Huawei LTE Performance Management (5 days)

LBFD-002007/8 RRC and Radio Bearer Connection

Management
Connection management process
Signaling Connection Management
 Signaling connections include an RRC connection and a dedicated S1 connection, as shown
in Figure.
 Generally, a signaling connection is set up for a service bearer.
 It can also be set up only for a signaling procedure, such as a UE location update
 Signaling connection management involves RRC connection setup, RRC connection
reestablishment, RRC connection management, dedicated S1 connection setup, and
signaling connection release.
RRC Connection Setup
 During RRC connection setup, SRB1 is set up. Before an S1 connection is set up, the
eNodeB cannot obtain the UE context from the evolved packet core (EPC).
– Therefore, security mode activation and SRB1 encryption and integration protection are not required
during RRC connection setup.
– Measurement configuration can be performed for a UE during RRC connection setup, but the UE can
be handed over only after the security mode is activated.
 The UE sends the eNodeB an RRC Connection Request message containing the cause for
RRC connection setup.
RRC Connection Setup Procedure
 The eNodeB sets up the context for the UE.
– If the eNodeB receives multiple RRC Connection Request messages from a UE within the time
specified by the RrcConnStateTimer.FilterReptRrcConnReqTimer(0~15s;2) parameter, the
eNodeB handles only the latest received one.
– Within the window specified by both the UeTimerConst.T300(100-2000ms;1000ms) parameter and
the RrcConnStateTimer.FilterReptRrcConnReqTimer parameter, the eNodeB calculates the
number of RRC Connection Request messages sent by a UE, except in high-priority access and
emergency call scenarios.
– If the number of RRC Connection Request messages sent by a UE is greater than the value of
the GlobalProcSwitch.RrcConnPunishThd (0~100;10)parameter, the eNodeB responds to the UE
with an RRC Connection Reject message containing the wait time IE, the value of which is
determined by the RRCCONNSTATETIMER.T302(1~16s;16) parameter. Upon receiving the
message, the UE sends another RRC Connection Request message only after the wait time expires.
 Note:
– The RRC Connection Request message contains the UE_ID field. If the upper layer provides the S-
TMSI, the UE signals the S-TMSI to the eNodeB. If no S-TMSI is available, the UE signals a random
value ranging from 0 to 240-1 to the eNodeB. The international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) of the
UE is unknown to the eNodeB.
RRC Connection Setup Procedure
 The eNodeB admits the connection without any judgment and allocates SRB1 resources to
the UE.
– If the resource allocation is successful, the subsequent steps proceed.
– If the resource allocation fails, the eNodeB responds to the UE with an RRC Connection Reject
message. UE must wait a period T302 before resending a request.
– When the system is overloaded, the eNodeB instructs the UE to lower the cell reselection priority by
sending UE an RRC Connection Reject message containing the deprioritisationReq IE 3GPP R11.
– The RRC Connection Reject message contains the deprioritisationReq IE when
the CELLALGOSWITCH.DeprioritisationDeliverInd UNDELIVER, FREQUENCY,
EUTRA)parameter is not set to UNDELIVER(UNDELIVER). When the RRC Connection Reject
message contains the deprioritisationReq IE and the UE supports the IE, the timer specified by
the UETIMERCONST.T325(5~30min; 5)parameter starts.
RRC Connection Setup Procedure
 The eNodeB sends an RRC Connection Setup message containing SRB1 resource
configurations to the UE.
 The UE configures radio resources based on the SRB1 resource information indicated by the
RRC Connection Setup message, and then sends an RRC Connection Setup Complete
message to the eNodeB. After the eNodeB receives the RRC Connection Setup Complete
message, the RRC connection is set up.
 The timer for the eNodeB to wait an RRC Connection Setup Complete message is specified
by the ENodeBConnStateTimer.WaitRrcConnSetupCmpTimer parameter.
