Diameter Application (4.3)
- Jenni Wallin
The Diameter Application profile captures a set of AVP and command code definitions that are recognized by the Diameter Stack agent during runtime. The Diameter Application profile is loaded when you start a workflow that depends on it. Changes to the profile become effective when you restart the workflow. The Diameter Application profile enables you to import or export AVP and Command specifications in two supported formats: ABNF (Augmented Backus-Naur Format) XML (eXtensible Markup Language) Select the Import Specifications button and select Import ABNF Specifications. Then click on the Select button to open a dialog for selecting a file. Select an ABNF file and click Open to import the ABNF file to your application profile configuration. Note! For further information about the ABNF file, see Diameter ABNF Specification Syntax(3.0). Info! If your ABNF file contains specifications that are already included in the Diameter profile, you are prompted to select one of the alternatives to overwrite, rename or skip importing the file specification. Overwrite The file specification replaces the existing one. Rename The file specification is imported and with a new name so that conflict with the existing specification is avoided. Example - How the Rename Setting Works A specification called Re-Auth-Request is already included in the profile when the first attempt to re-import it occurs. The new file name is Skip The file specification is not imported. On Current Definition Only Apply the selection of Overwrite, Rename, or Skip, only to the current specification. On All Upcoming Definitions Apply to all future imported specifications. Select the Import Specifications button and select Import XML Specifications. Then click on the Select button to open a dialog for selecting a file. Select an XML file and click Open to import the XML file to your application profile configuration. Note! For further information about the XML file, see Diameter XML Specification Syntax(3.0). For further information about handling specifications (XML or ABNF) that are already included in the application profile, see the section above, Handling Duplicate Specification Files. From the Diameter menu select Export ABNF Specifications and the Select a Target File for Export dialog opens. Select an ABNF file and click Save. The ABNF file (both AVPs and commands) is saved as an export file. Note! For further information about the ABNF file, see Diameter ABNF Specification Syntax(3.0). From the Diameter menu select Export XML Specifications and the Select a Target File for Export dialog opens. Select an XML file and click Save. The XML file (both AVPs and commands) is saved as an export file. Note! For further information about the XML file, see Diameter XML Specification Syntax(3.0). The commands that you use in the Diameter Application profile are predefined command sets of specific solutions. The Commands tab in the Diameter Application profile enables you to create and edit command sets that are customized according to your needs. Name The command name. For example: Credit-Control-Request. Code The unique numeric command code. For example: 272. For further information, see the Show Base Commands description below. Application ID The numeric representation of the Diameter Application that this command belongs to, for example: 4 - Diameter Credit-Control. Show Base Commands Select this check box to view predefined commands, their numeric code, and Application ID. These are the commands specified in Diameter Base Protocol (RFC 6733). To open the Add Diameter Command Specification configuration, click the Add button at the bottom of the Commands tab. Command Name Enter a unique command name. When you save the configuration, a UDR type with the specified name will be generated. Command Code Enter a numeric command code. Each command that belongs to the same Diameter Application must have a unique code. Application ID The numeric representation of the Diameter Application that the command belongs to. Flags Select the Request check box to mark the command as a request message (r-bit is set in Diameter message header); clear the Request check box to mark the command as an answer message. Select Proxiable to enable the command to support proxy, relay, or redirection (p-bit is set in Diameter message header). For more information about the Proxiable flag, see the Diameter Base Protocol (RFC 6733). This flag is set by default when a new command is added. Select Error to mark that the message contains a protocol error (e-bit is set in Diameter message header), so that the message will not conform to the ABNF described for this command. This flag is typically used for test purposes. If you want to send an error message answer from APL, it is recommended that you use the