Priyanka Agarwal

SIGTRAN
SIGTRAN is a new set of standards define by the

International Engineering Task Force (IETF). SIGTRAN is a set of protocols defined to transport SS7 messages over IP networks. SIGTRAN allows IP networks to inter-work with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and vice versa. The SS7 Signaling over IP feature uses the SIGTRAN protocols M3UA (Message Transfer Part 3 User Adaptation Layer) and SCTP (Stream Control Transfer Protocol) to provide an IP based SS7 signaling network.
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SIGTRAN
SIGTRAN protocol stack consists of 3 components : A standard IP layer. A common signaling transport protocol, Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). An Adaptation layer, like - M2PA, M2UA, M3UA, and SUA

CONT.

SIGTRAN Adaptation Layers serves common purposes like : To carry upper layer Signaling Protocol over a reliable IP-based transport. To provide same class of services offered at the interface of PSTN equivalent. Transparent. To remove as much need for the lower SS7 layers as possible.

SS7 protocol Stacks

Application MAP/ CAP/ INAP

TCAP
SCCP MTP3 MTP2 MTP1 M2PA M3UA SUA

SCTP
IP SIGTRAN

TDM

SIGTRAN (SS7 over IP)

Message Sizes

Message Sizes

M2PA (MTP2 Peer-to-Peer Adaptation Layer)

MP2A is a protocol which supports the transport of SS7

MTP3 signaling messages over IP using the services of the SCTP. M2PA operates similarly to MTP2 so as to provide peerto-peer communication between SS7 endpoints. M2PA provides MTP2 functionality that is not provided by SCTP, so that together M2PA and SCTP provide functionality similar to that of MTP2. M2PA allows for one or more IPSP (IP Signaling Point)in the network. Each IPSP must have its own point code M2PA can transport any MTP3 user messages, for example, SCCP and ISUP.
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SUA (SCCP-User Adaptation Layer)

Allows for the Transport of SCCP user parts (TCAP +

Applications) over IP using the services of SCTP. SUA defines a protocol for the transport of any SS7 SCCP-user signaling message such as TCAP, RANAP or MAP over IP using SCTP services. SUA can only transport SCCP-User messages. Together with SCTP, SUA replaces SCCP & MTP. SUA allows the IP network to route the messages using global title information or SSN

Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP)

SCTP's basic service is connection oriented reliable

transfer of messages between peer SCTP users. SCTP is designed to transport SS7 signaling messages over IP networks. Offer the fast transmission and reliability required for signaling carrying. SCTP uses periodic heart-beat messages to confirm the status of each end point. SCTP provides a reliable, connection-oriented bearer service.
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SCTP Features
Multi-streaming (Chunking): Allows for multiple virtual

connections on the same physical line. Each user application might be assigned its own stream (virtual connection). SCTP multi-streaming allows data to be delivered in multiple, independent streams, so that if there is data loss in one stream, delivery will not be affected for the other streams Sequenced Delivery: Allows for messages to be delivered in the order in which there were sent. Block-Level: Unlike TCP in which transmission is viewed as a continuous stream of data, SCTP transmits blocks. Self-Fragmentation: SCTP uses MTU path discovery to ensure that messages are not fragmented by intermediate nodes.
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CONT.
It support Multi-Homing - Each SCTP endpoint may be

known by multiple IP addresses. Routing to one address is independent of all others, & if one route fails, another will be used. It is a Uni-cast Protocol - data exchange is between two known endpoints. It provide reliable transport of data - detecting when data is corrupt or out of sequence, and performing repair as necessary. It is message-oriented, defining structured frame of data, on the other hand, TCP imposes no structured on the transmitted stream of bytes.
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CONT.

It is Rate-Adaptive, responding to network congestion.

Responsible for packet retransmission when timely

acknowledgement has not been received. Aim of designing SCTP is to address the Shortcomings of TCP. SCTP is a general purpose protocol, a replacement for TCP.

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SCTP COMMON HEADER FORMAT

Source /Destination port no field-16bits

Indicate the SCTP senders Destination port

SORCE PORT NUMBER Destination port number

Verification tag

Check sum

Verification Tag field: 32 bits

The receiver of this packet uses the Verification Tag to validate the sender of this SCTP packet Check field : 32 bits Contains the check sum of this SCTP Packet
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SCTP association
An association is initiated by a request from the SCTP

user. SCTP provides for graceful close of an active association. On request from the SCTP user. The connection between two nodes is called an SCTP association and can consist of multiple paths through an IP network. SCTP end points composed of the two SCTP end points and protocol state information. Two SCTP end points must not have more than one SCTP association between them at any given time.
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SCTP end point

An SCTP end point is the logical sender/receiver of

SCTP packets. It comprises of a set of transport addresses, which is a combination of IP addresses and port numbers Transport address is unique to an SCTP end point. SCTP end point must not use a transport address used by another SCTP end point.

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SCTP Multi- homing

Multi-homing feature, which allows each SCTP end point to use multiple IP addresses for each association.

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SCTP Multi- homing

An SCTP end point is considered multi-homed if it has

more than one transport address that can be used as a destination address (DA) to reach that end point.

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SCTP transport address

In Network layer address and transport layer port number

define a transport address. the case of SCTP running over IP, a transport address is defined by the combination of an IP address and an SCTP port number (SCTP is the transport protocol).

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MTP3 USER ADAPTATION LAYER (M3UA)

Allows for the Transport of MTP3 user parts (ISUP/

SCCP and above) over IP using the services of the SCTP.

Designed to provide IP signalling capabilities to

signalling end points in a distributed architecture.

Use in connectivity between MSS-MGW, MSS-MSS

and MSS-STP.

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MTP3 USER ADAPTATION LAYER (M3UA)

M3UA messages are carried over SCTP associations.
An M3UA Association is an SCTP Association as

maintained in the M3UA. The M3UA associates additional (different then SCTP) states to this association to control the M3UA data exchange.
M3UA level for a connection between two nodes can be

achieved by specifying parallel SCTP associations

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M2UA (MTP2 User Adaptation Layer)

M2UA is a protocol for the backhauling of SS7 MTP3

messages over IP using the services of SCTP, This protocol is used between a Signaling Gateway (SG) and a Media Gateway Controller (MGC) such as a VoIP gateway. With M2UA the SG functions as a transparent relay that converts SS7 messages to IP format. M2UA: can only have one IPSP(IP Signaling Point ).

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Some other Adaptation Layer

ISUA is an SS7 Signalling User Adaptation Layer for

providing ISUP-User signalling over SCTP. ISUA is intended to be used on a Provider/User basis where ISUP resides on a Signalling Gateway (SG) and ISUP call control applications reside on an Application Server (AS). TUA is an SS7 Signalling User Adaptation Layer for providing TCAP-User signalling over SCTP. TUA is intended to be used on a Provider/User basis where TCAP resides on a Signalling Gateway (SG) and TCAP Users reside on an Application Server (AS).

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Thank You

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