users to trace subscribers’ control and user plane data both in real time and offline over multiple interfaces and network elements. Identification of network problems and service quality degradation (from the symptom down to the root cause) becomes tremendously fast and easy with this tool. The capabilities and benefits of the NSA can be realized across LTE, UMTS (including HSPA+), and 2G networks. As a result, the time required to obtain and analyze data from across wireless mobile networks and in testbed environments is greatly reduced, and carriers and vendors alike can realize improved network testing efficiency.
Improving Efficiency in 2G, 3G and 4G Testing
• Minimize time required to detect and resolve network and service issues Reduce the time and cost of development test in the labs
• Extend insight into your network perfomances
• Automated generation of warning and analysis reports Advanced and flexible solution for KPIs generation and trend analysis
NSA Key Applications
• Campaign based live network troubleshooting
• Product Verification & Validation
• IOT and Compliance Testing
• Mobile Network Optimization
NSA Key Features
• Automatic Topology Discovery
• Automatic Instrument Configuration
• Multi-interface Call Trace
• Message Statistics and Key Performance Indicators
• Multi-user support
• Support of thousands of mobile network protocols
• 24/7 monitoring
• Radio Chart Analysis for UE Parameters
• IP Throughput and Time Delay Analysis
Datasheet | NSA
Features and Benefits
Multi-Technology
The NSA Suite is a state-of-the-art troubleshooting solution for established and emerging mobile network technologies. It is devised to function optimally in development, trial and live deployment environments. With a single software platform, Mobile Network Operators and Network Equipment Manufacturer engineers can monitor and test 2G, 2.5G, 3G, HSPA+ and LTE network environments.
With support for a wide range of 3GPP, Vendor- specific and Industry Forum protocols, the NSA suite of tools helps minimize the time between identifying that an issue exists and determining its root cause. Thus, the NSA assists Network Equipment Manufacturers in meeting the Time-to-Market targets of new features as well as Mobile Network Operators in continuously providing their customers with superior Quality of Service (QoS).
Flexible Hardware Platform
Ensuring the ability to capture high data rates without data loss is a critical requirement for monitoring today’s high load networks. This becomes even more crucial as both new and established networks evolve towards all IP networks. The K18 and High.Link probes feed the NSA system with captured traffic in a “stream-store-analyze” mode to ensure that data integrity cannot be compromised. Additionally, the K2Air probe can be used in a similar manner to capture and analyze traffic from the LTE Uu air-interface.
The K18 probes perform real-time capturing under heavy load from ATM, PCM, Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. They also perform line-rate hardware filtering (e.g., control plane/user plane, VPI/VCI, IP addresses) to allow users to effectively narrow their troubleshooting activities on a small subset of critical information from the high volumes of monitored traffic. High.Link probes can be used to capture large quantities of data in multi-Gbps IPbased network environments, where both 1G and 10G transport layer connections occur.
With the NSA supporting mixed hardware environments users can easily extend the number and types of probes to match the requirements of their
K2Air Probe for LTE Uu Air-Interface
High Performance to match the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s mobile networks troubleshooting
phase is undesirable, the Topology and Link Configuration Editor allows users to manually populate and/or edit a network topology within a short time span.
Call Table and Call Trace
Call Tracing effectively equips users with a magnifying glass to detect the needle in the haystack of collected data. By reducing a large number of calls listed in the Call Table by filter criteria such as a specific IMSI or a release cause value, users can quickly drill-down into those calls that require further attention. The selected call shows then the complete message flow across all relevant network elements. A Detailed frame view allows down to the bit analysis of the call trace to facilitate root cause analysis.
NSA’s call trace application provides various export capabilities, from exporting the complete call table to individual call flows or even frame decodes, thus assisting the user in creating reports on network problems.
Powerful auto configuration and network topology
Datasheet | NSA
Message-based Statistics and KPIs
The user requires often a tool that can make a broad scan of the captured traffic and quickly identify potential problems. An unexpected or unusually high incidence of a particular event (e.g. RAB assignment failure, can swiftly be identified by analyzing the statistical distribution of relevant messages and release causes. By performing such analysis over time, users can quickly see whether the issue is related to a particular incident (i.e. a network node restart), or is spread evenly throughout the testing period. The NSA allows “drill-up” from individual messages and events to the related call trace so that users can quickly investigate the influence of an event on the related user experience. NSA also provides a comprehensive set of tools for assessing IP packet level QoS, including throughput, packet delay and packet loss, displayed in both tabular and graphical formats.
