DCCH

Uu

Node B

Iub

CRNC/SRNC

The fast scheduling of the Node B is a MAC layer feature, so the a new
MAC entity MAC-hs is introduced to the Node B.

HSUPA User Plane Protocol Architecture

DTCH DCCH

DCCH DTCH

MAC-d

MAC-d

MAC-es

MAC-es /
MAC-e
MAC-e

MAC-e EDCH FP

PHY

UE

PHY

Uu

EDCH FP

TNL

NodeB

TNL

Iub

TNL

TNL

DRNC

Iur

SRNC

New MAC entities are introduced to UE, Node B , and SRNC

Theoretical Rate of Each Protocol Layer

PS Service Data Analysis

In terms of throughput, PS service transmission rate is not

only high, but also unstable with large fluctuations.
In terms of service quality, stream images is not clear,
buffering is required, FTP download takes a long time, and
a slow responding occurs in browsing websites.
PS data reaches UE after running through Internet service
server, GGSN, SGSN, RNC, and NodeB via Gi, Gn, IuPS,
Iub, and Uu interfaces in turn. During this process, the data
transmission between the Internet server and GGSN
abides by the IP protocol. There are a or multiple routers
and firewall just in between of the Internet server and
GGSN.

PS Service Data Analysis

PS services use the AM mode of RLC and thus support the

re-transmission function. For services like FTP and HTTP,
the TCP protocol is followed.
As to service monitoring, UE is often regarded as an
application run by the computer of the MODEM to judge
the service quality.

Content

PS Service Protocol Architecture

Access Failure
User Plane Inaccessible
Data Transmission Performance
Case Analysis

Analysis of DT/CQT data

DT/CQT data analysis

Set up the PS service

successfully?

Analyze the
access failure.

No traffic flow on user plane

Data transmission
condition?

Data Transmission interruption

Low transmission rate and great fluctuation

Analyze the
problem of no
traffic flow on the
user plane.

Analyze poor data

transmission
performance.

Analyze data
transmission
interruption.

Directly launching the PS service by UE

The analysis of access failure
of the PS service launched by
the UE

UE fails to launch the PS servce

directly?

The PS service setup is a failure in

the method of PC+UE?

Analyze the
access failure of
the PS service
launched in the
method of PC+UE

End

Check and modify

the APN and the
webpage address
setting of the UE.

UE launching the PS service as the Modem

The analysis of access failure
of the PS service set up in the
method of PC+UE

Port opening failure?

Access failure?
Y
Y
The signaling
process analysis
in the access
process

Find the cause and solve the

problem?
N
N
Comparison and
analysis of the
operation type

End

Handle the port

opening failure.

Handling flow of port opening failure

Handling port opening failure

Check and confirm CNT PORT

Configuration.

Is the status of the port in Windows

Hardware Manager abnormal?

Insert and extract the UE.

N
Solve the problem?
CNT abnormal termination happened
before?
N

Reinstall the UE driver.

Maybe the port is not closed

normally. Restart the CNT
and the PC.
N

Maybe the UE software is

abnormal. Restart the UE.

End

Signaling analysis of access failure

The signaling flow analysis
during the access process

RRC connection failure?

Analyze the RRC connection failure.

Analyze the problem that the UE does not

send the Service Request.

Analyze the authentification and encryption

problems

Analyze the problem that PDP activation is

refused

Analyze the abnormal RB setup

UE does not send Service

Request?

Are the authentification and

encryption processes
abnormal ?

Is the PDP activation refused?

Is the RB setup process

abnormal?

N
Comparison and
analysis of the
operation type

End

PS Service Call Process

RRC Connection Establishment Failure

Description

it is indicated in drive test log that the UE is unable to initiate RRC

Connection Request.

Cause Analysis

UE port is abnormal, UE software error or drivers incompletely

installed.
Improper configuration in drive test software. For example, the
modem is not selected in the port configuration of drive test
software.

RRC Connection Setup Failure

Description

If the UE sends the RRC Connection Request but receives no

response, or receives RRC Connection Reject message.

