Data Sessions or Voice Calls Incorrectly Charged When GGSN Exceeds the Granted Data Volume Reserved by the Online Charging System

(Doc ID 1374434.1)

Last updated on DECEMBER 20, 2016

Applies to:

Oracle Communications Network Charging and Control - Version 2.2.0 to 4.3.0 [Release 2.2 to 4.3]
Information in this document applies to any platform.

Symptoms

Some GGSN (Gateway GPRS (general packet radio service) Support Node) data and/or voice sessions may occasionally allow the end user, or subscriber, to use slightly more data volume or time than granted by the Online Charging System (OCS).

For the Oracle Communications Network Charging and Control (NCC) platform, the granted data amount can be known as the reserved charge amount, or reservation.  A reservation is used as only the final amount of data volume used at session end is charged for and may be less than the reserved charge amount.  A reservation basically "locks up" an amount of account balance, with any unused reservation given back at call/session end.


In simple terms, a GGSN will request permission for a subscriber to have a data session (or a voice call) and the OCS will confirm permission and answer back with a reserved amount of data volume (or time) that the data session (or voice call) may use (based on subscriber's account balance or credit limits, etc).  The GGSN requests more data (or time) as needed, or informs the OCS of the final amount of data volume (or time) used at session end. 

When a GGSN Diameter Credit-ControlRequest message reports more data volume (or time) usage than was granted by the OCS, the following type of error message is generated in the system log file (/var/adm/messages) on the Service Logic Controllers (SLC):

Oct 12 14:25:03 slc01 slee_acs: [ID 675952 user.error] slee_acs(9220) ERROR: processUATBCallInProgressMultipleReservation_Camel(): Time returned
is outside acceptable range: maximum expected time (3000), time returned (45578)

 

The NCC's SLC provides the diameterControlAgent (DCA) interface as a Diameter gateway (refer to RFC 4006 - Diameter Credit-Control Application (RFC 4006) standards document) that allows a GGSN to communicate in Diameter to a non-Diameter OCS.

In terms of Diameter messaging this issue appears as a difference in the OCS Granted-Service-Unit AVP (Attribute-Value Pairs) and GGSN's larger Used-Service-Unit AVP.

For example:

   Credit-Control Answer
             Granted-Service-Unit: 000001A54000001000000000000E1C00
             CC-Total-Octets: 924672

    Credit-Control Request
             Used-Service-Unit: 000001A54000001000000000000E1ED00000019C40000010...
             CC-Total-Octets: 925392

Meaning 720 (924672 - 925392) extra data octets were used than were granted by the OCS.

Cause

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