Hi,
I'm trying to setup nextepc to provide service for multiple ISPs with the same core network.
Is there a way to ignore the APN configured in the UE, and rather use the one configured with the webui ?
On the same topic, is it possible to restrict a UE to the apn configured with the webui ?
Thanks,
Best regards,
Hi Matthieu,
I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN. That’s why you can end up even in commercial networks without mobile data access - not knowing the correct APN will make it impossible for the network to route your traffic. Most networks when you connect using an incorrect APN tend to send a text message containing the correct one to fix the issue in the UE.
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
Just my 2cents worth of opinion :)
Cheers, Domi
2019. aug. 13. dátummal, 11:35 időpontban Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net írta:
Hi,
I'm trying to setup nextepc to provide service for multiple ISPs with the same core network.
Is there a way to ignore the APN configured in the UE, and rather use the one configured with the webui ?
On the same topic, is it possible to restrict a UE to the apn configured with the webui ?
Thanks,
Best regards,
On Tue, Aug 13, 2019 at 04:56:32PM +0200, Tomcsányi, Domonkos wrote:
I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN.
In legacy 2G/3G networks, this is possible by use of CAMEL. The gsmSCF next to the HLR can add ralated CSI (Camel Subscription Information) when doing the InsertSubscriberData to the gprsSSF inside the SGSN.
So I would actually be surprised if they removed that kind of capability from the EPC architecture. I don't know *how* it would be implemented on LTE/EPC, though.
Regards, Harald
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
This is said easier than it's done in practise. Particularly if you run a small network/operator with a small number of subscribers, you will not have the market strength to have phone manufacturers or OS vendors include your APN configuration in their software/updates. I have heard that e.g. in the case of Apple, an operator (evne MVNO) must have at least 100k [apple-using?] subscribers in order to get there.
A work-around can be the use of APN ACLs on the USIM, but then you must get that right in the very beginning, and never change your APN confuguration unless you have the entire OTA update infrastructure in plase and tested/verified so you can roll out changes to the USIM via RFM (Remote File Managament).
Regards, Harald
Hello Harald,
On Tue, Aug 13, 2019 at 04:56:32PM +0200, Tomcsányi, Domonkos wrote: I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN.
In legacy 2G/3G networks, this is possible by use of CAMEL. The gsmSCF next to the HLR can add ralated CSI (Camel Subscription Information) when doing the InsertSubscriberData to the gprsSSF inside the SGSN.
So I would actually be surprised if they removed that kind of capability from the EPC architecture. I don't know *how* it would be implemented on LTE/EPC, though.
You are fully right, I keep forgetting about CAMEL :). I am pretty sure too that it is somehow inplemented in LTE/EPC as well, but I also have not looked into the standards for that yet.
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
This is said easier than it's done in practise. Particularly if you run a small network/operator with a small number of subscribers, you will not have the market strength to have phone manufacturers or OS vendors include your APN configuration in their software/updates. I have heard that e.g. in the case of Apple, an operator (evne MVNO) must have at least 100k [apple-using?] subscribers in order to get there.
I have chosen my wording poorly when I said “provisioned”. I was trying to say that in such scenarios imho setting up the APN manually in the Settings app of the UE (=asking the user to do so and maybe provide some instructions?) or by sending a configuration SMS is a feasible way of dealing with this. I am pretty certain at least one of these methods should work, even in case of Apple devices.
Cheers, Domi
Hi Domi,
Thanks for your answer. I have a commercial epc that is able to do it: I can "ignore the initial APN", then set a default APN. This way, whatever the APN is configured in the UE, I can decide what APN is used. I was wondering if nextepc can do the same. It's convenient in my case, because the end users must be able to change their ISP without reconfiguring their UE (in some case, they even don't have access to the UE configuration), and I dedicated one APN per ISP.
Regards,
Mathieu
Le 13/08/2019 à 16:56, Tomcsányi, Domonkos a écrit :
Hi Matthieu,
I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN. That’s why you can end up even in commercial networks without mobile data access - not knowing the correct APN will make it impossible for the network to route your traffic. Most networks when you connect using an incorrect APN tend to send a text message containing the correct one to fix the issue in the UE.
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
Just my 2cents worth of opinion :)
Cheers, Domi
- aug. 13. dátummal, 11:35 időpontban Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net írta:
Hi,
I'm trying to setup nextepc to provide service for multiple ISPs with the same core network.
Is there a way to ignore the APN configured in the UE, and rather use the one configured with the webui ?
On the same topic, is it possible to restrict a UE to the apn configured with the webui ?
Thanks,
Best regards,
Hi Mathieu,
It’s an interesting for “ignoring an initial APN”. Regarding this, I have a question.
There are two options to add this feature. One is per-UE, the other is HSS globally.
What is better? And also, let me know how the commercial EPC configures this things.
Thank you for raising this feature!
2019. 8. 14. 오후 4:56, Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net 작성:
Hi Domi,
Thanks for your answer. I have a commercial epc that is able to do it: I can "ignore the initial APN", then set a default APN. This way, whatever the APN is configured in the UE, I can decide what APN is used. I was wondering if nextepc can do the same. It's convenient in my case, because the end users must be able to change their ISP without reconfiguring their UE (in some case, they even don't have access to the UE configuration), and I dedicated one APN per ISP.