Cause Analysis

Poor coverage
Access denied due to overload
Illegal parameter configuration

UE No Send Service Request

Reasons

The UE did not start the PS function. Some UE can be set to

support CS, PS or CS+PS. If it is set to support only CS, PS
service cannot be used. In the case, check and modify UE
configuration to PS or CS+PS.
UE did not complete PS domain registration. After UE initiates
Attach Request, the network responds Attach Reject. In the
case, ask CN engineer to confirm whether the USIM card supports
PS service.

Abnormal Authentication and Encryption

Description

The signaling flow from Authentication AND Ciphering REQ to

Security Mode Complete is abnormal.

Cause Analysis

Ask CN engineer to check whether the PS authentication switch is

on and whether CS/PS domain, RNC encryption algorithm and
integrity protection algorithm configuration is consistent.

PDP Activation Rejected

Description

UE sends Activate PDP Context Request message, but receives

the Activate PDP Context Reject.

Reasons

UE problem: If Activate PDP Context Reject cause is missing or

unknown APN", access failure reason is probably that APN
configuration in UE is different from in CN. If Activate PDP Context
Reject cause is service option not supported", the reason is
probably that the UE requested rate is higher than account contract
rate.
CN problem: If the cause is other than above, access failure is
probably caused by CN side. For example, some CN interfaces are
inaccessible. In this case, work together with CN PS domain
experts to locate the fault.

Content

PS Service Protocol Architecture

Access Failure
User Plane Inaccessible
Data Transmission Performance
Case Analysis

Control Plane Accessible, User Plane

Inaccessible
Analysis of no traffic flow on
the user plane

DCH

HSDPA

DCHE-DCH bearer judgment

N
Analyze the problem
of no traffic flow on
user plane on the EDCH at the RAN
side.

Analyze the problem

of no traffic flow on
user plane on the
DCH
at the RAN side.

Find the cause of problem?

N
Analyze the problem
of no traffic flow on
the user plan at CN
side.

Use corresponding
method to solve the
problem?
Find the cause of problem?

N
Solve the problem?

Comparison and
analysis of
operation type
Y

End

Analysis of the problem at the RAN side

If RRC is established, control plane is normal. In this case,

user plane access failure may probably be caused by the
TRB resetting on the RAN side. This applies especially to
HSDPA, in which the services use HS-PDSCH and
signaling uses A-DCH. When the power of HS-PDSCH is
insufficient, the control plane may be accessible while user
plane is not.

Analysis of the problem at the RAN side

Coverage Problem

According to Pilot RSCP and EC/IO. For poor coverage area, if

RSCP-100 dBm or Ec/Io-18 dB, data service is hardly
accessible.

Solution

For poor RSCP, improve the coverage by adjusting antennas or

add NodeB.
If Pilot RSCP is good but the Ec/Io is quite poor, check pilot
pollution and optimize by bringing in a primary cell to cover the
area.
Check P-CPICH power configuration. By default 33 dBm
Check and eliminate external interferences

Analysis of the problem at the RAN side

Trace and measure uplink/downlink throughput

Monitor access stratum(AS) rate and non-access
stratum(NAS) rate of the UL/DL data transmission, so as to
analyze the dynamic channel configuration and service
source rate change features.
According to whether the UL/DL throughput is zero, we
can determine whether the UL/DL is down. Note that when
the RNC DRBC feature is on, we should identify bandwidth
change caused by DRBC. If the cause still cannot be
located, trace the number of sent and received data
packets on RNC L2 and GTP-U, in order to locate whether
the user plane inaccessibility occurs on UL or DL, on the
CN or RAN side.

Analysis of the problem at the RAN side

Confirm whether the cell has activated the HSPA feature,

the UE supports HSPA, and UE requested rate exceeds
contract rate. Normally, PS service is expected to be borne
by HSPA.
When it is failed, troubleshooting flow:

Alarms and correlation logs in the RNC

HSPA feature deactivated result in PS service is created on DCH
Check the scheduling success rate of CQI and HS-SCCH, BLER,
and whether GBR is configured.
Check the available bandwidth, occupied bandwidth and allocated
bandwidth of Iub interface

Analysis of the problem at the RAN side

When the PS service is borne by the DCH, the RNC

assigns a certain channel bandwidth for each accessed
UE. The assigned bandwidth may be lower than the
expected bandwidth of the UE for two reasons:

Channels of higher rates cannot be assigned due to congestion or

other abnormality
DRBC algorithm

Analysis of the problem at the CN side

Analysis of the problem of no traffic flow
on user plane at the CN side

Is it normal to use the service

through the LAN/other radio
networks?
N
Check whether the server
and service software operate
normally.

