What are Diameter Interfaces?

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Diameter interfaces provide connections among Diameter nodes to enable essential service provider network functions such as authentication, online and offline billing, and policy and charging.

Seamless connectivity among the many different network components in 4G LTE environments is essential to the ability of service providers (SPs) to ensure service availability. It’s also essential in creating an interconnected environment that combines legacy and LTE elements. 

Using the F5 BIG-IP platform, SPs can add support for new Diameter interfaces by simply uploading XML-based Diameter data dictionaries to BIG-IP for fast interconnection with multiple Diameter nodes.

The BIG-IP platform also provides seamless and transparent support for any vendor-specific AVPs (attribute-value pairs) and can transparently handle multiple different versions of the same AVP with different encoding. If the solution needs to modify these AVPs, they can be added into the dictionary file with different names, to allow a user to access and modify these AVPs using their real names.

The following tables shows the complete list of interfaces that are supported by the BIG-IP platform.

Interface Network location Supported version
Diameter Base Protocol   IETF RFC 3588
Sh interface Between AS and HSS, Subscription and Authentication Data – IMS 3GPP TS 29.328 & TS 29.329
Sd interface Between PCRF and TDF (Traffic Detection Function) 3GPP TS 29.212
Sy interface Between PCRF and OCS/OFCS, Policy and Charging Control over Sy reference point 3GPP TS 29.219
Dh interface Between AS and SLF 3GPP TS 29.328 & TS 29.329
Rf interface Between AS and OFCS, postpaid charging RFC 4006, 3GPP TS 32.225 & TS 32.299
Ro interface Between AS and OCS, online charging in IMS & LTE RFC 4006, 3GPP TS 32.225 & TS 32.299
Re interface Between OCF and Rating function 3GPP TS 32.296
Cx interface Between CSCF and HSS, Subscription and Authentication Data – IMS 3GPP TS 29.228 & TS29.229
Dx interface Between CSCF and SLF 3GPP TS 29.228 & TS29.229
Sp interface Between PCRF and SPR 3GPP TS 23.203, TS 29.328 & TS 29.329
Rx interface Between AF and the PCRF, QoS and Policy 3GPP TS 23.203 & TS 29.214
Gx interface Between PCEF and the PCRF, QoS and Policy 3GPP TS 29.212 & TS 23.203
Gy interface Between OCS and PCEF, online charging 3GPP TS 32.299, TS 32.251 & RFC 4006
Gz interface Between PCEF and OFCS 3GPP TS 32.240, TS 32.295
Gq interface Between AF and PDF 3GPP TS 29.209
Gi interface Between Packet Domain and an external packet data network 3GPP TS 29.061
SGi interface Between the EPC based PLMN and the packet data network 3GPP TS 29.061
Zh interface Between BSF and HSS 3GPP TS 29.109 & TS 33.220
Zh interface Between BSF and HSS (used between operators) 3GPP TS 29.109 & TS 33.220
Dz interface Between BSF and SLF 3GPP TS 29.109 & TS 33.220
Zn interface Between BSF and NAF 3GPP TS 29.109 & TS 33.220
Zn' interface Between BSF and Zn Proxy 3GPP TS 29.109 & TS 33.220
Dw interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and an SLF 3GPP TS 29.234
Wa interface Between the WLAN AN and the 3GPP AAA Proxy 3GPP TS 29.234
Wd interface Between the 3GPP AAA Proxy and 3GPP AAA Server 3GPP TS 29.234
Wx interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and the HSS 3GPP TS 29.234
Wm interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and the PDG 3GPP TS 29.234
Wg interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server/Proxy and the WAG 3GPP TS 29.234