 The eNodeB starts another timer to wait for the UE to send other messages over the Uu
interface. The timer is specified by the following parameters:
– ENodeBConnStateTimer.UuMessageWaitingTimer if the UE is not running QCI 1 services
– ENodeBConnStateTimer.UuMessageWaitingTimerQci1 if the UE is running QCI 1 services
RRC Connection Reestablishment
 During RRC connection reestablishment, the eNodeB reconfigures SRB1, resumes data
transmission on the DRB, and reactivates the security mode in the AS without modifying
security algorithms. The DRB is resumed only after the RRC connection is reestablished.
 Conditions for Triggering RRC Connection Reestablishment
– An RLF occurs.
– A handover fails.
– An inter-RAT handover from E-UTRAN fails.
– The UE receives an integrity check failure indication from the physical layer.
– The RRC connection fails to be reconfigured.
 A UE detects an RLF when any of the following conditions is met:
– The timer specified by the UeTimerConst.T310 parameter expires.
– The random access fails and the timer specified by
the UeTimerConst.T300, UeTimerConst.T301, RrcConnStateTimer.T304ForEutran, RrcConnStat
eTimer.T304ForGeran, orUeTimerConst.T311 parameter is not running.
– The maximum number of RLC retransmissions specified by
the RlcPdcpParaGroup.UeMaxRetxThreshold parameter has been reached.
RRC Connection Reestablishment Procedure
 The UE sends an RRC Connection Reestablishment Request message to the eNodeB.
 The cause value contained in the message varies with the triggering cause of the RRC
connection reestablishment.
– This message contains the cause value "reconfigurationFailure" if the reestablishment is triggered
due to an RRC connection reconfiguration failure.
– This message contains the cause value "handoverFailure" if the reestablishment is triggered due to a
handover failure.
– This message contains the cause value "otherFailure" if the reestablishment is triggered due to a
radio link failure.
 In the cause value, the C-RNTI and physCellId IEs indicate the C-RNTI and physical cell ID of
the serving cell, respectively.
RRC Connection Reestablishment Procedure
 The eNodeB checks whether the context of the UE exists.
– If yes, the eNodeB proceeds to next step.
– If no, the source eNodeB sends an RLF Indication message to the target eNodeB based on the cell
information contained in the RRC Connection Reestablishment Request message. If the target
eNodeB has the UE context, the target eNodeB initiates the handover process. In the handover, the
target eNodeB transfers the UE context to the source eNodeB.
The GlobalProcSwitch.RrcReestOptSwitch parameter specifies whether the source eNodeB can
implement RRC connection reestablishment without UE contexts.
 The eNodeB authenticates the UE. If the security authentication information in the UE is
consistent with that in the eNodeB, the UE passes authentication. After the authentication, the
eNodeB releases original resources and then performs admission and resource allocation
again.
– When the GlobalProcSwitch.EnhancedRRCReestProtectThd parameter is set to 0 and the
number of RRC Connection Reestablishment Request messages containing the cause value
"reconfigurationFailure" sent by a UE within 1 minute exceeds the threshold specified by
the GlobalProcSwitch.RrcReestProtectThd parameter, the eNodeB rejects the subsequent RRC
connection reestablishment requests containing the same cause value sent by the UE and the UE
enters the RRC idle mode.
RRC Connection Reestablishment Procedure
 The GlobalProcSwitch.RrcReestProtectThd parameter is invalid when
the GlobalProcSwitch.EnhancedRRCReestProtectThd parameter is set to a non-zero
value. In this situation, RRC connection reestablishment protection is enabled. If the number
of RRC connection reestablishment requests sent by a UE to an eNodeB exceeds the
threshold specified by theGlobalProcSwitch.EnhancedRRCReestProtectThd parameter,
the eNodeB releases the UE and the UE enters the RRC idle mode.
 If the UE fails the authentication, the eNodeB rejects the RRC connection reestablishment
request of the UE.
