LTE RRC C Sample Code Using OSS ASN.1 Tools


This sample is provided as part of the OSS ASN.1 Tools trial and commercial shipments. The source code and related files are listed below for reference.

The sample demonstrates how to use the OSS ASN.1 Tools to process messages for the 3GPP LTE RRC standard (TS 36.331 version 19.0.0).

It runs on Linux on x86-64 as an example and illustrates how to decode, inspect, and create PER Unaligned LTE RRC messages using the OSS ASN.1 Tools API.

The sample reads RRC messages from .uper files, decodes and prints them, accesses message components, and creates and encodes a response message.

A makefile is included for building and running the test program using the OSS ASN.1/C runtime.

To explore more samples (LTE RRC, 5G RRC, S1AP, X2AP, NGAP), visit the main Sample Code page.

Overview

This sample shows how to:

  • Initialize the OSS ASN.1/C runtime for the LTE RRC schema.
  • Read .uper files that contain valid PER-encoded LTE RRC messages.
  • Decode and print LTE RRC messages.
  • Access RRC message components.
  • Create and encode a response message (for example, for SecurityModeCommand).
  • Build and run the sample test program with a makefile on Linux.

Files in This Sample

The files listed below are included in the OSS ASN.1 Tools trial and commercial shipments and are used by this sample program:

File Description
README.TXT Instructions and sample overview.
*.asn ASN.1 source files that describe the 3GPP LTE RRC protocol (TS 36.331), used with this program example.
RRCConnectionRelease.uper Valid RRCConnectionRelease message encoded with PER Unaligned.
SecurityModeCommand.uper Valid SecurityModeCommand message encoded with PER Unaligned.
LoggedMeasurementConfiguration.uper Valid LoggedMeasurementConfiguration-r10 message encoded with PER Unaligned.
trrc.c Simple C program that shows how to work with LTE RRC protocol data. It reads input messages from files, decodes and prints them, accesses message components, and creates and encodes a response message for SecurityModeCommand.
makefile Makefile that builds and runs the sample test.
makefile.rtoed Makefile that builds and runs the sample test using RTOED.
gui/ ASN.1 Studio project for viewing/compiling schema and generating sample data.

Build and Run Instructions

(Installation instructions for the OSS ASN.1 Tools are included in all trial and commercial shipments.)

To build and run this sample, install a trial or licensed version of the OSS ASN.1 Tools for C.

1. Generate C source and header files (runtime-only shipments)

If your shipment is runtime-only, generate the .c and .h files by running:

make cross

This creates a samples/cross directory with:

  • the required .asn files
  • scripts to run the OSS ASN.1/C compiler (asn1cpl.sh or asn1cpl.bat)
2. Build and run the sample
make

This command compiles the sample C source, links it with the OSS ASN.1 static library, and executes the test. To use another type of library in the shipment (such as a shared library), set the A makefile variable, for example:

make A=so
3. Clean up generated files
make clean
4. Other Platforms

Note: The C source code in this sample is platform-independent. Linux commands are shown as an example, but equivalent samples and build instructions are available for Windows, macOS, and other platforms. For help with platform-specific instructions, please contact OSS Support.

Code Listing: trrc.c

The following listing shows the main C source file for this sample test program, trrc.c. It demonstrates how to read PER-encoded LTE RRC messages from files, decode and print them, and create and encode a response message using the OSS ASN.1 Tools API.

Show trrc.c source code
/*****************************************************************************/
/*  Copyright (C) 2025 OSS Nokalva, Inc.  All rights reserved.               */
/*****************************************************************************/
/* THIS FILE IS PROPRIETARY MATERIAL OF OSS NOKALVA, INC.                    */
/* AND MAY BE USED ONLY BY DIRECT LICENSEES OF OSS NOKALVA, INC.             */
/* THIS FILE MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED.                                         */
/* THIS COPYRIGHT STATEMENT MAY NOT BE REMOVED.                              */
/* THIS SAMPLE PROGRAM IS PROVIDED AS IS. THE SAMPLE PROGRAM AND ANY RESULTS */
/* OBTAINED FROM IT ARE PROVIDED WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS,  */
/* EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY.                                            */
/*****************************************************************************/
/*
 * $Id: lte-rrc-c.html 3327 2026-01-06 10:07:48Z macra $
 */

