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HOME > SUPPORT/RESOURCES > GLOSSARY |
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GLOSSARY
1xEV-DO. The second phase of CDMA2000 following 1xRTT deployment. 1xEV-DO stands for 1x Evolution - Data Only, and is characterized by a maximum data rate of 2.4 Mbps.
1xEV-DV. The third phase of CDMA2000 following 1xEV-DO deployment. 1xEV-DV stands for 1x Evolution - Data Voice, and is characterized by a maximum data rate of 5.2 Mbps and the ability to support wireless Voice over IP (VoIP) services.
1xRTT. The first phase of CDMA2000, characterized by the ability to support a maximum data rate of 1.44 Kbps. 1xRTT stands for 1x, denoting the one radio channel of 1.25 MHz in Radio Transmission Technology.
2G. The second generation of wireless technology that was characterized by its use of digital transmissions rather than analog methods. Radio bandwidth is used for both voice calls and data transmissions. Data transmissions are limited to a maximum rate of 1.44 Kbps for CDMA 2G services (9.6 Kbps for GSM 2G). Radio bandwidth is consumed whenever the mobile node (MN) is connected to the Internet, regardless of whether it is receiving or transmitting data. This is based on the IS-95A standard for CDMA.
2.5G. An evolutionary step between 2G and 3G wireless services wherein two enhancements were introduced over 2G. The first is that the MN only consumes radio bandwidth when data is being transmitted or received. The second is that the maximum data rate increased to approximately 64 Kbps. Most 2.5G services only support data rates between 1.15 Kbps and 384 Kbps. This is based on the IS-95B standard for CDMA.
3G. The third generation of wireless technology, wherein both voice calls and data services are packetized, with speeds up to 2 Mbps. Based on the CDMA2000 standards.
3GPP. Third Generation Partnership Project. A group of organizational partners from ETSI, TIA/EIA, and other standardization bodies who are working together to define the evolution of GSM-based wireless communication core networks.
3GPP2. Third Generation Partnership Project 2. A second group of organizational partners from ETSI, TIA/EIA, and other standardization bodies who are working together to define the evolution of CDMA-based wireless communication networks
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A
A10. The subscriber data portion of the R-P interface (based on GRE as defined in RFC-2784 and IP Encapsulation Within IP as defined in RFC-2003).
A11. The control portion of the R-P interface (based on Mobile IPv4 as defined in RFC-2002).
AAA. Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting. The security and billing methodology used by operators to ensure a user's identity and to determine their network usage so that they are properly billed. Often interchanged with the Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS) protocols.
ACL. Access Control List. A filtering mechanism used by many access IP routers that controls which traffic may be received or transmitted on an interface or port.
ACO. Alarm Cut Off. This is a toggle switch used to temporarily disable a central office alarm that occurs on a specific network device.
Address resolution. The process of determining the link-layer address of a node whose network-layer address is known.
AH. See Authentication Header.
APN. Access Point Name. The APN is a logical name for a packet data network and/or a service that the GGSN supports access to.
APS. Automatic Protection Switching. A means of achieving network redundancy through using automatic switching mechanisms to switch from a primary circuit to a pre-defined secondary circuit.
ARP. Address Resolution Protocol. A standard protocol for performing address resolution between IP addresses and various link-layer addresses.
Agent advertisement. The procedure by which a mobility agent becomes known to the mobile node.
Agent discovery. The process by which a mobile node can obtain the IP address of a home agent or foreign agent, depending upon whether the mobile node is home or away from home. Agent discovery occurs when a mobile node receives an agent advertisement, either as a result of periodic broadcast or in response to a solicitation.
ARQ. Automatic Repeat Request. A link layer may automatically retransmit packets that were not correctly received by the next hop link layer. This improves the robustness of the packet delivery, but comprises the latency and packet overhead.
Authentication header (AH). Part of IP Security (IPSec) specification. Other IPSec header mechanisms include Diffie-Hellman, DES, 3DES, and others.
Automatic home agent discovery. The process by which a mobile node can obtain the IP address of a home agent on its home network, involving the transmission of a registration request to the subnet broadcast address of its home network.
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B
Base Station. An entity in the public radio telecommunications system used for bi-directional radio communications with mobile stations or mobile nodes.
Binding. The triplet of numbers that contains the mobile node's home address, its care-of address, and the registration lifetime-how long the mobility agents may use the binding. Binding, within the system, creates the association of a virtual interface to a physical port on the system. This process allows the flow of traffic from the context through the physical port that the interface is associated with.
