Magma : cloud native wireless networking

Introduction

It is an open-source project and a software platform that will help operators to deploy mobile networks quickly and easily. Magma provides a software-central distributed mobile packet core. It is 3GPP generation (4G & 5G) and also network agnostic. Their orchestrator can be deployed on the public/private cloud.

Importance

As we know ,mobile packet cores are important infrastructure for any mobile network and are very complex to operate. Magma is not only intended to replace existing EPC deployments for large networks but also, it extends existing network topologies to the edge of rural deployments, private LTE networks. By enabling automation of common network operations ,magma reduces the complexity of operating mobile networks and also simplifies the mobile network deployment empowers to build connectivity infrastructure.

Magma Goals

Magma aims to provide a mobile core networking solution that have :
• Cost-effectiveness
• Scalability
• Manageable for operators providing network access in remote regions
• Reliability
• Compatible with existing 3GPP networks

Magma Architecture

Below diagram is an overview of the Magma architecture. This diagram includes the Access Gateway, Orchestrator, and Federation Gateway. It also have a number of interfaces to components in the “operator core”, which is relevant in the case where Magma is used to extend the operator’s existing mobile network.

There are main three component in magma architecture ,let us discuss all one by one :

1. Orchestrator : It is a cloud service that provides a simple, consistent, and secure way to configure and monitor the wireless network. This can be hosted on a public cloud as well as on private cloud. The metrics acquired through the platform allow you to see the analytics and traffic flows of the wireless users through the Magma web User Interface. This implements a centralized management plane, as well as aspects of the control plane for Magma.

2. Access Gateway (AGW) : It implements the runtime features of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC): the Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW), and aspects of the Mobility Management Entity (MME). “Runtime” refers to those functions that are frequently changing due to events such as the powering on of a UE, consumption of usage quota, or a mobility event. There are typically many AGWs for one Orchestrator, and a single AGW typically supports multiple base stations.

3. Federation Gateway (FGW) : It terminates a number of standard interfaces to an existing mobile core and then communicates with the Orchestrator over gRPC. This enables a Magma system to connect to and extend the existing mobile core, leveraging existing subscriber data, billing systems, and policies.