TS 37.482
E1 Interface
Signalling Transport
V18.1.0 (PDF)
2024/06 11 p.
V17.4.0
2024/03 11 p.
Content for TS 37.482 Word version: 18.1.0
1 Scope
2 References
3 Definitions and abbreviations
4 E1 signalling bearer
5 Data link layer
6 IP layer
7 Transport layer
$ Change history
1 Scope p. 5
The present document specifies the standards for Signalling Transport to be used across the E1 interface. The E1 interface provides means for the interconnection of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP within the NG-RAN architecture (TS 38.401), or for the interconnection of ng-eNB-CU-CP and ng-eNB-CU-UP within the NG-RAN architecture (TS 38.401), or for the interconnection of eNB-CP and eNB-UP within the E-UTRAN architecture (TS 36.401).
2 References p. 5
The following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present document.
- References are either specific (identified by date of publication, edition number, version number, etc.) or non-specific.
- For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
- For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies. In the case of a reference to a 3GPP document (including a GSM document), a non-specific reference implicitly refers to the latest version of that document in the same Release as the present document.
[1]
TR 21.905: "Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications".
[2]
TS 38.401: "NG-RAN; Architecture description".
[3]
RFC 8200 (2017-07): "Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification".
[4]
RFC 791 (1981-09): "Internet Protocol".
[5]
RFC 2474 (1998-12): "Definition of the Differentiated Services Field (DS Field) in the IPv4 and IPv6 Headers".
[6]
RFC 4960 (2007-09): "Stream Control Transmission Protocol".
[7]
TS 37.480: "E1 general aspects and principles".
[8]
TS 37.481: "E1 layer 1".
[9]
TS 37.483: "E1 Application Protocol (E1AP)".
[10]
TS 38.300: "NR; NR and NG-RAN Overall Description; Stage-2".
[11]
RFC 6083 (2011-01): "Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) for Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP)".
[12]
RFC 6335 (2011-08): "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Procedures for the Management of the Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry".
[13]
TS 36.401: "Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); Architecture description".
[14]
TS 37.470: "W1 interface; General aspects and principles".
[15]
IANA: "Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) Parameters", [https://www.iana.org/assignments/sctp-parameters/sctp-parameters.xhtml#sctp-parameters-25 ].
[16]
IANA: "Service Name and Transport Protocol Port Number Registry", [https://www.iana.org/assignments/service-names-port-numbers/service-names-port-numbers.xhtml ].
3 Definitions and abbreviations p. 6
3.1 Definitions p. 6
For the purposes of the present document, the terms and definitions given in TR 21.905 and the following apply. A term defined in the present document takes precedence over the definition of the same term, if any, in TR 21.905.
E1:
interface between a gNB-CU-CP and a gNB-CU-UP, providing an interconnection point between the gNB-CU-CP and the gNB-CU-UP, as defined in TS 38.300. This interface also applies to between the ng-eNB-CU-CP and the ng-eNB-CU-UP or between the eNB-CP and the eNB-UP.
eNB-CP:
as defined in TS 36.401.
eNB-UP:
as defined in TS 36.401.
gNB-CU:
as defined in TS 38.401.
gNB-CU-CP:
as defined in TS 38.401.
gNB-CU-UP:
as defined in TS 38.401.
ng-eNB-CU:
as defined in TS 37.470.
ng-eNB-CU-CP:
as defined in TS 38.401.
ng-eNB-CU-UP:
as defined in TS 38.401.
ng-eNB-DU:
as defined in TS 37.470.
SCTP endpoint:
as defined in RFC 4960 (2007-09).
SCTP association:
as defined in RFC 4960 (2007-09).
3.2 Abbreviations p. 6
For the purposes of the present document, the abbreviations given in TR 21.905 and the following apply. An abbreviation defined in the present document takes precedence over the definition of the same abbreviation, if any, in TR 21.905.
