OpenBSC August 2017

openbsc@lists.osmocom.org

19 participants
41 discussions

Splitting out M3UA and MTP3 out of Open BSC into a separate library
by Arran Cudbard-Bell 18 Nov '25

18 Nov '25

Hi, Developing a module for FreeRADIUS to support EAP-SIM and EAP-AKA authentication against a HLR. The HLR we were targeting only supported a SCTP/M3UA/SCCP/TCAP/MAP stack, so we couldn't use SUA. Ripping the M3UA/MTP3 code out of OpenBSC worked surprisingly well. We ended up running the event loop in a separate thread to work around the threading issues. Unfortunately the HLR implements the ANSI variant of everything, whereas OpenBSC and supporting libraries seem to have been written to be compatible with the ITU standards. ...but the differences are fairly minor at MTP3 and SCCP layers, and i've started work on a patchset for libosmo-sccp. https://gerrit.osmocom.org/#/c/73/ Anyway, trying to gauge interest in splitting those layers out of Open BSC into a separate library, would be happy to take on M2UA as well for consistency. It would almost certainly get more projects using the code. There's very little out there even in Perl land for working with SS7. Thanks, -Arran Arran Cudbard-Bell <a.cudbardb(a)freeradius.org> FreeRADIUS Development Team FD31 3077 42EC 7FCD 32FE 5EE2 56CF 27F9 30A8 CAA2

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ip.access nano 3G S8 Configuration
by John Thewlis - Meath Broadband 18 Nov '25

18 Nov '25

We are trying to setup this AP as part of the 3.5G Osmocom project. We have the software stack operational and are now preparing the nano for testing. When we try to login via telnet at port 8090 we are getting a constant refusal to connect:- root@osm/openbsc/openbsc/src/ipaccess# telnet 192.168.192.30 8090 Trying 192.168.192.30... telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused The device seems to be locked as indicated by the leds on the front panel. We have tried resetting the nano to see if this would help but to no avail. Any ideas as to how to access the device for initial configuration?. Thanks John

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GPRS - local and foreign TLLIs
by Luca Melette 18 Nov '25

18 Nov '25

Hello everybody, after setting up a nanoBTS with OpenBSC/SGSN/GGSN, I had some troubles trying to connect my smartphone to the GPRS cell. Investigating the BTS-to-SGSN traffic, I saw that the frames sent by the SGSN were all marked with the same N(U) value (at LLC layer), the value was 0. With some debug, I found that the there was a mismatch in the TLLI storage, used to keep the status of attached terminals. The mentioned code is contained in gprs_llc.c, involving LL Entity functions and gprs_llc_tx_ui(). /* look-up or create the LL Entity for this (TLLI, SAPI) tuple */ lle = lle_by_tlli_sapi(msgb_tlli(msg), sapi); if (!lle) { struct gprs_llc_llme *llme; LOGP(DLLC, LOGL_ERROR, "LLC TX: unknown TLLI 0x%08x, " "creating LLME on the fly\n", msgb_tlli(msg)); llme = llme_alloc(msgb_tlli(msg)); lle = &llme->lle[sapi]; } The TX function uses the previously received TLLI to lookup for the LLE. The lle_by_tlli_sapi() performs the search, but preliminary it applies a foreign2local TLLI conversion to ensure to have a local one. Since no valid entry for the searched TLLI is found, a new one is created. And the problem is here. The new entry has the foreign TLLI. Next time the lookup fails again, and a new entry is created. This way, the counter N(U) is always reset, and the mobile do not recognize the message sequence and no attach is possible. My question is about foreign and local TLLIs. I patched the lookup, avoiding the conversion, so that the LLE is found and everything works fine... but... What is the sense of the conversion? Should the TLLI be always stored as a local one? Can this problem be solved with another foreign2local while allocating new entries? Actually, my problem has been solved with that workaround. But I'm curious to know what is the right way. Hope somebody can answer :) Thanks. Cheers, LM

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Need nano3G (S8 - Model 237A)
by Akib Sayyed 18 Nov '25

18 Nov '25

Dear List I am extremely sorry for off the topic question. I am willing to buy nano3G Nodeb. Is anyone in list have spare which can be sold. Please let me know. -- Akib Sayyed Matrix-Shell akibsayyed(a)gmail.com akibsayyed(a)matrixshell.com Mob:- +91-966-514-2243 <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> Virus-free. www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai…> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>

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Pysim error: SW match failed
by Martin Nagy 16 Aug '25