Binding update. The message that supplies a new binding to an entity that needs to know the new care-of address for a mobile node. The binding update contains the mobile node's home address, new care-of address, and a new registration lifetime.
BSC. Base Station Controller. In 2G wireless, and BSC's upstream interfaces (to the MSC) are always TDM. In 2.5G, a BSC supports both TDM and packet upstream interfaces. In 3G, a BSC can support any combination of TDM and packet, TDM only, or packet only interfaces.
BTS. Base Transceiver Station. A component of the base station that includes radio equipment. A BTS is sometimes equated with the physical cell site of a wireless network.
Busy Hour. An uninterrupted 60-minute period during which the average volume of traffic is at its maximum.
BHSA. Busy Hour Session Attempts. A measure of dynamic sessions (traffic calls) that can be attempted in an average Busy Hour.
BHSC. Busy Hour Session Completion. A measure of dynamic sessions (traffic calls) that can be completed in an average Busy Hour.
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C
Care-of address. An IP address at the mobile node's current point of attachment to the Internet, when the mobile node is not attached to the home network. A collocated care-of address is a care-of address assigned to one of the mobile node's network interfaces, instead of one being offered by a foreign agent.
CDMA. Code Division Multiple Access. One of three wireless technology classes that encompasses 2G, 2.5G, and 3G communications. The other two are GSM and TDMA.
cdmaOne. Defines the 2G and 2.5G versions of CDMA technology. Based on IS-95A and IS-95B standards respectively.
CDMA2000. Defines the 3G version of CDMA technology.
CDR. Charging Data Record. A GTPP-based subscriber accounting record.
Cell. The unit of a base station having the ability to radiate in a given geographic area; a "sector" or "face" of a physical radio equipment implementation.
CG. Charging Gateway. The device on the GSM GPRS or UMTS network that collects and maintains call detail records (CDRs) for subscriber PDP contexts. Also referred to as a charging gateway function (CGF).
CGF. See CG.
CLI. Command Line Interface. A man-machine interface (MMI) used to configure, monitor, and administer a network device through its operating system (OS).
CO. Central Office. The telecommunications facility where calls are switched.
CORBA. Common Object Request Broker Architecture. The Object Management Group's (MAG's) core specification for distributed object interoperability
Correspondent node. A node that sends or receives a packet to an MN; the correspondent node may be another mobile node or a non-mobile Internet node.
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D
DHCP. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A protocol by which a host obtains from a server certain information it needs to communicate, such as an IP address, prefix length, and Domain Name System (DNS) server address.
DIAMETER. A next-generation AAA protocol.
DNS. Domain Naming System. A system within the network that maps host-names into IP addresses.
Downlink. The direction of MSC to BSC.
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E
EMACS. A standard UNIX text editor. EMACS commands are used to manipulate command lines in the CLI.
EMS. Element Management System. Defines the system or application used to manage a network device, or groups of like network devices.
Encapsulation. The process of incorporating an original IP packet (less any preceding fields such as a MAC header) inside another IP packet, making the fields within the original IP header temporarily lose their effect.
ESN. Electronic Serial Number. A unique 32-bit binary number that identifies each cellular device. This information is passed as part of the call setup.
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F
FDMA. Frequency Division Multiple Access. A method of allocating a discrete amount of frequency bandwidth to individual users to allow multiple conversations across many users. The technique of assigning individual frequency slots, and re-use of those slots throughout a system.
FITS. Failure in Time Statistics. A statistical method of determining the number of failures that are expected to occur over a specific time period. The telecommunications industry generally assumes this number to represent the number of failures per million hours (Fpmh).
FEC. Forward Error Correction. The physical link layer may add many extra bits to the data before transmitting it. The receiving physical link layer uses those bits to automatically correct errors in the received data, without needing the data to be retransmitted. The transmitter and receiver must use the same FEC algorithm.
Firewall. A device that protects a private network against intrusion from nodes that are using the public network.
FA. (Foreign Agent). A mobility agent on the foreign network that can assist the mobile node in receiving datagrams delivered to the care-of address.
Foreign network. The network to which the mobile node is attached when it is not attached to its home network, and on which the care-of-address is reachable from the rest of the Internet.
Forward Tunnel. The direction of encapsulated data traveling from the Home Agent to the Foreign Agent.
FQDN. Fully qualified domain name. An Internet node's FQDN is its complete domain name as defined by the Domain Name System (DNS). A node can be known locally by a relative domain name that is a sub-string of its FQDN, but such a relative name cannot be resolved correctly by Internet nodes outside of the part of the domain name hierarchy indicated by the relative name. The fully qualified name can be resolved from anywhere in the Internet, subject to access control and ability to route of the resolution request.