/*
 * Demonstrates part of RRC protocol layer of an LTE UE stack.
 */

#include <errno.h>
#include <string.h>
#ifdef TOED
#include "orrc_r19.h"
#else
#include "rrc_r19.h"
#endif

#define printBorder() \
    ossPrint(world, "-------------------------------------------------------\n")

/* The directory where input files reside. It is set to the command line parameter
 * if any and to the directory where the sample is started, otherwise.
 */
char *filesDir;

/*
 * FUNCTION     reportError() prints error message and error code returned
 *              by any runtime API function.
 *
 * PARAMETERS
 *     world    OSS environment variable
 *     where    error origin
 *     errcode  error code
 *     errmsg   error message or NULL if ossGetErrMsg() should be used
 *	        to get it
 *
 * RETURNS      errcode
 */
static int reportError(OssGlobal *world, const char *where,
				    int errcode, const char *errmsg)
{
    /* Error occured */
    if (errcode) {
        ossPrint(world, "%s failed, error code: %d\n", where, errcode);
	/* Get and print error message */
	if (errmsg || (world && NULL != (errmsg = ossGetErrMsg(world))))
	    ossPrint(world, "Error text: %s\n", errmsg);
    }
    return errcode;
}

/*
 * FUNCTION     Helper function to open file in the specified directory.
 *
 * PARAMETERS
 *     world            OSS environment variable
 *     directoryName    directory where fileName resides
 *     fileName         file to open
 *
 * RETURNS      pointer to file on success, NULL on failure
 */
FILE * openInputFile(OssGlobal *world, char *directoryName, const char *fileName)
{
    char *path;
    FILE *fv;
    const char kPathSeparator =
#ifdef _WIN32
				'\\';
#else
				'/';
#endif

    if (directoryName) {
	size_t dLength = strlen(directoryName);

	if (NULL == (path = ossGetMemory(world, dLength + strlen(fileName) + 2))) {
	    return NULL;
	}

	memcpy(path, directoryName, dLength);
	if (path[dLength - 1] != kPathSeparator)
	    path[dLength++] = kPathSeparator;
	strcpy(path+dLength, fileName);
    } else {
	path = (char *) fileName;
    }

    if (!(fv = fopen(path, "rb"))) {
	ossPrint(world, "Failed to open the '%s' file. Restart the sample program using the file "
		"location as the input parameter.\n", path);
    }

    if (path != fileName)
	ossFreeMemory(world, path);

    return fv;
}

/*
 * FUNCTION     readEncodingFromFile() reads serialized message from specified
 *              file
 *
 * PARAMETERS
 *    world     OSS environment variable
 *    filename  name of file containing serialized message
 *    encoding  read message
 *
 * RETURNS      0 on success, error code on failure
 */
static int readEncodingFromFile(OssGlobal *world,
				    const char *filename, OssBuf *encoding)
{
    FILE        *in = openInputFile(world, filesDir, filename);
    long        length;
    unsigned char *data;

    if (!in)
	return reportError(world, "fopen()", errno, strerror(errno));

    if (fseek(in, 0, SEEK_END))
	return reportError(world, "fseek()", errno, strerror(errno));

    length = ftell(in);
    if (length < 0)
	return reportError(world, "ftell()", errno, strerror(errno));

    /* Allocate memory to store completely read message in it */
    data = ossGetMemory(world, (size_t)length);
    if (!data) {
	reportError(world, "ossGetMemory()", OUT_MEMORY, NULL);
	fclose(in);
	return OUT_MEMORY;
    }
    rewind(in);

    if ((size_t)length != fread(data, sizeof(char), (size_t)length, in)) {
	ossFreeMemory(world, data);
	fclose(in);
	return reportError(world, "fread()", 1, NULL);
    }
    fclose(in);
    /* Store read message in output argument */
    encoding->value = data;
    encoding->length = (size_t)length;
    return 0;
}