UDR Auto-Populate Click on this button to automatically fill out the AVP Layout table with data, based on your Flags selection. The Category of the AVP data is set to Note! To manually modify the data in the table cells double-click a cell. Setting Flags to Request and Proxiable, auto-populates the AVP Layout table with the following AVPs: Origin-Realm Origin-Host Destination-Realm Setting Flags to Proxiable only, auto-populates the AVP Layout table with the following AVPs: Origin-Realm Origin-Host Result-Code Setting Flags to Error, prevents the AVP Layout table from being auto-populated. This table includes a list of all the AVPs in a specific command. From the table you can add, edit, and remove AVPs. To manually modify the data in the table cells double-click a cell; either a drop-down list button appears and enables you to select a different content, or the cell becomes editable. There are three different AVP categories: A Fixed AVP must be included in its predefined space in the command. A Required AVP must be included, but may appear anywhere in the message. An Optional AVP can appear anywhere in the message. AVP UDR types are generated for the Diameter Application profile based on the command configuration. When Max is set to 2 or <unbounded> the data type of the UDR field for the AVP will be To open the Edit Diameter Command Specification configuration, click the Edit button at the bottom of the Commands tab. The Edit Diameter Command dialog is identical to the Add Diameter Command Specification dialog. The same description applies for editing a Command specification. With the Command tab selected, click the Clear Button and click OK. All the Command specifications are deleted. You could also select individual commands and remove them using the remove button at the bottom of the Commands tab. AVPs carry the data payload in all Diameter messages. While Auto-Populate Click this button to enter missing table entries in all the user defined AVPs of a command in the table. Note! Does not apply to base AVPs. Name The AVP name. Code The numeric code that represents the AVP. This number is unique and fixed for every AVP. For further information, see the AVP specifications. For example: RFCs. Type The AVP data format as specified in the Diameter Base Protocol (RFC 6733). UDR types are generated for the Diameter application profile based on the AVP configuration. The AVP data formats are mapped to the UDR data types as follows: Vendor The numeric Vendor ID of the AVP. The vendor ID of all the IETF standard Diameter applications is 0 (zero). Show Base AVPs To display all predefined AVP types, check Show Base AVPs. These are the AVPs specified in Diameter Base Protocol (RFC 6733). To open the Add Diameter AVP Specification configuration, click the Add button at the bottom of the AVPs tab. AVP Name The name of the AVP. AVP Code The numeric id of the AVP. Vendor ID The number that represents the vendor. The default value is 0 (zero). AVP Type The data type of the AVP. Selecting Enumeration or Grouped reveals configuration options in the Enumeration/Group Properties table. Mandatory ('M') Bit The M-bit allows the sender to indicate to the receiver whether or not understanding the semantics of an AVP and its content is mandatory. If the M-bit is set by the sender and the receiver does not understand the AVP or the values carried within that AVP, then a failure is generated. For further information about the M-bit, see the Diameter Base Protocol (RFC 6733). The following applies for incoming and outgoing messages that contains the configured AVP: MUST:The M-bit is set to 1 in outgoing messages and must be set to 1 in incoming messages. MAY:The M-bit is set to 0 or 1 (configurable in the Advanced tab) in outgoing messages and may be set to 0 or 1 in incoming messages. SHOULD:The M-bit is set to 0 in outgoing messages and may be set to 0 or 1 in incoming messages. MUST NOT:The M-bit is set to 0 in outgoing messages and must be set to 0 in incoming messages. You can change the value of the M-bit from APL if Mandatory ('M') Bit is set to MAY or SHOULD. Protection ('P') Bit The P-bit bit is reserved for future usage of end-to-end security. Enumeration/Group Properties This table is accessible for editing only when AVP Type is configured as Enumerated or as Grouped. This table enables you to add, edit, or remove AVPs or enumeration values. For further information about the tables columns and entries, see the section above, To Add a Diameter Command Specification. To open the Edit Diameter AVP Specification configuration, click the Edit button at the bottom of the AVPs tab. The Edit Diameter AVP dialog is identical to the Add Diameter AVP Specification dialog. The same description applies for editing an AVP specification. With the AVPs tab selected, click on the Clear button and