Check the user name and the

password.

The CN side is normal.

End

Analysis of HLR Problems

One SIM card can have multiple APNs, with each APN
corresponding to a maximum rate. When the UE has no
maximum rate restriction, the RAB assignment request
message issued by the CN contains account registration
rate. If the RNC has no power and code resource
restriction, then the assigned rate will be sent to the UE
through the Activate PDP content Accept message. This
rate can be viewed using QXDM or other road test tools.

Analysis of GGSN/SGSN Problems

GGSN

SGSN

To modify the subscriber's QoS parameter on GGSN, you need to

configure DL bit rate and DL guaranteed rate. The default value is
384 kbps. Set the maximum DL rate as 2048 kbps so that the CN
allows a maximum HSDPA DL rate of 2 Mbps.
The SGSN uses SET 3GSM to modify the subscriber's maximum
DL rate and DL guaranteed rate as 2 Mbps.

After the cell is established and RAN problems are

excluded, we can check HLR account registration rate, and
the QoS parameters of SGSN and GGSN subscribers.

Content

PS Service Protocol Architecture

Access Failure
User Plane Inaccessible
Data Transmission Performance
Case Analysis

Analysis for Poor Downloading Performance

Analysis of PS poor
download performance

View Alarms

Found cause?

N
Operation Class
Comparison and
Analysis

Fault at RAN side

RAN or CN
problem?

Analysis of RAN side

problems for poor
download performance

Fault at CN side

Analysis of CN side
problems for poor
download performance

Found cause?

Take proper
measures

Problem solved
Y
End

Viewing Alarms

After encountering a problem, you should first check

alarms. On the RAN side, check NodeB and RNC alarms;
ON the CN side, check alarms on SGSN, GGSN,
LANDSWITCH, ROUTER and FIREWALL. Clock abnormal
alarms, transmission code error, transmission flash-off and
other alarms may affect data transmission.
If the alarms about NEs is not helpful for locating the
problem causes, then do the comparison and analysis of
operation class, and try to narrow the scope of the causes
from the numerous factors. If the causes fall into RAN side
problems, then turn to do analysis on RAN side factors that
may affect downloading performance; and it is the same
for the CN side problems. Otherwise, you need to do
analysis from both perspectives previously mentioned.

Analysis of affecting the data transmission at

the lub interface

Transmission bit error, delay

variation, and packet loss.
Start your check from
alarms about transmission
and clock exception.
Iub bandwidth
Check if there is Iub
congestion, according to
specific monitoring points
provided by each vendor
Throughput in typical Iub
interface transmission

Analysis of the factors

affecting data transmission at
the lub interface

Check the alarm.

Is there any alarm for abnormal

transmission/clock problem?

Handle the problem.

Increase the
transmission resource.

N
Check the lub
bandwidth.

Iub bandwidth congestion?

End

Comparison and Analysis

To locate the NEs on which faults occurred through

comparison and analysis, and find out if the problem is
caused by core network, service software, or access
network faults. Operations need to be compared and
analyzed:
Change of USIM card, mobile phone card, data card, PC
Change of PDN servers modes (web, gateway, or service)
Change of other networks on the common server, such as
switch to 2G or other 3G network.

Comparison and Analysis

No. Operation Operation Results Conclusion

Downloading
function comes
back to normal.

Changing
USIM card The downloading
function problem
insists.

Changing
mobile
phone/dat
a card

The problem is related with

USIM card subscription.

Key Points
Uplink and downlink
subscription

The problem causes cannot -be located and the

investigation should continue.
Capability difference
between terminals
(they may be based on
different chips and thus
have capability
difference)

Downloading
function comes
back to normal.