/*
 * FUNCTION     createSecurityModeCommandResponse() creates an
 *              OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message PDU (security mode complete) for given
 *              OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message PDU (security mode command).
 *
 * PARAMETERS
 *    world     OSS environment variable
 *    req       input message
 *    resp      pointer to the response created by the function
 *
 * RETURNS      0 on success, error code on failure
 */
static int createSecurityModeCommandResponse(OssGlobal *world,
					     OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message *req,
					     OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message **resp)
{
    OSS_RRC_SecurityAlgorithmConfig_integrityProtAlgorithm ipalg;
    OSS_RRC_CipheringAlgorithm_r12 calg;

    if (req->message.choice != OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_MessageType_c1_chosen ||
	    req->message.u.c1.choice != OSS_RRC_securityModeCommand_chosen ||
	    req->message.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand.criticalExtensions.choice !=
	    OSS_RRC_SecurityModeCommand_criticalExtensions_c1_chosen ||
	    req->message.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand.criticalExtensions.u.c1.choice !=
	    OSS_RRC_securityModeCommand_r8_chosen) {
	ossPrint(world, "cannot handle ASN.1 data\n");
	return -1;
    }

    ipalg =
	req->message.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand.criticalExtensions.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand_r8.securityConfigSMC.securityAlgorithmConfig.integrityProtAlgorithm;
    calg =
	req->message.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand.criticalExtensions.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand_r8.securityConfigSMC.securityAlgorithmConfig.cipheringAlgorithm;

    if (ipalg != OSS_RRC_integrityProtAlgorithm_reserved &&
		ipalg != OSS_RRC_integrityProtAlgorithm_eia1 &&
		ipalg != OSS_RRC_integrityProtAlgorithm_eia2) {
	ossPrint(world, "unknown integrity protection\n");
	return -1;
    }

    if (calg != OSS_RRC_eea0 &&
		calg != OSS_RRC_eea1 &&
		calg != OSS_RRC_eea2) {
	ossPrint(world, "unknown ciphering\n");
	return -1;
    }

    *resp = ossGetInitializedMemory(world, sizeof(OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message));
    if (!*resp)
	return reportError(world, "ossGetInitializedMemory for OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message", OUT_MEMORY, NULL);

    (*resp)->message.choice = OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_MessageType_c1_chosen;
    (*resp)->message.u.c1.choice = OSS_RRC_securityModeComplete_chosen;
    (*resp)->message.u.c1.u.securityModeComplete.rrc_TransactionIdentifier =
			req->message.u.c1.u.securityModeCommand.rrc_TransactionIdentifier;
    (*resp)->message.u.c1.u.securityModeComplete.criticalExtensions.choice =
		OSS_RRC_securityModeComplete_r8_chosen;

    return 0;
}

/*
 * FUNCTION     testDL_DCCH_Message() represents an incomplete implementation
 *              of UE-side function processing a downlink DCCH message. It
 *              decodes the message, prints it, and creates a response for some
 *              particular alternatives. The function can be used to implement
 *              a complete LTE RRC UE-side dispatcher.
 *
 * PARAMETERS
 *    world	OSS environment variable
 *    filename  name of the file containing the input message
 *
 * RETURNS      0 on success, error code on failure
 */
static int testDL_DCCH_Message(OssGlobal *world, const char *filename)
{
    OssBuf	encoded_data;
    int		err, pdu_num = OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message_PDU;

    ossPrint(world, "======================================================"
		"======================\n");
    ossPrint(world, "Read encoding from file: %s\n\n", filename);
    /* Read serialized message from file */
    err = readEncodingFromFile(world, filename, &encoded_data);
    if (!err) {
	/*
	 * Zero deserialized message pointer in order to allocate it
	 * in API call
	 */
	OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message    *req = NULL;
	OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message    *resp = NULL;
	OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_MessageType_c1 *msg_typ;