click OK. All the AVP specifications are deleted. You could also select individual AVPs and remove them using the remove button at the bottom of the AVPs tab. The identifiers in this tab define the advertised applications for the capabilities handshake. They are used whenever the Diameter Stack agent initiates or responds to a new transport connection, in order to negotiate the compatible applications for the link. For further information about Authentication and Accounting Applications, see Diameter Base Protocol (RFC 6733). Auto-Populate Click this button to add Application IDs, that are used in any of the commands, to the Application ID table. In the Vendor Specific Applications table, available Vendor IDs are extracted from the AVPs tab into the Vendor ID column. Note! Auto-Populate cannot populate Vendor ID and Application ID into a Vendor Specific Applications table if a vendor specific application command is configured in the command tab. This means that a command includes a Vendor-Specific-Application-Id AVP. Application ID Numeric codes of the supported applications Authentication This field will be checked if the ID is flagged as an application with Authentication. Accounting This field will be checked if the ID is flagged as an application with Accounting. To open the Add Application configuration, click the Add button at the bottom of the Application IDs table in the CER/CEA tab. To open the Edit Application configuration, click the Edit button at the bottom of the Application IDs table in the CER/CEA tab. The Edit Application dialog is identical to the Add Application dialog. The same description applies for adding an application ID. With the CER/CEA tab selected, select the individual application IDs and remove them using the remove button at the bottom of the Application IDs table in the CER/CEA tab. Vendor ID Enter the numeric code of the vendor. Auth App ID Enter the vendor specific authentication application ID. Acct App ID Enter the vendor specific accounting application ID. To open the Add Application configuration, click the Add button at the bottom of the Vendor Specific Application table in the CER/CEA tab. To open the Edit Application configuration, click the Edit button at the bottom of the Vendor Specific Application table in the CER/CEA tab. The Edit Application dialog is identical to the Add Application dialog. The same description applies for adding a Vendor specific application. With the CER/CEA tab selected, select the individual vendor IDs and remove them using the remove button at the bottom of the Vendor Specific Application table in the CER/CEA tab. The Advanced tab contains additional settings for the Diameter Application profile. Import and Export Specifications
To Import a Specification
Setting Description Re-Auth-Request-1. The next attempt to re-import the same specification file will be imported as Re-Auth-Request-2.To Import XML Specifications
To Export ABNF Specifications
To Export XML Specifications
Commands Tab
Setting Description To Add a Diameter Command Specification
Setting Description Diameter.Base.Error_Answer_Message.Required .AVP Layout Table Item Description Category Enter or modify an AVP name. Min Enter the lowest number of AVPs that the command should contain. Max Enter the highest number of AVPs that the command should contain. list<data type>.To Edit a Command
To Clear Command Specifications
AVPs Tab
recognizes all the AVPs that are defined in the Diameter Base Protocol, it also recognizes your customized AVPs. In the AVPs tab you can define your own customized AVPs.
Setting Description To Add an AVP
Setting Description To Edit an AVP
To Clear AVP Specifications
CER/CEA Tab
Application IDs Table
Item Description Adding Application IDs
Item Description Application ID Enter the numeric code for the application. Authentication Select this option to indicate if this application should be flag as an authenticating application. Accounting Select this option to indicate if this application should be flag as an accounting application. Editing Application IDs
Removing Application IDs
Vendor Specific Applications Table
Item Description Adding Vendor specific applications
Item Description Vendor ID Enter the numeric ID for the vendor's application. Auth App ID Select this option to indicate if this application has an authentication application ID and enter the ID in the empty field. Acct App ID Select this option to indicate if this application has an accounting application ID and enter the ID in the empty field. Editing Vendor Specific Applications
Removing Vendor Specific Applications
Advanced Tab
Setting Description Default Outgoing 'M' Bit Set to 1 When Flag Rule MAY Is Selected When this check box is selected and Mandatory ('M') Bit is set to MAY in the AVPs tab, the M-bit will be set to 1 in outgoing messages.