The problem is related with

UE, such as compatibility or
the performance of UE itself.

The downloading
function problem
insists.

The problem causes cannot -be located and the

investigation should continue.

Comparison and Analysis

Changing
PCs

Changing
PDN/websit
e
(downloadin
g from other
PDN/websit
es)

Downloading
function comes
back to normal.

The problem is related

with driver installation,
APN setting of PCs, rate
limit setting, or firewall.

Drivers, APN
setting of PCs, rate
limit setting,
firewall and so on

The downloading
function problem
insists.

The problem causes

cannot be located and
the investigation should
continue.

--

Downloading
function comes
back to normal.

The problem is related

with CN side faults, such
as server performance,
TCP/IP parameters, or
service software.

Server processing
capability, TCP/IP
settings, and
compatibility of
service software

The downloading
function problem
insists.

The problem causes

cannot be located and
the investigation should
continue.

--

Analysis of low throughput rate on DCH

Analysis of the problem of
poor data transmission
performance at the RAN
side.

Is there any alarm at NE?

Handle the alarm.

Handle the problem.

Handle the problem.

Check the TCP receiving

window and MTU setting.

N
Analyze the
factors affecting
the data
transmission at
the Uu interface.

Find the cause of the problem?

N
Analyze the
factors affecting
the data
transmission at
the lub interface

Find the cause of the problem?

Is the ratio of APP/RLC

throughput too low?

End

Analysis of affecting the data transmission at

the Uu interface
Analysis of the factors
affecting the data
transmission at the Uu
interface

Analyze the
bandwidth of the
DCH.

Find the cause of the problem?

Handle the problem.

Handle the problem.

N
Analyze the error
at the Uu
interface.

Find the cause of the problem?

End

Analysis of data transmission interruption

Analysis of the data
transmission interruption

Is there any alarm?

Handle the problem.

Analyze the call drop.

Analyze the problem that

the bandwidth can not
recover after the state
migration.

Analyze the 3G/2G

handover

Is there any call drop?

Is there any state migration?

N
Is the data transmission
interrupted after the 3G/2G
handover?
N

End

Analysis of data transmission interruption

Description: During data transmission, a certain period of

interruption occurs.
Possible reasons include:

Call dropping occurs during data transmission;

3G to 2G handover occurs, and data transmission is not supported
by 2G system;
State migration occurs during data transmission. After CELL_DCH
migrates to CELL_FACH and CELL_PCH, there is insufficient
resource to resume data transmission. So the CELL_DCH state
cannot be resumed, which affects data transmission.

Other abnormal problems, such as transmission

breakdown.
Cause analysis: analyze from the aspects of alarms,
signaling flow and correlation logs

Analysis of low throughput rate on HSDPA

Analyzing poor data
transmission problem
at RAN side

Is there any NE alarm?

Handle alarms

Handle the
problem

Handle the
problem

Handle the
problem of low
HS-SCCH
success rate.

Handle the
problem of high
SBLER

Handle the
problem

N
Services based on
HSDPA?

Low Scheduled Rate

Low Served Rate

Low MAC Layer Rate

Low RLC Layer Rate

The throughput rate of

APP/RLC is too small?

N
End

Check the TCP

receiving window
and MTU setting.

UE Category
HS-DSCH
category

Maximum number Minimum

of HS-DSCH
inter-TTI
codes received
interval

Maximum number of bits of an HSDSCH transport block received within

an HS-DSCH TTI

Category 1

7298

Category 2

7298

Category 3

7298

Category 4

7298

Category 5

7298

Category 6

7298

Category 7

10

14411

Category 8

10

14411

Category 9

15

20251

Category 10

15

27952

Category 11

3630

Category 12

3630

Now category 6, 8, and 12 are mainstream terminals in commercialization.