	ossPrint(world, "Decoding the input downlink DCCH message\n");
	printBorder();
	/* Deserialize input message */
	err = ossDecode(world, &pdu_num, &encoded_data, (void**)&req);
        ossPrint(world, "\n");
	/* Print error diagnostics if an error takes place */
	if (err) {
	    reportError(world, "ossDecode()", err, NULL);
	} else {
	    if (req->message.choice != OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_MessageType_c1_chosen) {
		ossPrint(world, "Incorrect message\n");
	    } else {
		msg_typ = &req->message.u.c1;

		ossPrint(world, "PDU decoded\n");
		printBorder();
                switch (msg_typ->choice) {
		    /* You can take unimplemented CHOICE alternatives one by
		     * one and add support for them */
		    case OSS_RRC_csfbParametersResponseCDMA2000_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_dlInformationTransfer_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_handoverFromEUTRAPreparationRequest_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_mobilityFromEUTRACommand_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_rrcConnectionReconfiguration_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_rrcConnectionRelease_chosen:
			/* Print deserialized message */
			err = ossPrintPDU(world, OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message_PDU, req);
			if (err)
			    reportError(world, "ossPrintPDU()", err, NULL);
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_securityModeCommand_chosen:
			/* Print deserialized message */
			err = ossPrintPDU(world, OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message_PDU, req);
			if (err) {
			    reportError(world, "ossPrintPDU()", err, NULL);
			} else {
		    	    ossPrint(world, "\n");
		    	    ossPrint(world, "Creating response\n");
		    	    printBorder();
			    /* Create response */
			    err = createSecurityModeCommandResponse(world, req, &resp);
			    if (err) {
			        reportError(world, "createSecurityModeCommandResponse()", err, NULL);
			    } else {
		    		OssBuf     msg = { 0, NULL };

		    	        ossPrint(world, "\n");
		    	        ossPrint(world, "Response created successfully\n");
		    	        printBorder();
		    		/* Print outcome message */
		    		err = ossPrintPDU(world, OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message_PDU, resp);
		    		ossPrint(world, "\n");
		    		ossPrint(world, "Encoding response\n");
		    		printBorder();
		    		/* Serialize outcome message */
		    		err = ossEncode(world, OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message_PDU, resp, &msg);
		    		ossPrint(world, "\n");
		    		if (err) {
				    reportError(world, "ossEncode()", err, NULL);
		    		/* Print serialized outcome message */
		    		} else {
				    ossPrint(world, "Encoded response (%ld bytes):\n",
				    					msg.length);
				    printBorder();
				    ossPrintHex(world, (char *)msg.value, msg.length);
				    ossFreeBuf(world, msg.value);
				    ossPrint(world, "\n\n");
		    	        }
		    	       /* Free memory allocated for outcome message */
		               ossFreePDU(world, OSS_RRC_UL_DCCH_Message_PDU, resp);
                            }
			}
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_ueCapabilityEnquiry_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_counterCheck_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_ueInformationRequest_r9_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "Unimplemented \n");
			break;
		    /* The following messages have been added in the 10-th release */
		    case OSS_RRC_loggedMeasurementConfiguration_r10_chosen:
			err = ossPrintPDU(world, OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message_PDU, req);
			if (err)
			    reportError(world, "ossPrintPDU()", err, NULL);
			break;
		    case OSS_RRC_rnReconfiguration_r10_chosen:
			ossPrint(world, "The message is not intended for UE \n");
			break;
		    default:
			ossPrint(world, "Unknown CHOICE alternative selected\n");
			break;
		}
	    }
	}
	if (req)
	    ossFreePDU(world, OSS_RRC_DL_DCCH_Message_PDU, req);
	/* Free memory allocated for reading of input message from file */
	ossFreeBuf(world, encoded_data.value);
    }

    return err;
}

/*
 * Decodes and prints the input messages; creates, encodes and prints
 * the output (response) messages.
 */
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    OssGlobal world_data, *world = &world_data;
    int err = 0;

    err = ossinit(world, rrc);
    if (err)
	return reportError(NULL, "ossinit()", err, NULL);

    filesDir = argc > 1 ? argv[1] : ".";

