Access Service Network (Asn) - Cisco ASR 5000 series Product Overview

▀ ASN Gateway in a WiMAX Network

Access Service Network (ASN)

The ASN is an aggregation of functional entities and corresponding message flows associated with the access services.
The ASN represents a boundary for functional interoperability with WiMAX clients, WiMAX connectivity service
functions, and other vendor-specific functions.
An ASN is defined as a complete set of network functions that provide radio access to a WiMAX subscriber. The ASN
provides the following functions:
WiMAX Layer-2 (L2) connectivity with WiMAX SS/MS
The transfer of AAA messages to WiMAX subscribers' Home Network Service Provider (H-NSP) for
authentication, authorization, and session accounting for subscriber sessions
Network discovery and the selection of an appropriate NSP from which WiMAX subscribers accesses WiMAX
service(s)
Relay functionality for establishing Layer-3 (L3) connectivity with a WiMAX SS/MS (IP address allocation)
Radio resource management
ASN-CSN tunneling
In addition to the above mandatory functions, for a portable and mobile environment the ASN supports the following
functions:
ASN anchor mobility
CSN anchor mobility
Paging and location management
The ASN has the following network elements:
The WiMAX base station, which is a logical entity that embodies a full instance of the WiMAX Medium Access
Control (MAC) layer and physical layer in compliance with the IEEE 802.16 suite of applicable standards. The
base station may host one or more access functions and is logically connected to one or more ASN Gateways.
The ASN Gateway (ASN Gateway), which is a logical entity that represents an aggregation of control plane
functional entities. These entities are paired with a corresponding function in the ASN, for example a base
station instance, a resident function in the CSN, or a function in another ASN.
The ASN Gateway may also perform bearer plane routing or bridging functions.
The ASN consists of at least one instance of a base station and at least one instance of an ASN Gateway (ASN
Gateway). An ASN may be shared by more than one Connectivity Service Networks (CSN).
The ASN decomposition with Network Reference Model (NRM) is shown in the following figure.
▄ Cisco ASR 5000 Series Product Overview
ASN Gateway Overview
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