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G
G-CDR. GGSN charging data record.
Ga interface. The interface between the GGSN and the charging gateway (CG).
Gc interface. The interface used by the GGSN to communicate with the Home Location Register (HLR) via a GTP-to-MAP (Mobile Application Part) protocol converter.
Gi interface. The interface used by the GGSN to communicate with packet data networks (PDNs) external to the PLMN.
Gn interface. The interface used by the GGSN to communicate with SGSNs on the same GPRS/UMTS Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). This interface serves as both the signaling and data path for establishing and maintaining subscriber PDP contexts.
Gp interface. The interface used by the GGSN to communicate with GPRS support nodes (GSNs, e.g. GGSNs and/or SGSNs) on different PLMNs.
GGSN. Gateway GPRS Support Node. A device on a GSM GPRS or UMTS data network that performs data session establishment, accounting, and traffic routing.
GPRS. General Packet Radio Service. The GSM version of 2.5G wireless data communications.
GRE. Generic Routing Encapsulation. A generic encapsulation protocols used to tunnel data between various networks. Defined in RFC-2784. This protocol is mandated to be used in R-P and Mobile IP communications.
GSM. Global System for Mobile communications. One of three wireless technology classes that encompasses 2G, 2.5G, and 3G communications. The other two are CDMA and TDMA.
GTP. GPRS Tunneling Protocol. The protocol used between the GGSN and the SGSN.
GTP-P. GTP Prime. The protocol used by the GGSN and SGSN to communicate with the charging gateway.
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H
Handoff. The process by which an air interface circuit between a mobile node and the network, including all signaling and transfer of user information.
High-Speed Downlink Packet Access. HSDPA. A 3GPP standard, also called 3.5G, is a packet-based data service used for high data transmission in a W-CDMA downlink.
Home address. The IP address assigned to the mobile node, making it logically appear attached to its home network.
Home Agent (HA). A node on the home network that effectively causes the mobile node to be reachable at its home address even when the mobile node is not attached to its home network.
HLR. Home Location Register. The HLR stores access service parameter information for users belonging to the particular home network.
Home network. The network at which the mobile node seems reachable, to the rest of the Internet, by virtue of its assigned IP address.
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I
IDL. Interface Definition Language. This refers to the application programming interface used to develop CORBA-based management interfaces as defined by the Object Management Group (OMG).
IKE. Internet Key Exchange. An IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) mechanism that is used to create SAs (Security Associations) between two entities in an IP-based VPN (Virtual Private Network).
IMG. Intelligent Mobile Gateway. An Intelligent Mobile Gateway (IMG) provides a new level of intelligence and subscriber understanding at the edge of the packet network to quickly deliver seamless new data and voice services, allowing carriers to increase revenues while giving the wireless user unlimited choices in how they use their mobile device.
IMSI. International Mobile Subscriber Identity. Uniquely identifies a subscriber to a mobile telephone service. A 50-bit field, used in GSM system that identifies a mobile device's home country and carrier.
Interface. As used in context of system services, an interface is a virtual, or logical, assignment of a virtual router instance that provides higher-layer protocol transport. Interfaces are bound to physical ports within the system.
IP. Internet Protocol. A protocol used for the transmission of packetized data. Part of the TCP/IP suite of communications protocols.
IP in IP. Refers to the encapsulation of an inner IP header with an outer IP header for tunneling configuration.
IPSec. IP Security. A multi-functional encryption technique used to transport packetized data in an un-readable fashion across multiple network devices.
ISAKMP. Internet Security Association and Key Management Protocol. In IPSec negotiations, this protocol allows the receiver to obtain a public key and authenticate the sender using digital certificates.
ISP. Internet Service Provider. A vendor, or telecommunications carrier, who provides Internet access services to customers.
IWF. Inter-working Function. Describes a device that is located between the MSC and the Internet, used to connect wireless subscribers to the Internet through 2G and 2.5G networks.
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L
L2TP. Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol. Communications protocol used to establish tunnels between network devices to securely transport data.
LAC. L2TP Access Concentrator. A LAC connects an L2TP tunnel from a subscriber to a peer LNS.
LAN. Local Area Network. Used to denote group or groups of physically inter-connected network devices that are capable of sharing information with each other.
LC. Line Card. Rear-installed card within the system that provides physical network connectivity. Most LCs have physical external network interfaces.
