Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) Overview 
Cisco ASR 5000 Series Product Overview ▄  
Figure 170.  Call Flow for PDP Context Activation 
6
7
4
1
MS/UE
SGSN
GGSN
 DNS
Server
DHCP
Server
 AAA
Server
2
2
3
5
 
The following table provides detailed explanations for each step indicated in the figure above. 
 
Table 88.  PDP Context Activation Procedure 
The MS/UE sends a PDP Activation Request message to the SGSN containing an Access Point Name (APN). 
The SGSN sends a DNS query to resolve the APN provided by the MS/UE to a GGSN address. 
The DNS server provides a response containing the IP address of a GGSN. 
The SGSN sends a Create PDP Context Request message to the GGSN containing the information needed to authenticate 
the subscriber and establish a PDP context. 
If required, the GGSN performs authentication of the subscriber. 
If the MS/UE requires an IP address, the GGSN may allocate one dynamically via DHCP. 
The GGSN sends a Create PDP Context Response message back to the SGSN containing the IP Address assigned to the 
MS/UE. 
The SGSN sends a Activate PDP Context Accept message to the MS/UE along with the IP Address. 
Upon PDP Context Activation, the SGSN begins generating S-CDRs. The S-CDRs are updated periodically based on 
Charging Characteristics and trigger conditions. 
A GTP-U tunnel is now established and the MS/UE can send and receive data.