5G • Core Network
PFCP Association
PFCP Node Association Setup
Signaling handshake establishing communication and synchronizing capabilities between an SMF and a UPF.
Technical Explanation
Before any PDU sessions can be established, the SMF and UPF execute a PFCP Association Setup procedure over the N4 interface. They exchange IP addresses, supported features (e.g. header compression, SGi-LAN, tracing), node IDs, and clock timestamps, establishing a heartbeat supervision loop.
Key Functions
- Initializes N4 control plane relationship between SMF and UPF
- Exchanges hardware capabilities, node identities, and supported features
- Establishes periodic PFCP Heartbeat monitoring loop to detect node failure
Specifications
3GPP TS 29.244
Interfaces
N4
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