Pr interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and the PNA 3GPP TS 29.234
Wm interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and the PDG 3GPP TS 29.234
Gmb interface Between GGSN and BM-SC 3GPP TS 29.061
Mz interface Mz is the roaming variant of the Gmb reference point with the same functionality 3GPP TS 29.061
Bi interface CCF to BS 3GPP TS TS 32.225
MM10 interface Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) OMA MM10 interface
Ty interface Between AGW and PCRF 3GPP2 TSG-X X.S0013-014
Tx interface Between AF and PCRF 3GPP2 TSG-X X.S0013-013
S6a interface Between MME and HSS, Subscription and Authentication Data 3GPP TS 29.272
S6b interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server/Proxy and the PDN GW 3GPP TS 23402
S6d interface Between SGSN and HSS, Subscription and Authentication Data 3GPP TS 29.272
S7c interface Transfer of (QoS) policy information from PCRF to the S-GW. 3GPP TS 32820, TS 23402
S9 interface Between PCRF in the HPLMN (H PCRF) and a PCRF in the VPLMN (V PCRF) 3GPP TS 23.203 & TS 29.215
S13 and S13' interface Between EIR and MME/SGSN 3GPP TS 29.272
Gxa interface PCRF and the BBERF 3GPP TS 23.203
Gxb interface Between ePDG and vPCRF 3GPP TS 23.203
Gxc interface BPCRF and the BBERF 3GPP TS 23.203
SWa interface Between an un-trusted non-3GPP IP access and the 3GPP AAA Server/Proxy 3GPP TS 23402
SWd interface Between the 3GPP AAA Proxy and 3GPP AAA Server 3GPP TS 23402
SWn interface Between Untrusted Non-3GPP IP Access and ePDG 3GPP TS 23402
SWm interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server/Proxy and the ePDG 3GPP TS 23402
SWx interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and the HSS 3GPP TS 23402
Sta interface Between a trusted non-3GPP IP access and the 3GPP AAA Server/Proxy 3GPP TS 23402
H2 interface Between the 3GPP AAA Server and the HA 3GPP TS 23402
Gq’ interface Between AF and RACS ETSI TS 183.017
E2 interface Between AF and NASS ETSI TS 283 035
E4 interface Between NASS and RACS ETSI TS 283 034
E5 interface Between UAAF – UAAF ETSI TS 282 004
Re interface Between RCEF and RACS ETSI TS 183 060
A4 interface Between CLF and UAAF ETSI TS 282 004
Rr interface x-RACF 03196-NGN-R3
Zh interface Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA) PKT-SP-29.109
Zn interface Generic Authentication Architecture (GAA) PKT-SP-29.109
Cx interface CSCF- HSS PKT-SP-29.229
Dx interface CSCF- SLF PKT-SP-29.229
Pkt-laes-2 interface Session Control Element — DF (electronic surveillance requirements) PKT-SP-ES-INF-I01
P-CSCF- PAM Interface Between P-CSCF – PAM PKT-SP-QOS-I02-080425, 3GPP TS 23.203 & TS 29.214
Pkt-mm-2 interface Policy Server — CMTS 3GPP TS 29.212 & TS 23.203
TC-6 Based on 3GPP Rx MSF-IA-DIAMETER.010-FINAL
TC-7 Based on 3GPP Ty MSF-IA-DIAMETER.014-FINAL
TC-8 Based on 3GPP Tx MSF-IA-DIAMETER.013-FINAL
TC-9 Based on 3GPP Rq MSF-IA-DIAMETER.005-FINAL
TC-10 Based on 3GPP Gx MSF-IA-DIAMETER.012-FINAL
TC-11 Based on 3GPP e4 MSF-OA-DIMATER.011-FINAL
DB-0 Based on 3GPP Cx/Dx MSF-IA-DIAMETER.006-FINAL
DB-2 Based on 3GPP Sh/Dh MSF-IA-DIAMETER.003-FINAL
BI-1 Based on 3GPP Rf MSF-IA-BILLING.001-FINAL
LOC-1 Based on 3GPP e2 MSF-IA.DIAMETER.008-FINAL
Rw interface Between the Policy Decision Physical Entity (PD-PE) and the Policy Enforcement Physical Entity (PE-PE) ITU Q.3303.3
Rs interface Between Service Control Physical Entity (SC-PE) and Resource and Admission Control Physical Entity (RAC-PE) ITU Q.3301

 

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