16 Aug '25

Hi all, After buying a super Sim Kit (16 in 1) from China, I tried the reader (green PCB inside a blue transparent plastic case with a blue LED) and SIM (identified as a fakesupersim) with pysim tool. However i am getting the following error: /pySim-prog.py -n 26C3 -c 49 -x 262 -y 42 -z 1234 -j 1 -t auto Insert card now (or CTRL-C to cancel) Autodetected card type fakemagicsim Generated card parameters : > Name : 26C3 > SMSP : e1ffffffffffffffffffffffff058100945555ffffffffffff000000 > ICCID : 8949262427518313026 > MCC/MNC : 262/42 > IMSI : 262422461512085 > Ki : 7b74741a1ee14337ec23f9ab92a13648 > OPC : ccd867d60797d8d45354a51b3ef568ff Programming ... Traceback (most recent call last): File "./pySim-prog.py", line 530, in <module> card.program(cp) File "/home/nadicek/pysim/pysim/pySim/cards.py", line 231, in program self._scc.update_binary('6f30', hplmn + 'ff' * (tl-3)) File "/home/nadicek/pysim/pysim/pySim/commands.py", line 53, in update_binary return self._tp.send_apdu_checksw(pdu) File "/home/nadicek/pysim/pysim/pySim/transport/__init__.py", line 87, in send_apdu_checksw raise RuntimeError("SW match failed ! Expected %s and got %s." % (sw.lower(), rv[1])) RuntimeError: SW match failed ! Expected 9000 and got 9804. I checked mailing lists and haven’t found anybody who had similar problem with pysim. Also I have tried forcing different models of SIM, but nothing is working. Obviously I can remove this check from the script file (__init__.py in /pySim/transport), however somebody had a reason to put such condition there. I would like to ask if it is safe to remove that line of code and the purpose of that line of code. Thanks a lot and best regards Martin

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Re: Help with sccp library
by mosbah abdelkader 07 Jul '25

07 Jul '25

> I don't understand. This callback will be called with data you need to write > to the network. In case of MTP Level3 you will need to wrap that around the > msgb you got. I means: is the interaction with mtp3 layer implemented (is sending sccp data by mtp3 implemented by the library?)? Also, what about the reception of data from mtp3 layer. is that implemented in the sccp lib. I am asking these questions because I see the code of mtp3 in the lib but no significant call is present in the sccp part of the lib. Thank you for your help.

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dynamic traffic channels
by Neels Hofmeyr 20 May '25

20 May '25

On Tue, Jun 28, 2016 at 10:05:28AM +0200, Harald Welte wrote: > [translated from german] > is it certain that we switch a channel to PDCH only when > gprs mode != none? A TS can be GSM_PCHAN_TCH_F_PDCH; those are the only ones for which we send a PDCH ACT message. We send a PDCH ACT message - during init (CHANNEL OML's state changed to enabled -> send PDCH ACT), - and upon channel release ack when pchan == GSM_PCHAN_TCH_F_PDCH. So the question is, when we receive a channel release ack, could that be the PDCH release and we switch PDCH right back on by accident? No, because we only receive a chan rel ack when the *TCH/F* is being released. That is because the PDCH release is initiated "internally" from the PDCH DEACT, and thus this condition in common/rsl.c rsl_tx_rf_rel_ack() catches on, which existed before dyn PDCH: if (lchan->rel_act_kind != LCHAN_REL_ACT_RSL) { LOGP(DRSL, LOGL_NOTICE, "%s not sending REL ACK\n", gsm_lchan_name(lchan)); return 0; } In rsl_rx_rf_chan_rel() the rel_act_kind is set to LCHAN_REL_ACT_RSL, but not in the rsl_rx_dyn_pdch(). This is analogous to the ip.access way -- the ip.access nanobts replies to a PDCH DEACT with a PDCH DEACT ACK and doesn't send a separate channel release ack. Maybe we could set rel_act_kind to some new LCHAN_REL_ACT_IPAC_DYN_PDCH for clarity? (But we shouldn't actually send a release ack, to stay compatible.) Even though it works as-is, we should indeed add another flag check: - We do check the flags that no ACT/DEACT is already pending; - And we do send a PDCH DEACT only if ts->flags & TS_F_PDCH_ACTIVE; - But we would send a PDCH ACT despite ts->flags & TS_F_PDCH_ACTIVE. This should never happen, but it would make sense to ensure that. ~Neels

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osmo-bts-trx fails frequently on osmo-gsm-tester
by Neels Hofmeyr 10 Oct '17

