This is a summary of the work that has happened on the osmo-pcu software in 2020, specifically the timeframe January 2020 through early February 2021.
- large number of various CSN.1 encoder/decoder fixes
- fix an infinite loop in CSN.1 dissector
- fix pcu_sock related memory leak
- MS RA capability parsing fixes (#4463)
- properly encode P-TMSI in RR PAGING REQUEST
- Fix UL-ACK not sent to MS if intermediate UL block is lost
- 11bit RACH support (EGPRS Packet channel Requeset, #1548)
- do not encode out-of-range TA value
- fix RRBP field in packet uplink assignment
- add support for IPv6 NS-VCs
- add support for frequency hopping
- fix crashes due to NULL pointer deref (#4756)
- downgrade to DL MCS1-4 when USF for GPRS_only MS (#4544)
- Get rid of LLC UI dummy blocks following other data (#4849)
- support GPRS concurrently with EGPGRS (previously only either/or)
- support Gb interface with IP-SNS
- Fix Dl EGPRS data blocks being generated occasionally on GPRS TBFs (#4973)
- NACC (Network Assisted Cell Change) support
So in short:
- lots of bugs fixed all over
- GPRS and EPGRS are no longer exclusive, but GPRS-only MS can be served while EGPRS is active
- Network Assisted Cell Change is going to significantly improve cell reselection performance
- IPv6 support on the Gb interface
- IP-SNS support on the Gb interface
We are planning to tag a new osmo-pcu release soon-ish. This is mainly awaiting the full stabilization of the "NS2" (new NS code) VTY interface and APIs. Once released, those will be stable and cannot be modified in incompatible manner anymore.
So far, the icE1usb reuired a custom user-space driver (osmo-e1d) in order to operate. While this has the advantage that no kerne/operating system level code is required, it has a few disadvantages such as the increased overhead of frequent context switches, the increased propability of overruns/underruns and the lack of interoperability with other software outside the Osmocom universe.
A first version of a DAHDI hardware driver for icE1usb is now available for public beta-testing, for details see redmine issue #4923
Using this DAHDI driver, it should be possible to use icE1usb with any DAHDI-using application, such as Asterisk, FreeSWITCH and others.
Fully assembled and tested icE1usb adapters are now available via the sysmocom webshop for purchase.
As a fully Open Source Hardware (OSHW) design, anyone can of course assemble their own hardware units based on the design files within the git repository.
Our gerrit instance at https://gerrit.osmocom.org has been upgraded from 2.16.x to the latest release 3.2.3. This migrates us away from an (since June) unsupported 2.16.x release.
For https://jenkins.osmocom.org/ we just did a minor LTS upgrade from 2.235.2 to 2.249.1
If there are any problems, please report them in the bug tracker associated with this "Osmocom.org Servers" project in redmine.
There will be another scheduled outage of most public Osmocom services (redmine, jenkins, gerrit) on 2020-07-21 7:30am CEST with an expected maximum duration of 45 minutes.
There is an urgent need to migrate our most important public infrastructure to a new server, and I will be doing that on Sunday, July 19 2020, starting about 9am CEST.
The migration involves redmine (main osmocom.org website), jenkins, gerrit, git, and cgit.
In theory, the migration should be quick. I would expect (significantly) less than one hour of downtime. However, we all know Murphys law.
Services not affected are mail (including mailman lists), ftp, dns. So in case of doubt, we can still use mailing lists to communicate.
In case anyone urgently needs osmocom source code on Sunday morning during the downtime: There are public mirrors available on github.
Regards, laforge
The D-GSM implementation developed under a Mozilla MOSS grant is now complete and merged to the OsmoHLR master branch. It is hence featured in OsmoHLR's Nightly Builds, and will be included in the next OsmoHLR release (upcoming OsmoHLR v1.21).
Distributed GSM is a unique feature set tailored to non-centralized collaboration of communal mobile network sites, as explained in this news post from a few months ago: Distributed GSM / Multicast MS Lookup. Compared to traditional (centralized, highly available) core networks, the most novel aspects of D-GSM are that it allows mobile network sites to roam its subscribers and connect calls without any central entity, and that it minimizes disruption that may be caused by unstable links between sites.
Find full documentation in the OsmoHLR User Manual: there is a new section called "Distributed GSM / Multicast MS Lookup", explaining how to configure and run D-GSM in all detail. Find the latest manuals here.
Please go ahead and give D-GSM a spin, and let us know of any feedback!