Code Resources Configuration

HSDPA Channel Code Assignment

In configuration of HSDPA cells, HS-SCCH and HSPDSCH that are the same as that for R99 should be
configured. Besides, code resources should also be
reserved for HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH (in static code
resources assignment). SF of HS-SCCH should be set to
128 while SF of HS-PDSCH set to 16. The number of
channels for HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH in cells can be set
as per actual service throughput requirement, or other
factors.
Channel

SF

HS-SCCH

128

HS-PDSCH

16

HSDPA A-DCH Code Resources Assignment

When a subscriber requests for a high-speed PS service,

the system has HSDPA carries the service. Thus, the
subscriber not only takes HS-SCCH and HS-PDSCH, but
also takes a downlink A-DCH to transmit signaling when
the service is set up. In the case that the rate of signaling
channel is 3.4 kbps, each subscriber should be assigned a
dedicated downlink channel whose spreading factor is
SF256.

HSDPA Power Configuration

When the Scheduled Rate is normal, low Served Rate is

caused by the low success rate of HS-SCCH. Under the
normal circumstances of a single subscriber, if HS-SCCH
power and service traffic is not restricted, the success rate
of HS-SCCH should be 100%. The subscriber's HSSSCCH success rate is related to HS-SCCH power, HSSCCH channel amount, subscriber quantity, scheduling
algorithm and service traffic that can be transmitted.

HSDPA Power Configuration

HSDPA power can be configured in a dynamic or static

mode.
In dynamic configuration, the available HSDPA power =
total power of a cell x (1-remaining power) power for R99
dedicated channel and common channel
In static configuration, the available HSDPA power is just
the power you configured.

HS-SCCH Power Control

HS-SCCH power can be configured in a dynamic or static

mode. But the transmission power is fixed in the static
configuration without consideration of channel condition
changes. Therefore the flexibility of static configuration is
poor. Besides, it may lead to waste of power when channel
conditions are good and shortage of power when channel
conditions are poor. The dynamic power configuration
features a high flexibility. In dynamic power configuration,
transmission power changes according to channel
conditions.

BLER

Major factors that affect uplink and downlink BLER are

power control and coverage. Details are as follows:

Outer loop power control switch

Coverage

Confirm that the power control switch for the outer loop of the RNC is
on.
Confirm whether uplinks and downlinks are restricted where UL BLER
and DL BLER are poor.

UE performance factors

Try other UEs, of UEs of other models for comparison.

BLER

The bit errors occurred on uplink and downlink Uu

interface directly affect HSDPA download rate. If the
averages of UL BLER and DL BLER in a specified duration
are close to or better than BLER Target and CQI, it
indicates that the bit error rate of the Uu interface is within
the normal range; otherwise, you need to analyze the
causes of bit errors on the Uu interface.
Measuring DL BLER: to obtain data via drive test software
Measuring UL BLER: to obtain data at the RNS side, and
specific monitoring points are decided by the
implementation output of different vendor
Measuring CQI: to obtain data via drive test software or
background at the RNS side

BLER

Power control and coverage are two main factors that

affect uplink and downlink BLER:

Interference: Check if there is severe external interference

(uplink/downlink) in the area with poor UL BLER, DL BLER and
CQI
Coverage: Check if there is uplink limit or downlink limit in the area
with poor UL BLER, DL BLER and CQI
UE performance difference: The demodulation capability and CQI
submission capability of UEs may be different due to UE
classification and individual differences. You can change UEs or
compare the results of using other models of UEs.

Whether service is created over HSDPA

Whether the cell supports HSDPA: check whether the HSDPA cell is
activated on the RNC side, and check whether the local cell attribute is
set to support HSDPA on the NodeB side
HSDPA service access failure may also render the RNC to reconfigure
the 384kbps link from HSDPA service to R99 service, and check if the
following are reasonably configured: UL and DL load of the current
R99 service, DL code resource, IUB transmission resource, subscriber
amount of HSDPA service, HSDPA cell total rate threshold, and
guaranteed rate threshold and guaranteed power threshold of stream
services
The HSDPA threshold for DL BE service is too high. This threshold
defines the threshold for PS field Background/Interactive services to be
borne on HS-DSCH. The maximum DL rate of PS field
Background/Interactive services must exceed this HSDPA threshold to
be borne on HS-DSCH, otherwise it will be borne on DCH

Analysis of low throughput rate on HSUPA

The HSUPA rate of the user
is abnormal.