 The eNodeB sends the UE an RRC Connection Reestablishment message containing the
information about the allocated resources. The UE reconfigures radio resources based on the
message, and then starts encryption and integrity protection again.
 The UE sends an RRC Connection Reestablishment Complete message to the eNodeB.
RLF Detection
 The eNodeB determines whether a UE experiences an RLF based on the following principles:
– If the TimeAlignmentTimer.TimeAlignmentTimer parameter is set to a value other
than INFINITY(Infinity), the eNodeB checks whether an RLF occurs based on the status of the time
alignment (TA) timer.
 If the timer does not expire then the radio link of the UE is functional.
 If the timer expires
– The eNodeB instructs the UE to initiate random access when the eNodeB needs to transmit data to
the UE.
– The UE initiates random access when the UE needs to transmit data to the eNodeB.
• If the synchronization is successful, the radio link of the UE recovers.
• If the synchronization fails, an RLF has occurred. In this case, the eNodeB releases the RRC connection for the
UE.
• If the GLOBALPROCSWITCH.UeLinkAbnormalDetectSwitch parameter is set to ON(On), the RLF detection
function is enabled. With this function, the eNodeB checks for an RLF based on the channel quality indicator
(CQI) reported by the UE. If the number of CQIs not received by the eNodeB within a specified period exceeds a
specified threshold, an RLF occurs. If the radio link is abnormal, the eNodeB releases the RRC connection for the
UE.

– When the eNodeB releases the RRC connection for a UE due to an RLF, it sends the EPC a UE
CONTEXT RELEASE REQUEST message containing cause value "Radio Connection With UE Lost."
Dedicated S1 Connection Setup
 eNodeB allocates a dedicated S1AP ID to the UE, encapsulates the NAS message and S1AP
ID in an Initial UE Message, and sends the message to the MME.
 The MME obtains the cause for this connection setup from the NAS message contained in
the Initial UE Message, handles the UE service request, and assigns the dedicated S1AP ID
to the UE.
Dedicated S1 Connection Setup
 The timer for the eNodeB to wait for S1AP-related messages from the MME is specified by
the ENodeBConnStateTimer.S1MessageWaitingTimer parameter if the UE is not running
QCI 1 services. The timer for the eNodeB to wait for S1AP-related messages from the MME
is specified by the ENodeBConnStateTimer.S1MsgWaitingTimerQci1 parameter if the UE
is running QCI 1 services.
 The MME sends an Initial Context Setup Request message to the eNodeB. This message
may contain the UE context and EPS bearer context.
 The eNodeB creates a context for the UE, and generates security keys for the service bearer
and signaling connection based on the received security parameters.
 The eNodeB makes an admission decision and performs resource allocation.
 The eNodeB sends a Security Mode Command message, instructing the UE to start integrity
protection and encryption. At this moment, downlink encryption is started.
 The eNodeB sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message to the UE for the setup of
SRB2 and DRB. Encryption and integrity protection have been performed for this message.
Dedicated S1 Connection Setup
 After receiving the Security Mode Command message from the eNodeB, the UE uses the
encryption algorithm specified by the eNodeB to generate security keys for both service
bearers and signaling connections. Then, the UE sends a Security Mode Complete message,
which is not encrypted. After the eNodeB receives this message, uplink encryption is started.
 The UE sets up a dedicated S1 connection based on the RRC Connection Reconfiguration
message and then sends an RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message to the
eNodeB.
 The eNodeB sends an Initial Context Setup Response message to the MME.
 The eNodeB simultaneously sends security parameters and bearer parameters to the UE.
The security mode setup starts first. The RRC Connection Reconfiguration message can be
sent before the security mode setup ends. This mechanism reduces the delay from the initial
UE access to the bearer setup.
Signaling Connection Release
 Signaling connection release consists of
dedicated S1 connection release and RRC
connection release. All the involved radio
bearers are released
 A signaling connection release procedure is
triggered in the following scenarios:
– The MME sends a UE Context Release
Command message to the eNodeB when the
service process is complete on the NAS set
up between the UE and MME or when the UE
aborts the service.