The Osmocom project has released new version 202001 of the CNI (Cellular Network Infrastructure) software, including OsmoTRX, OsmoBTS, OsmoPCU, OsmoBSC, OsmoMGW, OsmoMSC, OsmoHLR, OsmoSGSN, OsmoGGSN, OsmoSTP, OsmoSIPConnector, and others.
Those new tagged/released versions contain five months of work since the previous versions released during August 2019. The primary focus was on bug-fixing and stabilization as well as some major new features, such as inter-MSC-handover support in osmo-msc.
You can find pre-compiled binary packages of our latest release for a variety of Debian and Ubuntu GNU/Linux versions at Latest_Builds.
List of tagged versions and link to related ChangeLog¶
Noteworthy Changes¶
Misc / Common¶
- libosmocore: logging (and other subsystem) improvements for multi-thread processes (like osmo-trx)
- libosmocore, libosmo-netif, libosmo-sccp: multi-address (multi-homing) support (multi-homing) and configure flags for libsctp (--enable-libsctp)
- libosmocore: integration of libusb in libosmocore's main loop (--enable-libusb)
- libosmocodec: new generic Error Concealment Unit abstraction
- libosmovty: Several crash fixes and improvements regarding command parsing, node tracking, etc.
- libosmogsm: add support for XOR authentication
- libosmo-abis: DAHDI support fixes and improvements. It is now enabled by default (--enable-dahdi)
- osmo-iuh: First version of libosmo-sabp now available, containing SABP ASN.1 from 3GPP TS 25.419 V11.1.0
- osmo-iuh: First version of OsmoHNBGW User Manual now available.
- Add code coverage support
- port most python scripts to use python3 (python2 will become deprecated soon)
- Improve reproducibility, fix sporadic failures of some tests
- Improved robustness all along the code, fixing several crashes and regressions, avoiding unnoticed underrun events, etc.
- Lots of logging improvements (use libosmocore multi-thread lock API, print channel, new log categories, support libuhd's >=3.11 logging system, etc.)
- Several fixes in TRXDv1 and TRXC (avoid dropping ul idle indications, wrong responses on some CMDs, etc.)
- Improved performance in some specific cases (Enable EDGE detection only on PDCH timeslots)
- Multi-arfcn improvements: ARFCN setup verficiation (RXTUNE/TXTUNE), code cleanup
- vty: Simplify filler burst settings and improve help and readability
- Increased robustness and small fixes and improvements all over the code
- Several fixes and improvements in PCU interface: fix endian-swapped CellID, forward ETWS Primary Notification, set correct ARFCN, etc.
- New improved generic MS Power Control Loop available for all BTS variants ("ms-power-control osmo")
- Migrate to use new libosmocore's generic ECU abstraction
- Several fixes and improvements for measurement reports.
- vty: add "logging filter l1-sapi"
- bts-trx: Fix several inconsistencies in TRX setup and lifecycle management of each TRX, clock availability, etc.
- bts-trx: Improvements thanks to information available from TRX using TRXDv1 (C/I, ToA, etc.)
- bts-trx: Improvements handling PDCH: fix handling of PTCCH/U and PTCCH/D logical channels, detect TSC for Access Burstsm etc.
- Improve User Manual documentation
- Forward ETWS Primary Notification to MS
- Several crash, assertion fixes and robustness improvements
- GSMTAP support improved, with more categories and fixes on existing ones
- Move some of the existing timer infrastructure to use osmo_tdef
- PTCCH support added
- bssgp: do not reject SUSPEND ACK / NACK messages
- vty: fix command 'show tbf all': properly filter TBFs
- Cell Broadcast: CBSP and CBCH scheduling support
- SMSCB: Send ETWS primary Notification/Warning
- Fix RSL connection timeout for TRX other than first one
- Send IE MS Power Param during CHAN ACT (to osmo-bts only, to enable Autonomous MS Power Control Loop in BTS)
- Decode classmark of MS and infer its the maximum MS Power Control level, then tell the BTS through MS PWR CTRL message
- Support SCTP multi-homing in AoIP, lots of sigtran improvements (thanks to new libosmo-sccp)
- Several crashes fixes, robustness and logging improved
- Improvements in SGs interface and CSBF
- Several crash fixes, memory leak fixes, robustness and logging improved, specially during Call Control
- MNCC v6: add optional SDP to the socket protocol. Now SDP can be passed SIP<->MSC<->MGW.