LNS. L2TP Network Server. An LNS terminates an L2TP tunnel from a peer LAC and provides a network connection through the tunnel.
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M
Minimal encapsulation. A variant encapsulation technique specified in RFC 2003 that temporarily alters the structure of the original IP header, but uses fewer bytes for tunneling packets to the care-of-address than the default method (IP-in-IP) uses.
Mobile IP. A protocol used to provide IP mobility to IPv4-based nodes, defined in RFC-2002).
MNSRID. Mobile Node Session Reference ID. Denotes the calling number of the MN (i.e. the number that the call is being made from).
Mobile Node (MN). An MN is any device, such as a handset, personal digital assistant, laptop, that connects to the Internet using wireless technology. A node that, as part of normal use, changes its point of attachment to the Internet. Also referred to as mobile station (MS).
Mobile Station (MS). See Mobile Node.
Mobility. The ability of a mobile node to change its point-of-attachment from one link to another while maintaining all existing communications and using only its IP home address.
Mobility Agent. A node (typically, a router) that offers support services to mobile nodes. A mobility agent can be either a Home Agent (HA) or a Foreign Agent (FA).
MSC. Mobile Switching Center. The MSC switches MS-originated or MS-terminated traffic. An MSC is usually connected to at least one base station. It may connect to other public networks PSTN, ISDN, etc., other MSCs in the same network. Another name used to identify the MSC is the Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO). The MSC provides the interface for user traffic between the wireless network and other public switched networks, or other MSCs.
MSID. Mobile Station Identification. The Mobile Station ID is the number used to identify a specific mobile device.
MTBF. Mean Time Between Failure. Synonymous with MTTF, this is the anticipated time between failures of the same component.
MTTF. Mean Time To Failure. The average interval of time that a component will operate before failing.
MTTR. Mean Time To Repair. The average amount of time needed to repair or replace a component, recover a system, or otherwise restore service after a failure.
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N
NAI. Network Address Identifier. Used to create a new unique subscriber identifier, based on ESN or other identifiers, when a subscriber enters the network without a user name.
NAT. Network Address Translation. Protocol defined in RFC-1631. Enables a LAN to use one set of IP addresses for an internal traffic and another set of IP addresses for an external traffic.
NEBS. Network Equipment Building Standards. A rigid and extensive set of performance, quality, safety, electrical, and environmental recommendations that are applicable to devices installed in a carrier's central office (CO).
NMS. Network Management System. Applications that provide overall management of all network elements. Defined by the third tier of the TMN model of telecommunications management networks.
Nomadicity. The full range of network technology being designed to come to the assistance of the mobile (or nomadic) computer user, not limited to network-layer protocols.
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O
OMG. Object Management Group. The OMG is an open membership, not-for-profit consortium that produces and maintains computer industry specifications for CORBA and other related protocols.
OSS. Operations Support System. Methods and procedures that support the daily operations of a carrier's network infrastructure. This includes order processing, equipment assignment, and other administrative functions related to the devices installed in the network.
OOB. Out-of-band Management. Out-of-band management is a method wherein management information exchanged between the network element and its associated management application is carried on a separate communications path from the user data that is coming to/from the network element. Conversely, in-band management is management data that is carried across the same interface as user data.
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P
PAC. Packet Accelerator Card. Application card within the system that processes user data in delivering 1xRTT services. Can be configured to operate as either a PDSN/FA or HA.
PCF. Packet Control Function. A part of the 3G networking equipment that relays packet data and control signaling between the BSC and the PCF. In some cases, the PCF may be integrated into the BSC.
PDN. Packet Data Network. Any packet-based data network, such as the Internet or an Intranet, that a mobile subscriber would attempt to access.
PDSN. Packet Data Serving Node. The PDSN is a part of the 3G network that performs packet processing and re-direction to the mobile user's home network through communications with the Home Agent (HA).
PEP. Performance Enhancing Proxy. PEP is used to improve the performance of the Internet protocols (e.g., TCP) on network paths where native performance suffers due to characteristics of a link or sub-network on the path.
Pi Interface. The packet data interface from the Foreign Agent to Internet or Home Agent.
PLMN. Public Land Mobile Network. A term used for a GSM GPRS or UMTS mobile communications network.
Port. A defined physical or logical connection where data enters or leaves a network device.
POS. Packet over SONET.
PPP. Point-to-Point Protocol. A protocol defined by RFC-1661 that allows for IP connectivity between network devices.
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Q
QoS. Quality of Service. A measure of the service quality provided to a subscriber. In the IP environment, this relates to acceptable levels of quality including bandwidth guarantees, latency, packet ordering, and other service-related levels of service.