Regards,
Mathieu
Le 13/08/2019 à 16:56, Tomcsányi, Domonkos a écrit : Hi Matthieu,
I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN. That’s why you can end up even in commercial networks without mobile data access - not knowing the correct APN will make it impossible for the network to route your traffic. Most networks when you connect using an incorrect APN tend to send a text message containing the correct one to fix the issue in the UE.
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
Just my 2cents worth of opinion :)
Cheers, Domi
- aug. 13. dátummal, 11:35 időpontban Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net írta:
Hi,
I'm trying to setup nextepc to provide service for multiple ISPs with the same core network.
Is there a way to ignore the APN configured in the UE, and rather use the one configured with the webui ?
On the same topic, is it possible to restrict a UE to the apn configured with the webui ?
Thanks,
Best regards,
Hi Sukchan,
In the commercial EPC, the "ignore APN" option is global, then I can set a default APN per UE. I have another option to restrict each UE to a certain list of APNs. This way, I can have multiple APNs configured, but set each UE to its right APN, whatever is configured in the UE. In my case, the "ignore APN" can be global, but maybe others can be interested to do it on a per-UE basis.
Thanks,
Mathieu
Le 14/08/2019 à 12:21, Sukchan Lee a écrit :
Hi Mathieu,
It’s an interesting for “ignoring an initial APN”. Regarding this, I have a question.
There are two options to add this feature. One is per-UE, the other is HSS globally.
What is better? And also, let me know how the commercial EPC configures this things.
Thank you for raising this feature!
- 오후 4:56, Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net 작성:
Hi Domi,
Thanks for your answer. I have a commercial epc that is able to do it: I can "ignore the initial APN", then set a default APN. This way, whatever the APN is configured in the UE, I can decide what APN is used. I was wondering if nextepc can do the same. It's convenient in my case, because the end users must be able to change their ISP without reconfiguring their UE (in some case, they even don't have access to the UE configuration), and I dedicated one APN per ISP.
Regards,
Mathieu
Le 13/08/2019 à 16:56, Tomcsányi, Domonkos a écrit : Hi Matthieu,
I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN. That’s why you can end up even in commercial networks without mobile data access - not knowing the correct APN will make it impossible for the network to route your traffic. Most networks when you connect using an incorrect APN tend to send a text message containing the correct one to fix the issue in the UE.
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
Just my 2cents worth of opinion :)
Cheers, Domi
- aug. 13. dátummal, 11:35 időpontban Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net írta:
Hi,
I'm trying to setup nextepc to provide service for multiple ISPs with the same core network.
Is there a way to ignore the APN configured in the UE, and rather use the one configured with the webui ?
On the same topic, is it possible to restrict a UE to the apn configured with the webui ?
Thanks,
Best regards,
We also have interest in the ignore APN (globally) feature also.
Thanks, Rafael Diniz Rhizomatica
On 8/14/19 9:39 AM, Mathieu wrote:
Hi Sukchan,
In the commercial EPC, the "ignore APN" option is global, then I can set a default APN per UE. I have another option to restrict each UE to a certain list of APNs. This way, I can have multiple APNs configured, but set each UE to its right APN, whatever is configured in the UE. In my case, the "ignore APN" can be global, but maybe others can be interested to do it on a per-UE basis.
Thanks,
Mathieu
Le 14/08/2019 à 12:21, Sukchan Lee a écrit :
Hi Mathieu,
It’s an interesting for “ignoring an initial APN”. Regarding this, I have a question.
There are two options to add this feature. One is per-UE, the other is HSS globally.
What is better? And also, let me know how the commercial EPC configures this things.
Thank you for raising this feature!
- 오후 4:56, Mathieu mathieu@xilan.net 작성:
Hi Domi,
Thanks for your answer. I have a commercial epc that is able to do it: I can "ignore the initial APN", then set a default APN. This way, whatever the APN is configured in the UE, I can decide what APN is used. I was wondering if nextepc can do the same. It's convenient in my case, because the end users must be able to change their ISP without reconfiguring their UE (in some case, they even don't have access to the UE configuration), and I dedicated one APN per ISP.
Regards,
Mathieu
Le 13/08/2019 à 16:56, Tomcsányi, Domonkos a écrit : Hi Matthieu,
I might be wrong here, but I don’t think there is a way allowed in the standards to ignore the UE’s APN. That’s why you can end up even in commercial networks without mobile data access - not knowing the correct APN will make it impossible for the network to route your traffic. Most networks when you connect using an incorrect APN tend to send a text message containing the correct one to fix the issue in the UE.
Naturally I’d assume there is a way to hack into nextEPC to ignore the UEs APN but I’d consider this a hack, not a real solution. I think it is better to make sure UEs are provisioned correctly.
Just my 2cents worth of opinion :)
Cheers, Domi
- aug. 13. dátummal, 11:35 időpontban Mathieu
mathieu@xilan.net írta:
Hi,
I'm trying to setup nextepc to provide service for multiple ISPs with the same core network.
Is there a way to ignore the APN configured in the UE, and rather use the one configured with the webui ?
On the same topic, is it possible to restrict a UE to the apn configured with the webui ?
Thanks,
Best regards,
-
Harald Welte -
Mathieu -
Rafael Diniz -
Sukchan Lee -
Tomcsányi, Domonkos