10 Oct '17

We're still having massive stability problems with osmo-bts-trx on the osmo-gsm-tester. I have run a tcpdump on the ntp port for the past days, and nothing is doing ntp besides the actual ntp service. Today I started ntp while an osmo-bts-trx run was active and what do you know, the osmo-bts-trx process exits immediately. I think this is bad, osmo-bts-trx shouldn't use wall clock time for precise timing needs. Besides that, I have no idea what could cause the clock skews, except maybe that the CPU or the USB are not fast enough?? I'm wondering, is there still such a thing as a separate linux realtime kernel? We will soon take to productive use another main unit which will be a cleanly installed OS. If we see the same problems on that system and can't find a software fix, we may need to reconsider the tester for osmo-bts-trx... ~N

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OpenBSC USSD external application
by Rowan Phipps 15 Sep '17

15 Sep '17

Hi, I’ve been looking into getting ussd working with an external application. I found a branch from last year (fairwaves/sup-ussd) that looks like it has implemented most of ussd sessions and possibly communicates with an external application. Does anyone know if it was finished or what still needs to be done? I also found a python script called ussd_example.py which looks like it is supposed to act as a gateway and receive used connections from openbsc. Is this correct and did it work or am I misunderstanding its purpose? Thanks! - Rowan Phipps

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catch-22 VTY error
by Neels Hofmeyr 07 Sep '17

07 Sep '17

I'd like to share a VTY config error analysis that has a tricky solution: I started osmo-bsc -c osmo-bsc.cfg with, according to openbsc/doc/examples/osmo-bsc: net [...] bts 0 [...] periodic location update 30 trx 0 [...] and get this error: There is no such command. Error occurred during reading below line: trx 0 what? 'net / bts / trx' is no command?? Solution: I'm on the vlr_3G branch (incorporating 2G via A-interface) and on this branch, I've actually moved the 'periodic location update N' command a level up, from net / bts / periodic to net / periodic (background: assuming that OsmoMSC does not have individual BTS info, we moved some settings up to network level; whether this makes sense for osmo-bsc is a different question, it's just what happens to be on the vlr_3G branch now). So there is no net / bts / periodic command. Why do I get an error for net / bts / trx instead? two reasons: 1. 'trx 0' was the line following the 'periodic' command, 2. since 'periodic' exists one level above, the vty code goes to the parent node automatically. About 2: we tend to indent our VTY config files, but in fact the indentation has no effect whatsoever, it is just eye candy (very useful eye candy). The code in question: If a command does not exist, try 'vty_go_parent()' and see if the command exists there. That's what allows us to omit 'exit' in our config files to go to the parent node explicitly: libosmocore/src/vty/command.c: int config_from_file(struct vty *vty, FILE * fp) { int ret; vector vline; while (fgets(vty->buf, VTY_BUFSIZ, fp)) { vline = cmd_make_strvec(vty->buf); /* In case of comment line */ if (vline == NULL) continue; /* Execute configuration command : this is strict match */ ret = cmd_execute_command_strict(vline, vty, NULL); /* Try again with setting node to CONFIG_NODE */ while (ret != CMD_SUCCESS && ret != CMD_WARNING && ret != CMD_ERR_NOTHING_TODO && is_config_child(vty)) { HERE -----> vty_go_parent(vty); ret = cmd_execute_command_strict(vline, vty, NULL); } cmd_free_strvec(vline); if (ret != CMD_SUCCESS && ret != CMD_WARNING && ret != CMD_ERR_NOTHING_TODO) return ret; } return CMD_SUCCESS; } In this case the 'periodic...' command does in fact now exist one level above, so the vty_go_parent() is successful and running that command works. But, the vty config parsing then sits above on the 'network' level, is no longer in 'bts 0' and hence refuses to accept the following bts-level command, in this case 'trx 0'. Confusing! So it's not a bug, it's a feature. But it's a feature we might see quite often if we move the 'periodic' command up to network level and users attempt to use their old config files. Same goes for the 'timezone' command, BTW, so we might want to rename commands, or re-consider moving commands one level up in the first place. Maybe we should leave backward compat catchers in place that print a warning. ~N -- - Neels Hofmeyr <nhofmeyr(a)sysmocom.de> http://www.sysmocom.de/ ======================================================================= * sysmocom - systems for mobile communications GmbH * Alt-Moabit 93 * 10559 Berlin, Germany * Sitz / Registered office: Berlin, HRB 134158 B * Geschäftsführer / Managing Directors: Harald Welte

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OpenBSC August 2017