Emulate, Test and Monitor 5G Service-Based Interface Functions

Welcome to another edition of GL’s newsletter! We are pleased to announce the latest release of our 5G Service-Based Interface (SBI) testing solutions, supporting interfaces like N8, N10, N12, N13, N17, N20, N21, N22, N29, and N51 in line with 3GPP Release 17. This scalable solution enables robust emulation and testing of core network functions, whether validating standalone nodes or complete 5G call flows.

5G Service-Based Interface

Overview

GL’s Message Automation and Protocol Simulation (MAPS™) 5G system, based on a service-based architecture, includes a set of Network Functions (NFs) that provide services as defined in 3GPP Release 17 standards. The service-based interfaces use the HTTP protocol with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) as the application-layer serialization format, enabling comprehensive testing of network infrastructure, applications, and User Equipment (UE).

The MAPS™ 5G SBI test suite is an all-in-one solution for emulating, testing, and validating 5G core network functions in compliance with 3GPP. It supports key network functions including the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Short Message Service Function (SMSF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Equipment Identity Register (EIR), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), and User Plane Function (UPF). This support enables comprehensive validation of control and user plane procedures, ensuring network reliability, performance, and interoperability.

The test suite enables both functional and load testing by generating high volumes of control-plane traffic to evaluate network performance, scalability, and reliability. It also facilitates wrap-around testing by replacing any network function with the device under test and supports large-scale emulations involving multiple base stations and tens of thousands of UEs for comprehensive end-to-end validation.

The latest MAPS™ 5G SBI release includes a YAML editor that simplifies the creation of JSON-structured messages for REST-based HTTP APIs. With its easy-to-read format, the editor allows users to design and manage JSON templates without the usual complexity. This feature speeds up test configuration and improves the overall testing workflow.


Supported Interfaces and Procedures

This test suite supports critical 5G core network procedures in full compliance with 3GPP, including registration, authentication, session setup/release, policy control, subscriber data management, slice selection, and secure communication.

Interface Nodes Involved Procedure Description
N8 AMF ↔ UDM Accesses subscriber data, context management, and location services.
N10 UDM ↔ SMF Retrieves subscription data and manages session context.
N12 AUSF ↔ AMF Exchanges authentication vectors and establishes security contexts.
N13 AUSF ↔ UDM Provides authentication data and subscriber policy-related information.
N17 EIR ↔ AMF Verifies equipment identity and supports session control.
N20 AMF ↔ SMSF Registers SMS services and manages SMS delivery.
N21 UDM ↔ SMSF Manages SMS subscriptions, message forwarding, and control.
N22 AMF ↔ NSSF Selects an appropriate network slice based on subscription and service.
N29 NEF ↔ SMF Enables service exposure, policy control, and charging triggers.
N51 AMF ↔ NEF Handles event reporting, data forwarding, and traffic steering.

In addition, GL’s 5G Protocol Analyzer monitors 5G networks effectively, capturing, decoding, and gathering statistics across the N1N2, N4, N8, N10, N11, N12, and N13 interfaces. This provides valuable insights to support efficient 5G network operation.


Key Features

  • YAML editor simplifies the creation of JSON messages for REST APIs, streamlining test configuration and improving overall testing efficiency
  • Supports HTTP2/TLS and Rest APIs emulation in 5G Core
  • Supports a command-line interface allowing users to control all features through Python APIs for automation
  • Each MAPS™ server can receive multiple Python client connections and offer independent execution to each Python client. A single Python client can connect to multiple MAPS™ servers
  • MAPS™ 5G Lab enables end-to-end testing using real and emulated UE's
  • Customize call flow and message templates using Script and Message Editor
  • Enables automated call reception and scripted call generation
  • Provides Call Statistics, Events Status, and Schedulers to run tests 24/7

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