Aviz Networks details PFCP session visibility

Aviz Service Node is described as a way to collect and correlate PFCP signaling on the Sxb interface in mobile core networks, then present the resulting session data in a form that supports troubleshooting, policy checks, and export to analytics tools.

Research Overview

The blog frames control and user plane separation as the architecture behind the Sxb interface, where PFCP carries session signaling between the packet data network gateway control plane and user plane functions. It says PFCP is used for session setup, modification, deletion, forwarding rules, quality of service, charging, and usage reporting.

According to the post, the Sxb interface is a source of operational data because it carries the messages that affect subscriber sessions across their lifecycle. The blog presents ASN as a system that captures those messages and maintains an updated view of each session.

Key Findings

The post says PFCP session data includes subscriber identifiers, session identifiers, forwarding policies, QoS enforcement rules, charging configuration, usage reporting rules, and traffic endpoint information. It also lists session status and the last PFCP cause among the stored fields.

ASN is described as continuously updating stored session information as establishment, modification, and deletion messages are processed. The blog says this lets operators review the full session history rather than inspect each packet separately.

Technical Breakdown

The article states that ASN supports PFCP Session Establishment, Modification, and Deletion request and response messages. It also says the platform handles both compressed and uncompressed PFCP packets and exports the latest session state through Kafka and IPFIX.

The metadata table in the post breaks the session record into subscriber information, session information, Packet Detection Rules, Forwarding Action Rules, QoS Enforcement Rules, Usage Reporting Rules, charging information, traffic endpoint information, and session status. Each category is tied to a specific control or user plane function, such as matching traffic, forwarding packets, applying QoS, or generating usage reports.

Charging Information

The blog identifies Charging Group, AAA Group, and GTPP Group as the charging fields ASN can extract from PFCP sessions. It says these fields link subscriber traffic with charging and accounting policies.

Operational Impact

The post says the session view can help operators validate forwarding rules, verify QoS policies, monitor charging and usage reporting configuration, and troubleshoot session establishment, modification, and deletion. It also says the enriched data supports external analytics and operational reporting.

In the blog, the main operational benefit is a consolidated view of subscriber session activity across the lifecycle. That view is presented as a way to reduce manual correlation across multiple PFCP messages.

Leadership Perspective

The conclusion says PFCP governs forwarding, enforcement, and oversight of subscriber traffic on user plane devices, and ASN aggregates that signaling into a single session record. The post ties that record to policy validation, troubleshooting, understanding subscriber behavior, and monitoring the network.

For enterprise network and telecom teams, the blog positions PFCP visibility as a source of structured operational data that can be exported to downstream systems. This Blog Summary is a fact-based summary of the vendor blog.

Blog post, originally published by Infant Ruban Suresh at aviznetworks.com.