5G - XN Application Protocol: Nex-G Innovations - NESPL & Infoserve Qatar

5G – Xn Application Protocol
By
S.S.Bhowmick
Nex-G Innovations – NESPL & Infoserve Qatar
© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Training Session Agenda
 XnAP Protocol Architecture
 XnAP Basic Mobility Procedures
 XnAP Dual Connectivity Procedure
 XnAP Global Procedures

XnAP Protocol Architecture
XnAP is the control protocol used between gNBs to support a variety of RAN
related procedures, such as establishing Dual Connectivity, coordination of
Xn based handovers, data forwarding and RAN Paging.
During the handover process, the source gNB will provide the target gNB
with all the necessary information it needs to handle the subscriber,
including security and User Plane connectivity information.
For Dual Connectivity, the Master gNB will use XnAP to set up a Secondary
gNB, with each gNB serving the user simultaneously.

XnAP Protocol Architecture
XnAP Procedure Modules
The Xn interface XnAP procedures are divided into two modules as follows:
1. XnAP Basic Mobility Procedures.
2. XnAP Global Procedures.
The XnAP Basic Mobility Procedures module contains procedures used to

handle the UE mobility within E-UTRAN.
The Global Procedures module contains procedures that are not related to a
specific UE.
Basic Mobility Procedures
Handover Preparation
This procedure is used to establish necessary resources in an NG-RAN node
for an incoming handover.

The source NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the HANDOVER
REQUEST message to the target NG-RAN node. When the source NG-RAN
node sends the HANDOVER REQUEST message, it shall start the timer TXn
RELOCprep.
At reception of the HANDOVER REQUEST message the target NG-RAN node

shall prepare the configuration of the AS security relation between the UE
and the target NG-RAN node by using the information in the UE Security
Capabilities IE and the AS Security Information IE in the UE Context
Information IE.
Upon reception of the PDU Session Resource Setup List IE, contained in the
HANDOVER REQUEST message, the target NG-RAN node shall behave the
same as for the PDU Session Resource Setup procedure.

The target NG-RAN node shall report in the HANDOVER REQUEST
ACKNOWLEDGE message the successful establishment of the result for all
the requested PDU session resources.
When the target NG-RAN node reports the unsuccessful establishment of a

PDU session resource, the cause value should be precise enough to enable
the source NG-RAN node to know the reason for the unsuccessful
establishment.

For each DRB for which the source NG-RAN node proposes to perform
forwarding of downlink data, the source NG-RAN node shall include the DRB
ID IE and the mapped Qos Flows List IE within the Source DRB to QoS Flow
Mapping List IE contained in the PDU Session Resources To Be Setup List IE
in the HANDOVER REQUEST message.
If the target NG-RAN node decides to use the same DRB configuration and
to map the same QoS flows as the source NG-RAN node.
The target NG-RAN node includes the DL Forwarding GTP Tunnel Endpoint
IE within the Data Forwarding Response DRB List IE in the HANDOVER
REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message to indicate that it accepts the proposed
forwarding of downlink data for this DRB.

If the HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message contains the UL
Forwarding GTP Tunnel Endpoint IE for a given DRB in the Data Forwarding
Response DRB List IE within Data Forwarding Info from target NG-RAN node
IE in the PDU Session Resources Admitted List IE.
And the source NG-RAN node accepts the data forwarding proposed by the
target NG-RAN node, the source NG-RAN node shall perform forwarding of
uplink data for the DRB.
If the HANDOVER REQUEST includes PDU session resources for PDU

sessions associated to S-NSSAIs ( Single - Network Slice Selection
Assistance Information ) not supported by target NG-RAN, the target NG-
RAN shall reject such PDU session resources.
In this case, and if at least one PDU Session Resource To Be Setup Item IE
is admitted, the target NG-RAN shall send the HANDOVER REQUEST
ACKNOWLEDGE message including the PDU Session Resources Not
Admitted List IE listing corresponding PDU sessions rejected at the target
NG-RAN.

For each PDU session for which the Security Indication IE is included in the
PDU Session Resource To Be Setup List IE and the Integrity Protection
Indication IE or Confidentiality Protection Indication IE is set to "required",
the target NG-RAN node shall perform user plane integrity protection or
ciphering, respectively.
If the NG-RAN node is not able to perform the user plane integrity
protection or ciphering, it shall reject the setup of the PDU Session
Resources with an appropriate cause value.
For each PDU session for which the Security Indication IE is included in the
PDU Session Resource To Be Setup List IE and the Integrity Protection
Indication IE or Confidentiality Protection Indication IE is set to "not
needed", the target NG-RAN node shall not perform user plane integrity
protection nor ciphering for the concerned PDU session.
SN (Sequence Number) Status Transfer
The purpose of the SN Status Transfer procedure is to transfer the uplink

PDCP SN and HFN (Hyper Frame Number) receiver status.