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R
RADIUS. Remote Authentication Dial In User Service. A group of protocols used to provide AAA functionality for users through a defined server.
RAN or RN. Radio Access Network or Radio Network. The culmination of BTS's and BSC's, including the PCF in 3G networks.
RCC. Redundancy Crossbar Card. Interface card within the system that provides redundant connectivity for LCs upon a PAC failure.
Reverse Tunnel. The direction of encapsulated data traveling from the Foreign Agent to the Home Agent.
RFC. Request for Comments. A document that contains Internet standards and protocols, along with other useful information that has relevance to the Internet community. RFCs provide developers the rules and directions on how to implement various Internet communications functions so that they adhere with, are interoperable to, other vendors' implementations of the same function. RFCs are controlled by the International Engineering Task Force (IETF).
R-P. The interface that exists between the PCF and the PDSN in a CDMA2000 network.
R-P VPN. A routing domain for the ingress R-P protocol consisting of a group of physical or logical interfaces with an associated configuration. The system supports multiple R-P VPNs, and does not forward packets between multiple routing domains.
Redirection. A message that is intended to cause a change in the routing behavior of the node receiving it.
Registration. The process by which the mobile node informs the home agent about its current care-of address.
Remote redirection. A redirect sent from a source not present on the local network. The source can be located anywhere in the global Internet and may have malicious intent and be untraceable.
Replay attacks. A security violation whereby a malicious entity attempts to imitate a transaction recorded during a previous and valid transaction between two protocol entities. Both protocol entities have to be aware that the subsequent identical traffic streams may no longer be valid. Since the previous transaction was valid, the algorithms for detecting replay attacks need to incorporate data that can never be reproduced in any correct subsequent transaction.
RMU. Rack Mounting Unit. A unit of measurement used in telecommunications to denote the amount of vertical space required to place a network device into an equipment cabinet or telecommunications rack. Each RMU is equivalent to 1.75 in. (4.45 cm.) in height.
Route optimization. A process that enables the delivery of packets directly to the care-of address from a correspondent node without having to detour through the home network.
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S
SGSN. Serving GPRS Support Node. The SGSN tracks the location of mobile devices on a GSM GPRS or UMTS network and routes packet traffic to that location.
SID. System Identification. A number that uniquely identifies a network within a cellular of PCS system.
Simple IP. The most commonly used routing protocol on the Internet. This is the IP portion of the TCP/IP suite of protocols used in wireless packet communications.
Source Base Station. The BS that is in control of the call is designated the source BS and remains the source BS until it is removed from control of the call.
Source routing. A routing technique that causes some or all intermediate routing points to be represented directly in the data packet to be forwarded. This is in contrast to the typical situation in which intermediate routers rely on acquired routing state information to forward incoming packets.
SPC. Switch Processor Card. An application card that resides within the system. Provides out-of-band management interfaces and access to centralized chassis resources.
SPIO. Switch Processor I/O card. Interface card within the system that provides input/output and management interfaces for its corresponding SPC.
STM. SONET Timing Module. Provides Stratum 3 timing for both TDM and packet interfaces.
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T
TDM. Time Division Multiplex. A technique for simultaneously transmitting a number of separate voice and/or data signals over a single communications medium by interleaving a part of each signal one after another.
TDMA. Time Division Multiple Access. One of the wireless technology classes that encompasses 2G, 2.5G, and 3G communications. The other is CDMA.
Triangular routing. The path followed by a packet from a correspondent host to a mobile node that must first be routed to the mobile node's Home Agent (HA).
Tunnel. A path followed by a first packet while it is encapsulated within the payload portion of a second packet.
Tunneling. The same as encapsulation as a Tunnel, but with additional connotations about changing the effects of Internet routing on the original IP packet.
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U
UMTS. Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. The GSM-based evolution for 3G wireless communications. This term is also referred to as W-CDMA.
Uplink. Any BS that supports the call other than the source BS is designated as a target BS.
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V
VLR. Visited Location Register. The VLR caches access service parameter information that it obtains from a particular user's HLR upon call establishment.
VoIP. Voice over IP. The protocol that describes the packetization of analog voice signals into digital data packets.
VPN. Virtual Private Network. A virtual router or domain instance that enables secure communications between allowed network users and devices. Context is the work most commonly used to denote this type of connectivity.
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W
WCDMA or W-CDMA. Wideband CDMA. The GSM-based evolution for 3G wireless communications. This term is also referred to as UMTS. |
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