– The eNodeB sends a UE Context Release
Request message to the MME upon detecting
an exception, such as the expiry of the UE
inactivity timer or no data transmission or
reception on the UE side. Then, the eNodeB
waits for a UE Context Release Command
message from the MME.
Signaling Connection Release
 The eNodeB performs the following operations:
– Releases transport resources and initiates RRC connection release over the Uu interface.
– Sends an RRC Connection Release message to the UE, instructing the UE to release radio
resources.In certain scenarios such as when the UE is powered off or in airplane mode, the UE does
not reply the RLC-layer ACK message upon receiving the RRC Connection Release message. As a
result, the eNodeB does not receive any responses from the UE and repeatedly sends unnecessary
release messages, which increases radio resources overheads. When a cell is overloaded due to
heavy traffic in the preceding scenarios, the number of retransmitted RRC Connection Release
messages at the RLC layer is decreased if
theSPECSIGRETRANSOPTSWITCH(SPECSIGRETRANSOPTSWITCH) check box under
the ENodeBAlgoSwitch.HighLoadNetOptSwitch parameter is selected. This reduces radio
resource overheads.
– Releases radio resources.
– Sends a UE Context Release Complete message to the MME, indicating that the resources are
released.
– Releases the UE context. Then, the UE switches from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the
RRC_IDLE state.
Radio Bearer Management
 Radio bearers are classified into signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers
(DRBs).
– SRBs carry signaling in the control plane. There are three types of SRBs:
• SRB0: Carries RRC signaling through a common control channel (CCCH) in transparent mode (TM) at the radio
link control (RLC) layer before the RRC connection is successfully set up.
• SRB1: Carries RRC signaling messages after the RRC connection is successfully set up, and carries NAS
messages before SRB2 is set up. SRB1 is transmitted through a dedicated control channel (DCCH) in
acknowledged mode (AM) at the RLC layer.
• SRB2: Carries NAS signaling through a DCCH in AM mode at the RLC layer. SRB2 has a lower priority than
SRB1, and SRB2 can be set up only after the security mode is activated.
Radio Bearer Management
 Radio bearers are classified into signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers
(DRBs).
– DRBs carry data in the user plane. A maximum of eight DRBs can be set up between the UE and the
eNodeB. The actual number depends on different QoS classes.
– Radio bearer management refers to eNodeB management of SRB2 and DRBs after the security
mode is set up. It involves the setup, modification, and release of SRB2 and DRBs.
 Duration radio bearer management, the UE communicates with the eNodeB using the RRC
Connection Reconfiguration message.
 The RRC connection is reconfigured when a radio bearer needs to be set up, modified, or
released and when handover measurement information needs to be configured or modified.
 The application scenarios are differentiated using different IEs in the RRC Connection
Reconfiguration message.
SRB2 Setup, Modification and Release
 SRB2 Setup
– After encryption and integrity protection are complete during dedicated S1 connection setup, the
eNodeB instructs the UE to set up SRB2 based on the value of the srb-ToAddModList IE in the RRC
Connection Reconfiguration message. Upon receiving the message, the UE performs the following
operations:
• Sets up a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) entity, and configures related security parameters.
• Sets up and configures an RLC entity.
• Sets up and configures a DCCH.

– SRB2 setup uses the same procedure as dedicated S1 connection setup.

 SRB2 Modification
– SRB2 is modified only when the related configuration information is changed. The eNodeB sends the
UE an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message containing the srb-ToAddModList IE, instructing
the UE to reconfigure the PDCP entity, RLC entity, and DCCH.
 SRB2 Release
– SRB2 is released with SRB1 during signaling connection release, not in radio bearer management.
DRB Setup
 A DRB can be set up after encryption and integrity protection are complete and the UE
context is created.