And the downlink PDCP SN and HFN transmitter status either, from the source to the
target NG-RAN node during an Xn handover, for each respective DRB of the source
DRB configuration for which PDCP SN and HFN status preservation applies.
If the target NG-RAN node receives this message for a UE for which no prepared
handover exists at the target NG-RAN node, the target NG-RAN node shall ignore the
message.
Handover Cancel
The Handover Cancel procedure is used to enable a source NG-RAN node to cancel an
ongoing handover preparation or an already prepared handover.

The source NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the HANDOVER
CANCEL message to the target NG-RAN node. The source NG-RAN node
shall indicate the reason for cancelling the handover by means of an
appropriate cause value.
RAN Paging
The purpose of the RAN Paging procedure is to enable the NG-RAN node 1
to request paging of a UE in the NG-RAN node 2.
The RAN Paging procedure is triggered by the NG-RAN node 1 by sending

the PAGING message to the NG-RAN node 2 , in which the necessary
information e.g. UE RAN Paging Identity should be provided.
If the RAN Paging Priority IE may be included in the RAN PAGING message,
the NG-RAN node 2 may use it to prioritize paging.

UE Context Release
For handover, the UE Context Release procedure is initiated by the target

NG-RAN node to indicate to the source NG-RAN node that radio and control
plane resources for the associated UE context are allowed to be released.
The UE Context Release procedure is initiated by the target NG-RAN node.
By sending the UE CONTEXT RELEASE message the target NG-RAN node

informs the source NG-RAN node of Handover success and triggers the
release of resources.
XnAP Dual Connectivity procedure
S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation

XnAP Dual Connectivity Procedure
The purpose of the S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation procedure is to
request the S-NG-RAN node to allocate resources for dual connectivity
operation for a specific UE.
The M-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE

ADDITION REQUEST message to the S-NG-RAN node.
When the M-NG-RAN node sends the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST

message, it shall start the timer TXn Dcprep.
The S-NG-RAN node shall choose the ciphering algorithm based on the
information in the UE Security Capabilities IE and locally configured priority
list of AS encryption algorithms and apply the key indicated in the S-NG-
RAN node Security Key IE.

If the S-NG-RAN node is a gNB and the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST
message contains the PCell ID IE, the S-NG-RAN node shall search for the
target NR cell among the NR neighbour cells of the PCell indicated.
Upon reception of the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE

message the M-NG-RAN node shall stop the timer TXn DCprep .
Interactions with the S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion

procedure:
If the S-NG-RAN node admits at least one PDU session resource, the S-NG-
RAN node shall start the timer TXn Dcoverall when sending the S-NODE
ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message to the M-NG-RAN node.
The reception of the S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE message shall

stop the timer TXn DCoverall.

S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion
The purpose of the S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion procedure

is to provide information to the S-NG-RAN node whether the requested
configuration was successfully applied by the UE.
The M-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE

RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE message to the S-NG-RAN node.
The S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE message may contain

information that the UE has successfully applied the configuration requested
by the S-NG-RAN node.
The M-NG-RAN node may also provide configuration information in the M-

NG-RAN node to S-NG-RAN node Container IE.

The configuration requested by the S-NG-RAN node has been rejected. The
M-NG-RAN node shall provide information with sufficient precision in the
included Cause IE to enable the S-NG-RAN node to know the reason for an
unsuccessful reconfiguration.
S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release
This procedure is triggered by the S-NG-RAN node to initiate the release of

the resources for a specific UE.
The S-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE

RELEASE REQUIRED message to the M-NG-RAN node.
Upon reception of the S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED message, the M-NG-

RAN node replies with the S-NODE RELEASE CONFIRM message.

The S-NG-RAN node may start data forwarding and stop providing user data
to the UE upon reception of the S-NODE RELEASE CONFIRM message.
RRC Transfer
The purpose of the RRC Transfer procedure is to deliver a PDCP-C PDU

encapsulating an LTE RRC message or NR RRC message to the S-NG-RAN-
NODE.
It may then be forwarded to the UE, or from the S-NG-RAN-NODE, if it was

received from the UE.
The delivery status may also be provided from the S-NG-RAN-NODE to the
M-NG-RAN-NODE using the RRC Transfer.

Global Procedures
Global Procedures
Xn Setup
The purpose of the Xn Setup procedure is to exchange application level

configuration data needed for two NG-RAN nodes to interoperate correctly
over the Xn-C interface.
The NG-RAN node 1 initiates the procedure by sending the XN SETUP

REQUEST message to the candidate NG-RAN node 2 . The candidate NG-
RAN node 2 replies with the XN SETUP RESPONSE message.