- Improved counter documentation
- Fix SM-RP-OA encoding for MO SMS over GSUP
- Implement a VTY global switch on the network to disable call waiting ("[no] call-waiting")
- Support SCTP multi-homing in AoIP, lots of sigtran improvements (thanks to new libosmo-sccp)
OsmoHLR (and libosmo-gsup-client)¶
- Add --db-check program option
- Update tb dv schema v4 (and lots of infra added to test schema update)
- AUC: Add support for setting the AMF separation bit to '1' for EUTRAN
- Make tests more robust: return codes on mipsel and alpha archs, test_nodez.vty expectancies, etc.
- Several crash fixes and increased robustness
OsmoMGW (and libosmo-mgcp-client)¶
- Improvements in codec parsing and management
- Several crash fixes, memleak fixes and increased robustness
- MNCC v6: add optional SDP to the socket protocol
- logging from sofia: add missing newline
- Fixes in systemd's osmo-sip-connector.service dependencies
- Several robustness improvements
OsmoSTP (and libosmo-sigtran)¶
- Introduce SCTP multi-homing (multi address socket) support
- Support for all SS7 traffic modes: override, load-share, broadcast
- Dynamic ASP creation in AS for IPA connetions (identified by IPA unit id)
- Configure freely IPA/SCTP links as client or server, and M3UA link role as SGW or ASP
- osmo_sccp_simple_client(): use sccp instance index 0 instead of 1
- A lot more other SS7 protocol stack fixes and improvements
- File/directory structure cleanup
- Initial OsmoGbPROXY user manual
- Fix of some long standing bugs and crashes
- LLC: Don't use hard-coded N201-U / N201-I values in XID
- Improved Iu/RANAP support and related fixes
- Logging improvements
- Migrate timers to osmo_tdef
- gtp: Drop related pdp contexts on echo timeout against GGSN
- Lots of improvements in (P)MM state FSMs: related timers, actions, etc.
- Gb: implement PS Paging when MS is MM_STANDBY
- Implement echo req/resp and recovery
- libgtp: Manage queue timers internally
- libgtp: Remove packets in tx queue belonging pdp being freed
- Improvedd logging
- Some IPv6 related fixed
- Several crash fixes and improved robustness
Osmocom founder LaF0rge has presented a talk titled SIM Card Technology from A to Z at the 36th annual Chaos Communication Congress
The talk tries to be an in-depth technical introduction into various aspects of SIM cards, ranging from relevant standards, electrical aspects, protocols, command set, operating systems all the way up to SIM toolkit, proactive SIM and also slightly touch eSIM.
If you're interested, you can find the following related resources:
The Osmocom Retro-Networking / BBS-Revival project has successfully been operating at the 36th annual Chaos Communication Congress where it was known as the Retronetworking / BBS-Revival Assembly.
At this assembly, we operated our
Dialup_Network_In_A_Box setup, providing both analog telephone lines as well as ISDN BRI (S0) interfaces for dial-up. We could verify that the physical layer (telephony) was working as expected, and had a variety of demonstrations:
- dial-up to a variety of (ANSI) BBSs from TELIX on MS-DOS 6.22
- dial-up to a RIPscrip BBS (ACiD Underworld 2 from RIPterm on Novell DOS 7
- dial-up to a BBS from a Datenklo (DIY accoustic coupler with 300 bps)
- dial-up internet access using PPP over analog modem (Interfax at 28.8 kbps) lines
- dial-up internet access using PPP over ISDN lines
- tested from Windows 2000 with 1 B-channel but also bundling up to 3 B-channels resulting in blazingly-fast 192 kbps
Many people were interested in the setup - both those remembering the good old BBS days, as well as those who didn't witness it back then. Clearly, the modem connect sounds from the USR Sportster (set to highest volume) were drawing most attention. ISDN is boring in comparison ;)
We also had several visitors who would either bring their own computer + modem (for example Aminga 500 or x86 PC with Windows 2000) and connect to the system. Equally, several others have borrowed some modems from our pool to connect with their own machines. One supporter even brought their own DOS BBS, ran it in a VM on Linux and set up actual modem dial-in to that BBS on the venue itself.
All in all, it was a successful first event for the project to participate. As the core setup is running now, future events will likely have more emphasis on the software side of things, i.e. showcasing a variety of different protocols and systems, such as FTN networks, QWK readers, Zerberus/ZConnect/CrossPoint, etc.
If you're interested in working on any of this, your contribution is more than welcome. Feel free to reach out at the bbs-revival mailing list
