Adding Subscriber Profiles via Open5GS Web UI

Accessing the Open5GS Web Interface

Open5GS includes a web-based user interface for managing its components, most importantly for our purpose, the subscriber database. Since you've already installed Open5GS, the web UI service should also be installed.

Your proficiency with Linux environments and managing services will be useful here. First, let's ensure the service is running.

1. Check the Service Status: Open a terminal on the machine where you installed Open5GS and run the following command:

   sudo systemctl status open5gs-webui.service
   

   You should see an "active (running)" status. If it's not active, you can start or restart it with:

   sudo systemctl restart open5gs-webui.service
   

2. Log in to the Web UI: Once the service is running, open a web browser on the same machine.

   • The Open5GS documentation typically points to http://localhost:9999.
   • Some guides, like the ShareTechnote resource, mention http://localhost:3000. This port may vary depending on the version of Open5GS you installed. Try http://localhost:9999 first.

   You will be prompted for credentials. The default login is:

   • Username: admin
   • Password: 1423

The following resource from ShareTechnote provides a good overview of these initial steps.

Creating the Subscriber Profile

Once logged in, you will see the main dashboard. Our goal is to create a new subscriber entry in the HSS that exactly matches the data you programmed onto your SIM card.

Step 1: Navigate to the Subscriber Section

As shown in the image below, start by clicking on the Subscriber menu item on the left, and then click the ADD A SUBSCRIBER button.

Step 2: Fill in the Subscriber Details

This will open a form with numerous fields. For a successful 4G attach, only a few are mandatory. The most critical are the IMSI and the security keys, which must be identical to the ones on your SIM card.

Let's use the exact values from the previous lesson:

• IMSI: 999700000000001
• Ki: 00112233445566778899AABBCCDDEEFF
• OPc: E8ED289DEBA952E4283B54E88E6183CA

Now, let's map these to the web form fields. The image below shows the "Create Subscriber" form with the key fields highlighted.

Fill out the form as follows:

1. IMSI: Enter 999700000000001.
2. Security Section:
   • Subscriber Key (K): Enter 00112233445566778899AABBCCDDEEFF.
   • USIM Type: Select OPc. This tells Open5GS that you are providing the pre-computed OPc value, not the root OP key.
   • Operator Key (OPc/OP): Enter E8ED289DEBA952E4283B54E88E6183CA.
   • Authentication Management Field (AMF): Leave this at the default value, which is typically 8000.
3. Subscription Section:
   • Access Point Name (APN): You need to define at least one APN. An APN is a gateway that connects the mobile network to an external IP network. For our test lab, we can define a simple one. Click + Add and enter internet as the identifier. You can leave the other APN fields (like QCI) at their default values for now.

The official Open5GS tutorial also walks through this process. You can review it for reinforcement.

For a dynamic overview of this process and a bit more context on the fields, the following short video is helpful.

Step 3: Save and Verify

After filling in the IMSI, security credentials, and APN, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the SAVE button.

The page will return to the subscriber list, and you should now see your newly created subscriber, identified by its IMSI. A key advantage of the web UI is that this change takes effect immediately in the Open5GS HSS database; no service restart is required.

You have now successfully provisioned the subscriber in the core network.

Conclusion

Fantastic work. You have now completed the configuration of all the fundamental components for your private 4G lab. The base station (srsENB) and core network (Open5GS) are configured, the subscriber's physical credential (the SIM card) is programmed, and the network's authentication database (the HSS) now has a matching record.

Key Takeaways:

• The Open5GS web UI is the management portal for the core network's subscriber database (HSS).
• For successful authentication, the subscriber profile in the HSS must contain the exact same IMSI, Ki, and OPc values that are programmed on the USIM card.
• In addition to security credentials, a subscriber profile must have at least one APN defined to allow for data connectivity.
• Changes made via the web UI are typically applied to the HSS in real-time without needing to restart core network services.

Preview of the Next Lesson:

With the lab built and the first subscriber fully provisioned, we are ready for the exciting part. The next module, "Operating the 4G Test Lab," will guide you through launching all the software components. In the very first lesson, you will launch and verify the operation of the Open5GS core network services, bringing the "brain" of our network online and preparing it to receive a connection request from a base station.