Global Procedures
If the NG-RAN node 1 is an ng-eNB, it may include the Protected E-UTRA
Resource Indication IE into the XN SETUP REQUEST.
If the XN SETUP REQUEST sent by an ng-eNB contains the Protected E-

UTRA Resource Indication IE, the receiving gNB should take this into
account for cell-level resource coordination with the ng-eNB.
The gNB shall consider the received Protected E-UTRA Resource Indication
IE content valid until reception of a new update of the IE for the same ng-
eNB.
Cell Activation
The purpose of the Cell Activation procedure is to enable an NG-RAN node
to request a neighbouring NG-RAN node to switch on one or more cells,
previously reported as inactive due to energy saving.

Global Procedures
The receipt of the CELL ACTIVATION RESPONSE message by the NG-RAN
node 1 is used to update the information about the activation state of NG-
RAN node 2 cells in the NG-RAN node 1.
Error Indication
The Error Indication procedure is initiated by an NG-RAN node to report

detected errors in one incoming message, provided they cannot be reported
by an appropriate failure message.
If the error situation arises due to reception of a message utilising UE

associated signalling, then the Error Indication procedure uses UE-
associated signalling. Otherwise the procedure uses non UE-associated
signalling.

Global Procedures
The Error Indication procedure is initiated by the ERROR INDICATION

message sent from the node detecting the error situation.
The ERROR INDICATION message shall contain at least either the Cause IE
or the Criticality Diagnostics IE.
In case the Error Indication procedure is triggered by UE associated

signalling, in the course of handover signalling and signalling for dual
connectivity, the Old NG-RAN node UE XnAP ID IE and the New NG-RAN
node UE XnAP ID IE shall be included in the ERROR INDICATION message.
Xn Removal
The purpose of the Xn Removal procedure is to remove the signaling

connection between two NG-RAN nodes in a controlled manner.
If successful, this procedure erases any existing application level

configuration data in the two nodes.

Global Procedures
An NG-RAN node 1 initiates the procedure by sending the XN REMOVAL

REQUEST message to a candidate NG-RAN node 2 .
Upon reception of the XN REMOVAL REQUEST message the candidate NG-

RAN node 2 shall reply with the XN REMOVAL RESPONSE message.
After receiving the XN REMOVAL RESPONSE message, the initiating NG-RAN

node 1 shall initiate removal of the TNL association towards NG-RAN node 2
and may remove all resources associated with that signaling connection.
The candidate NG-RAN node 2 may then remove all resources associated
with that signaling connection.

Thank You
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What is XnAP and what are its main procedures?

What is XnAP and what are its main procedures?

What are the two modules of XnAP procedures?

What are the two modules of XnAP procedures?

5G – Xn Application Protocol

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

 XnAP Basic Mobility Procedures

 XnAP Dual Connectivity Procedure

 XnAP Global Procedures

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

XnAP Procedure Modules

1. XnAP Basic Mobility Procedures.

2. XnAP Global Procedures.

The XnAP Basic Mobility Procedures module contains procedures used to

Basic Mobility Procedures

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

At reception of the HANDOVER REQUEST message the target NG-RAN node

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

When the target NG-RAN node reports the unsuccessful establishment of a

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

If the HANDOVER REQUEST includes PDU session resources for PDU

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

SN (Sequence Number) Status Transfer

The purpose of the SN Status Transfer procedure is to transfer the uplink

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The RAN Paging procedure is triggered by the NG-RAN node 1 by sending

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

For handover, the UE Context Release procedure is initiated by the target

The UE Context Release procedure is initiated by the target NG-RAN node.

By sending the UE CONTEXT RELEASE message the target NG-RAN node

XnAP Dual Connectivity procedure

S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The M-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE

When the M-NG-RAN node sends the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Upon reception of the S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE

Interactions with the S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion

The reception of the S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE message shall

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The purpose of the S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion procedure

The M-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE

The S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE message may contain

The M-NG-RAN node may also provide configuration information in the M-

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release

This procedure is triggered by the S-NG-RAN node to initiate the release of

The S-NG-RAN node initiates the procedure by sending the S-NODE

Upon reception of the S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED message, the M-NG-

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The purpose of the RRC Transfer procedure is to deliver a PDCP-C PDU

It may then be forwarded to the UE, or from the S-NG-RAN-NODE, if it was

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The purpose of the Xn Setup procedure is to exchange application level

The NG-RAN node 1 initiates the procedure by sending the XN SETUP

© Nex-G Exuberant Solutions Pvt. Ltd.