 DRB setup is triggered when the MME sends an E-RAB Setup Request message to the
eNodeB.
 Upon receiving the E-RAB Setup Request message, eNodeB sends the UE an RRC
Connection Reconfiguration message containing a drb-ToAddModList field in Radio Resource
Config Dedicated IE. Upon receiving the message, the UE performs the following operations:
– Sets up a PDCP entity and configures related security parameters.
– Sets up and configures an RLC entity.
– Sets up and configures a DTCH.
DRB Modification
 According to the instructions in an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, the UE
reconfigures the PDCP entity, RLC entity, and DTCH.
DRB Release
 A DRB can be released by the MME using an E-RAB Release Command message or
released in a signaling connection release procedure.
– When data transmission is faulty for one or more DRBs over the Uu interface, for example, the
fmaximum number of RLC retransmissions specified by
theRLCPDCPPARAGROUP.UeMaxRetxThreshold parameter is reached, the eNodeB postpones
releasing faulty DRBs based on the configured release delay timer.
– When the GlobalProcSwitch.QciParaEffectFlag parameter is set to ON(On), the release delay
timer for services of a specified QCI is specified by the CellQciPara.TrafficRelDelay parameter.
When GlobalProcSwitch.QciParaEffectFlag parameter is set to OFF(Off), the lengths of release
delay timers configured for services of standardized and extended QCIs are specified by
CellStandardQci.TrafficRelDelay and CellExtendedQci.TrafficRelDelay parameters,
respectively. When a UE runs multiple services, the minimum length of release delay timer among all
the services applies.
– When an eNodeB initiates a DRB release, the eNodeB sends the EPC an E-RAB RELEASE
INDICATION or UE CONTEXT RELEASE REQUEST message containing the cause value "Radio
Connection With UE Lost."
– During a DRB release, the RRC Connection Reconfiguration message contains a drb-ToReleaseList
field under the Radio Resource Config Dedicated IE. Based on the field value, the UE releases all the
resources related to the DRB.
Accessibility & Retainability – Parameter Summary
 EnhancedRRCReestProtectThd
– Indicates the protection threshold of the number of
RRC connection reestablishments initiated by the
same UE in an eNodeB above which the eNodeB
releases the UE.
 RrcReestOptSwitch
– PCI_CONFUSION_REEST_SWITCH,
S1_HANDOVER_REEST_SWITCH,
NO_CONTEXT_REEST_SWITCH,
SEC_CMD_REEST_SWITCH,
WITH_X2_NO_NCELL_REEST_SWITCH
 RrcConnPunishThd(0~100;0)
– Certain UEs may repeatedly fail to access networks
because of compatibility issues. If the number of
RRC connection setup requests that the eNodeB
receives from a UE within the time specified by
T300+FilterReptRrcConnReqTimer exceeds the
threshold (a non-zero value), the eNodeB imposes
a penalty on the UE, rejecting RRC connection
setup requests from the UE.
 DeprioritisationDeliverInd
– The RRC connection reject-triggered cell
reselection function is recommended in heavy-
traffic scenarios.
 T325
 UlSynTimerForQci
 UeInactiveTimerPri(0~255;0)
– Indicates the priority for the QCI-specific UE
Inactivity Timer. Larger value is high
 T300/301/302/304/310/311
 UuMessageWaitingTimer
– timer governing the period the eNodeB waits for a
response message from a UE when the UE is
running non-QCI1 services.
