Challenge 4 : UPF

UPF stands for User Plane Function, It is responsible for managing the user plane data traffic, handling packet routing, forwarding, and other functions related to data transmission between the User Equipment (UE) and external data networks.

The main responsibilities of the UPF in 5GC include:

• Packet Routing and Forwarding: The UPF routes and forwards data packets between the UE and external data networks, ensuring efficient and reliable data transmission.
• QoS Enforcement: It enforces Quality of Service (QoS) policies defined by the Policy Control Function (PCF) to ensure that different types of data traffic receive the appropriate level of priority and resources.
• Data Buffering and De-duplication: The UPF may buffer and de-duplicate data packets to optimize data transmission and reduce network congestion.
• User Plane Interactions: It interacts with other 5GC elements like SMF (Session Management Function) and AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) to facilitate session establishment, modification, and termination.

UPF: Configuration

To configure the AMF, you must provide the necessary information in the file located at “~/free5gc/config/upfcfg.yaml”

• PFCP interface addr (N4) and nodeID: 127.0.0.8
• GTPU interface addr (N3): <eth0 IP address>
• dnn: internet
• cidr: 10.60.0.0/24 : refers to an IP address range used for UE (User Equipment) allocation.

To obtain the IP address of the “eth0” interface, you can execute the “ifconfig” command and extract the IP corresponding to the interface.

ifconfig

Navigate to the UPF configuration file and modify the mentioned attributes with their respective values.

vim ~/free5gc/config/upfcfg.yaml