Whether the services are borne on

E-DCH?

N
Handle the problem

Y
N(Happy)
UE capability restricted

Serving Grant Rate Throughput is

abnormal.

Y(Unhappy)
Handle the SG restriction

UE service restricted
UE TX power restricted

Whether the available scheduled

throughput is abnorma?

Handle the DTX issue

N
Whether the actual throughput is
abnormal?

Handle the SBLER issue

Whether the RLC throughput is

abnormal?

Handle the RLC

retransmission

N
Whether the TCP/IP throughput is
abnormal?
N

End

Y
Handle the TCP/IP issue

Analysis of low throughput rate on CN

Analyze the poor data
transmission performance at
the CN side

Whether the NE reports any

alarm?

Handle the alarm

N
Whether the operating system of the
server and test PC satisfy the
requriement?

Change the operating system

to the one that meet the
requirement, e.g., the server
should be installed with
Win2000 Server

Set the TCP receive

window to a large value,
such as 64 K

Y
Whether the TCP receive window of
the server and test PC is large
enough?

Y
Whether MTU is set to 1450
bytes?

Y
Check service related issues,
such as service software, the
FTP uses Multi-thread
download method

End

Set MTU to 1450 bytes

Analysis of poor data transmission

Analysis of alarms about each NE

TCP receive window

For the core network side, pay attention to the alarms about SGSN,
GGSN, and so on (mainly focus on the alarms about SGSN and
GGSN. Alarms about clock, transmission error, and so on may also
cause PS data fluctuation.
For services depend on TCP, like FTP, the TCP receive window at
the client and server side affect service performance a lot.

Maximum transmission unit (MTU)

If there is a datagram needs to be transmitted at the IP layer, and

the datagram is larger than MTU, then the IP layer needs to
segment the datagram into fragments that are smaller than MTU.
To improve efficiency, it is necessary to avoid IP segmentation and
reassembly, as well as to set MTU to a value as large as possible.
Usually, MTU should be no larger than 1,450 bytes.

Analysis of poor data transmission

Packet loss on the CN side causes the RTT timeout on the

TCP/IP layer, triggering congestion avoidance
TCP provides a reliable transmission layer. One of its
usage is to confirm data received from the other end.
However, both data and confirmation may be lost. The
TCP sets a timer upon sending data to solve this problem.
If it receives no acknowledgment after the timer times out,
it retransmits the data.

TCP receiving and sending window

For TCP services (such as VOD and FTP), the size of TCP
windows on the client and the server greatly impacts
service performance. To ensure better performance, the
window should be set as large as possible, and the
windows on the client and that on the server should have
the same size. Set the TCP window size on the portable
computer (client) as 80 Kbytes.

Maximum Transmission Unit(MTU)

If a data packet is to be transmitted on the IP layer, and the

size of this packet is larger than the MTU, then it is divided
into several slices, each of which is smaller than the MTU.
To improve efficiency, large MTUs should be avoided as
much as possible when IP segmentation and reassembly
is adopted. The value of the MTU should normally not
exceed 1450. To modify the MTU, you need to modifier the
MTU on the server and that on the portable computer.
After connection is established for the PS service, the
server and the clients negotiations and uses the smaller
MTU in data slicing.

Service-related Problems

FTP

When choosing FTP software, commercial FTP software is

recommended. The FTP software embedded in the operating system
only provides a general-level performance. In addition, the binary
mode should be used for FTP downloading, and FlashGet and other
multi-thread downloading tools are recommended. If the upload rate
is low, multiple FTP tools can be used simultaneously. You can also
send packets of fixed rates using special tools to confirm if the base
layer has any problem.

VOD

The maximum transmission rate configured in RealPlay should be

larger than 384k, and the buffer time should not be too long (3
seconds is a proper length). Some computers have low-performance
video graphics cards that may lose some frames. To solve this
problem, you can send the resolution of the computer desktop to 800
X 600. If the problem persists, you need to change the graphics card.