At other times only Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that map complex relationships between multiple parameters and call phases are sufficient to confirm or refute a hypothesis. For these cases, the NSA provides a
comprehensive set of KPIs that provide key insight into the influence that different parameters have on each other. This allows for domain area identification of service problems, mapping of service issues to network issues, and results in reducing the time required for network optimization and troubleshooting. For maximum flexibility, users can continuously modify which relationships they wish to investigate (i.e. is the problem related to a particular nodeB, a particular cell or a particular handset type). Drilldown to the calls/transactions behind a KPI provides the user with the information to go from KPI to the identification of the problem cause with just a mouse click. All KPI measurements are stored within an open MYSQL database, and can be accessed by third party tools. This allows for easy integration of the solution within existing measurement systems. For networks with a low to medium amount of data volume (e.g. in a lab environment), users can easily define new KPIs (e.g. message counters, event ratios or delay measurements) within minutes and integrate these into appropriate KPI reports.
Datasheet | NSA
In 2G/2.5G and 3G technologies, significant air interface information is available on wireline interfaces such as Abis and Iub. With the implementation of self-governing eNodeBs within the LTE network, this form of control information is no longer sent on a wireline interface. Users are required to move closer to the radio interface itself to gain key insight into the performance of the eNodeB and the radio network. The NSA provides, in conjunction with K2Air, the LTE Uu probe, air interface insight by supporting promiscuous air interface monitoring via the CPRI control port implemented on the majority of eNodeBs. Applications such as call trace and KPIs seamlessly correlate the
wireless information with information collected on the S1 and X2 interfaces. This capability provides the user with a 360° view of radio network performance. Graphical depictions of key RF physical layer parameters are supported to investigate RF performance and quality, and can be analyzed in conjunction with higher layer protocol information to determine the impact that RF PHY performance has on service quality, for example. Additionally, by monitoring key interfaces within the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), such as the S1, S5, S11 and SGi interfaces, the user is able to correlate events within the EPC with their impact on the air-interface.
variants as well as E1 ATM IMA support for Iub
• Support for vendor-specific variants
• Support of key 3GPP releases up to Rel
Datasheet | NSA
More than 80% of the world’s population is covered by GSM networks, and a similar percentage of the population have access to data services via GPRS and EDGE networks. These legacy technologies provide the backbone of the 3GPP family and continue to generate key revenue for Mobile Network Operators and Network Equipment Manufacturers alike. Mistakenly considered to be mature technology, the further evolution of data services (Rel. 7 Evolved EDGE) as well as the move away from PCM-based towards more efficient IP-based interfaces, indicate that monitoring and optimization tools for 2G and 2.5G networks are still very much required.
Application Support
• Automatic interface detection
• Call trace
• Flexible KPIs for handovers, assignment failures, air interface quality, etc.
• Vendor proprietary Abis versions NSA for 2G/2.5G
shift can bring must ensure that an IP Core can provide adequate quality and reliability for their voice & data services.
Datasheet | NSA
About Tektronix Communications: Tektronix Communications provides network operators and equipment manufacturers around the world an unparalleled suite of network diagnostics and management solutions for fixed, mobile, IP and converged multi-service networks. This comprehensive set of solutions support a range of architectures and applications such as LTE, fixed mobile convergence, IMS, broadband wireless access, WiMAX, VoIP and triple play, including IPTV. Tektronix Communications is headquartered in Plano, Texas.
Learn more about the company’s test, measurement and network monitoring solutions by visiting www. tekcommss.com.
For Further Information: Tektronix Communications maintains a comprehensive, constantly expanding collection of application notes, technical briefs and other resources to help engineers working on the cutting edge of technology.
Please visit www.tekcomms.com
Contact Tektronix Communications:
Please visit www.tekcomms.com Phone:
1-800-833-9200 option 1 +1-469-330-4000
About this Document:
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice and does not carry any contractual obligation for Tektronix Communications. Tektronix Communications reserves the right to make changes to any products or services described in this document at any time without notice. Tektronix Communications shall not be held responsible for the direct or indirect consequences of the use of the information
Specifications
Recommended External PC Requirements
For low load environments where portability is key:
• Dual Core CPU, 2.6 GHz/6MB
Cache/1333MHz), 4GB RAM, 160GB HD Network Interface supporting Ethernet
• Jumbo frames
• Windows 7 Professional (64 bit) SP1
Server Solution
For high load environments, where performance is key:
• 2x- Six Core CPU (3,46GHz/12MB Cache/1333MHz), 32GB RAM, HD 5TB (RAID recommended)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
K18 Probe
• STM1/OC3 – 4 x STM1 receiver ports – SC connector
• GbE – 4 x RJ45 (electrical for 100/1000 Mb/s) or 4 x flexible SFP modules (RJ45 electrical, LC 1300 nm optical, SC 850 nm optical) E1 DS1 ATM 16 E1/DS1 receiver ports; IMA support; AAL5, AAL2 reassembly
• ATM STM-1 – 2 x STM1 receiver ports – SC connector High.Link Probe • 4x 1 GbE - 4x RJ-45 or 4x SFP optical (LC connector) • 2x 10 GbE - 2x XFP optical (SR or LR) K2Air Probe
• 2x SFP optical for connection to 2 CPRI ports