 UuMessageWaitingTimerQci1
 UeMaxRetxThreshold
 TimeAlignmentTimer
 UeInactiveTimerQci1
Connection Management – Performance Monitoring
 RRC Connection Setup Success Rate (Service)
– Calculation formula: {100} x ([L.RRC.ConnReq.Succ.Emc] + [L.RRC.ConnReq.Succ.HighPri] +
[L.RRC.ConnReq.Succ.Mt] + [L.RRC.ConnReq.Succ.MoData])/([L.RRC.ConnReq.Att.Emc] +
[L.RRC.ConnReq.Att.HighPri] + [L.RRC.ConnReq.Att.Mt] + [L.RRC.ConnReq.Att.MoData])
 RRC Connection Setup Success Rate (Signaling)
– Calculation formula: {100} x (L.RRC.ConnReq.Succ.MoSig)/(L.RRC.ConnReq.Att.MoSig)
 E-RAB Setup Success Rate (VoIP)
– Calculation formula: {100} x (L.E-RAB.SuccEst.QCI.1)/(L.E-RAB.AttEst.QCI.1)
 E-RAB Setup Success Rate (All Services)
– Calculation formula: {100} x (L.E-RAB.SuccEst)/(L.E-RAB.AttEst)
 Call Drop Rate (VoIP)
– Calculation formula: {100} x (L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.QCI.1)/(L.E-RAB.AbnormRel.QCI.1 + L.E-
RAB.NormRel.QCI.1)
 Call Drop Rate (All Services)
– Calculation formula: {100} x (L.E-RAB.AbnormRel)/(L.E-RAB.AbnormRel + L.E-RAB.NormRel)
RRC setup failure (RRC.SetupFail.Cell)
Huawei Specific Counters - RRC Connection Reestablishment
 An RRC connection reestablishment is a UE-initiated process of recovering RRC connection
 The RRC Connection Reestablishment Reject message is an RRC signaling message sent
from the eNodeB to the UE.
 To inform the UE that the reestablishment is rejected by the eNodeB.

Counter ID Counter Name Description Original Release

1526727089 L.RRC.ReEst.ReconfFail.Rej Number of RRC connection reestablishment
1526727092 L.RRC.ReEst.HoFail.Rej
1526727093 L.RRC.ReEstFail.ResFail
1526727094 L.RRC.ReEstFail.NoReply
1526728270 L.RRC.ReEstFail.Rej
1526728271 L.RRC.ReEstFail.NoCntx
Earlier than V100R003C00
failures due to reconfiguration failures
Number of RRC connection reestablishment Earlier than V100R003C00
failures due to failed handovers
Number of RRC connection reestablishment V100R003C00
failures due to failed resource allocations
Number of RRC connection reestablishment V100R003C00
failures due to no responses from the UE
Total number of RRC connection reestablishment V100R003C00
rejections
Number of RRC connection reestablishment V100R003C00
failures due to unavailability of UE contexts
Observation – Radio Bearer Management
 On the U2000 client, start Uu and S1 interface tracing.
 Power on a UE and use it to access the network.
 View the Uu interface tracing result. If the result contains the RRC_CONN_REQ and
RRC_CONN_SETUP_CMP messages, as shown in Figure, signaling connection
management has been activated.

 View the S1 interface tracing result. If the result contains the S1AP_INITIAL_UE_MSG and
S1AP_INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_RSP messages as shown in Figure 7-2, radio bearer
management has been activated.
Troubleshooting – Accessibility and Retainability
 Fault Description
– The E-RAB setup success rate deteriorates significantly.
 Fault Handling
– On the U2000 client, start S1 interface tracing and obtain the tracing result.

– View the tracing result to check whether there are a large number of
S1AP_INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_FAIL messages. If yes, proceed to the next step. If not make a
h/w check or contact support
Troubleshooting – Accessibility and Retainability
 Fault Description
– The E-RAB setup success rate deteriorates significantly.
 Fault Handling
– Double-click an S1AP_INITIAL_CONTEXT_SETUP_FAIL message to view details, and check.

 Alarms
– ALM-29215: Cell RRC Connection Success Rate Too Low
– ALM-29216: Cell ERAB Setup Success Rate Too Low
– ALM-29217: Cell Call Drop Rate Too High
 Honey Charnalia
 Honey.charnalia@gmail.com
 +91 8586972332
 Skype: honey_charnalia
THANK
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