Service-related Problems

NetTV

Note that the base layer rate of the NetTV can hardly be restored
once it becomes slow.

Conference TV

The output rate of the conference TV should not exceed the

bearing rate of the base layer, otherwise packets may be lost. The
output rate should be slightly lower than the bearing rate supported
by the base layer. If the rate of a vendor's conference TV increases
from 128k with a step of 64k, 320k is recommended. If this rate is
too low, then the bandwidth of the base layer is not sufficiently
utilized. If the rate is above 320k, such as 384k or above, then the
rate of the base layer cannot meet the requirements of the
application layer, which inevitably causes packet loss and severe
degradation of conference effects. The lightning symbol on the
upper right corner of the conference TV indicate that code error or
packet loss occurs during data transmission.

Content

PS Service Protocol Architecture

Access Failure
User Plane Inaccessible
Data Transmission Performance
Case Analysis

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 1

Intermittent connection when pinging data packets under

an RNC
Description

When testing PS service of a NodeB in a certain RNC, PDN can be

pinged, but intermittently. Sometimes OK, but sometimes not OK.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 1

Troubleshooting Procedure

Loss of packets occured when pinging PS packets. The

number of received and sent packets at the Iu interface varied
greatly. Besides, the number of sent packets was much larger
than that of received. However, when observing the same UE
from the CN side, the number of sent and received packets
was basically the same. The preliminary conclusion is it
occurred where RNC forwarded user plane packets to CN.
Once data packets were sent to the GIPI board in Slot 3 of
Shelf 2, Rack 2, packet loss happened. However, data loss did
not occur when data packets were sent to the GIPI board in
Slot 4 of Shelf 2, Rack 2. This explains why the PDN could be
pinged through intermittently.
After plugging out the GIPI board on Slot 3 of Shelf 2, Rack 2,
we pinged PS packets ten times under this RNC. No error
occurred and the ping was normal at all times.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 1

Solution

Replace the faulted GIPI board.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 2

Low HSPA rate for a new site

Description

The customer service personnel received feedback that the

HSDPA rate of a site was slow, 1 Mbps. The HSUPA uplink rate
was even slower, only around 400 Kbps. However, under the
same conditions, R99 PS384k was normal.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 2

Troubleshooting Procedure

Judging from the UE log and LMT measurement, we came to the

preliminary conclusion that the problem was cause by uplink packet
loss. The air interface rate was obviously higher than the RLC rate.
We encountered similar cases before, so we prepared for packet
capture and analysis. Through packet capture at the Iub interface,
we found two problems: 1. Packet loss occurred when NodeB sent
data to the RNC. 2. Packet loss also occurred on the CCI board
that captured NodeB packets.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 2

We then took great efforts to investigate Problem 2 but found

nothing abnormal. Then we had to start from troubleshooting
Problem 1. We asked the staff of the BPO equipment room to
troubleshoot related GIPI boards, and found no problem. Then we
pinged the 6513 port of the Iub interface from the CC board of
NodeB, and found that 8 out of 100 packets were lost. The ping
test was repeated three times with identical results. We used
another network cable to directly connect the SP to the BBU and
carried out the same test. The result came out that no packet was
lost out of 100 packets. Our preliminary conclusion was that data
packets occurred from switch 2818 to BBU. Considering that the
network cable from BBU to switch 2818 was self-made, we thought
this network cable may the source of problems. After replacing it
with another network cable, we pinged 6513 port again. Out of the
100 packets, no packet was lost. We therefore concluded that the
major cause for the problem was this self-made network cable.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 3

Unable to use PS service due to firewall on the

subscriber's portable computer
Description

a subscriber found that he could not use PS service when using

MF632 to connect to his portable computer.

HSPA Throughput Rate Analysis Case 3

Cause Analysis

According to his feedback, other users had no problem using his

data card, and the MF632 functioned properly all the time, until one
day he could not use the PS service. This narrowed the cause to
the portable computer of the subscriber's. After replacing the
portable computer with another one, we confirmed our conclusion.
Through further investigation, we found that the portable computer
had been recently installed with a firewall. After uninstalling the
firewall, the PS service resumed normal.