DiffServ
Differentiated Service
IANA
Internet Assigned Number Authority
IP
Internet Protocol
PPP
Point to Point Protocol
SCTP
Stream Control Transmission Protocol
4 E1 signalling bearer p. 6
4.1 Function and protocol stack p. 6
E1 signalling bearer provides the following functions:
- Provision of reliable transfer of E1AP message over E1 interface;
- Provision of networking and routing function;
- Provision of redundancy in the signalling network;
- Support for flow control and congestion control.
The Transport Network Layer is based on IP transport, comprising SCTP on top of IP.
5 Data link layer p. 7
The support of any suitable Data Link Layer protocol, e.g. PPP, Ethernet, etc., shall not be prevented.
6 IP layer p. 7
The gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, ng-eNB-CU-CP, ng-eNB-CU-UP, eNB-CP and eNB-UP shall support IPv6 (RFC 8200) and/or IPv4 (RFC 791).
The IP layer of E1 only supports point-to-point transmission for delivering E1AP message.
The gNB-CU-CP, gNB-CU-UP, ng-eNB-CU-CP, ng-eNB-CU-UP, eNB-CP and eNB-UP shall support the Diffserv Code Point marking as described in RFC 2474.
7 Transport layer p. 7
SCTP (RFC 4960) shall be supported as the transport layer of E1 signalling bearer. The Payload Protocol Identifier to be used by SCTP for the application layer protocol E1AP and for DTLS over SCTP (RFC 6083) is assigned by IANA in [15]. The byte order of the ppid shall be big-endian.
SCTP refers to the Stream Control Transmission Protocol developed by the Sigtran working group of the for the purpose of transporting various signalling protocols over IP network.
The gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP shall support a configuration with a single SCTP association per gNB-CU-CP/gNB-CU-UP pair. Configurations with multiple SCTP endpoints per gNB-CU-CP/gNB-CU-UP pair should be supported. When configurations with multiple SCTP associations are supported, the gNB-CU-CP or the gNB-CU-UP may request to dynamically add/remove SCTP associations between the gNB-CU-CP/gNB-CU-UP pair. Within the set of SCTP associations established between one gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP pair, a single SCTP association shall be employed for E1AP elementary procedures that utilize non-UE-associated signalling with the possibility of fail-over to a new association to enable robustness.
When the configuration with multiple SCTP endpoints per gNB-CU-UP is supported and gNB-CU-UP wants to add additional SCTP endpoints, the gNB-CU-UP Configuration Update procedure shall be the first E1AP procedure triggered on an additional TNLA of an already setup E1 interface instance after the TNL association has become operational, and the gNB-CU-CP shall associate the TNLA to the E1 interface instance using the included gNB-CU-UP ID.
Either the gNB-CU-CP or gNB-CU-UP shall establish the first SCTP association. The additional SCTP associations are established by the gNB-CU-UP. The SCTP Destination Port number value to be used for E1AP is assigned by IANA in [16]. When the gNB-CU-CP requests to dynamically add additional SCTP associations between the gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP pair, the gNB-CU-CP port is selected and signalled by the gNB-CU-CP to the gNB-CU-UP, and it can be port number value assigned by IANA in [16] or any dynamic port value as defined by RFC 6335.
Between one gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP pair:
- A single pair of stream identifiers shall be reserved over an SCTP association for the sole use of E1AP elementary procedures that utilize non UE-associated signalling;
- At least one pair of stream identifiers over one or several SCTP associations shall be reserved for the sole use of E1AP elementary procedures that utilize UE-associated signalling. However, a few pairs (i.e. more than one) should be reserved;
- For a single UE-associated signalling the gNB-CU-CP and the gNB-CU-UP shall use one SCTP association and one SCTP stream, and the SCTP association/stream should not be changed during the communication of the UE-associated signalling until after current SCTP association is failed or removed, or TNL binding update is performed.
$ Change history p. 9