    /* Set flags */
    ossSetFlags(world, AUTOMATIC_ENCDEC | STRICT_PER_ENCODING_OF_DEFAULT_VALUES);
    /* Set debug mode */
    ossSetDebugFlags(world, PRINT_ERROR_MESSAGES | PRINT_DECODING_DETAILS | PRINT_ENCODING_DETAILS);

    err = testDL_DCCH_Message(world, "RRCConnectionRelease.uper");

    if (!err)
	err = testDL_DCCH_Message(world, "SecurityModeCommand.uper");

    /* The message LoggedMeasurementConfiguration-r10 has been added to the DL-DCCH-Message
     * in the 10th release.*/
    if (!err)
	err = testDL_DCCH_Message(world, "LoggedMeasurementConfiguration.uper");

    /* Free all resources */
    ossterm(world);

    if (!err)
	printf("Testing successful.\n");

    return err;
}

Expected Output (Excerpt)

This is the expected output when running the sample:

Decoded RRCConnectionRelease:
  rrc-TransactionId = 1
  criticalExtensions = ...
Encoding response message...
Encoding successful.

ASN.1 Schema Excerpt (rrc.asn)

Show excerpt from rrc.asn
-- Excerpt from rrc.asn 3GPP TS 36.331 V19.0.0 (2025-10) 

EUTRA-RRC-Definitions DEFINITIONS AUTOMATIC TAGS ::=

BEGIN



BCCH-BCH-Message ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					BCCH-BCH-MessageType
}

BCCH-BCH-MessageType ::=						MasterInformationBlock



BCCH-BCH-Message-MBMS::= SEQUENCE {
	message					BCCH-BCH-MessageType-MBMS-r14
}

BCCH-BCH-MessageType-MBMS-r14 ::=					MasterInformationBlock-MBMS-r14



BCCH-DL-SCH-Message ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					BCCH-DL-SCH-MessageType
}

BCCH-DL-SCH-MessageType ::= CHOICE {
	c1						CHOICE {
		systemInformation						SystemInformation,
		systemInformationBlockType1				SystemInformationBlockType1
	},
	messageClassExtension	SEQUENCE {}
}



BCCH-DL-SCH-Message-BR ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					BCCH-DL-SCH-MessageType-BR-r13
}

BCCH-DL-SCH-MessageType-BR-r13 ::= CHOICE {
	c1						CHOICE {
		systemInformation-BR-r13				SystemInformation-BR-r13,
		systemInformationBlockType1-BR-r13		SystemInformationBlockType1-BR-r13
	},
	messageClassExtension	SEQUENCE {}
}



BCCH-DL-SCH-Message-MBMS ::= SEQUENCE {
	message						BCCH-DL-SCH-MessageType-MBMS-r14
}

BCCH-DL-SCH-MessageType-MBMS-r14 ::= CHOICE {
	c1									CHOICE {
		systemInformation-MBMS-r14					SystemInformation-MBMS-r14,
		systemInformationBlockType1-MBMS-r14		SystemInformationBlockType1-MBMS-r14
	},
	messageClassExtension	SEQUENCE {}
}



MCCH-Message ::=		SEQUENCE {
	message					MCCH-MessageType
}

MCCH-MessageType ::= CHOICE {
	c1							CHOICE {
		mbsfnAreaConfiguration-r9		MBSFNAreaConfiguration-r9
	},
	later						CHOICE {
		c2								CHOICE{
			mbmsCountingRequest-r10			MBMSCountingRequest-r10
		},
		messageClassExtension	SEQUENCE {}
	}
}



PCCH-Message ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					PCCH-MessageType
}

PCCH-MessageType ::= CHOICE {
	c1						CHOICE {
		paging									Paging
	},
	messageClassExtension	SEQUENCE {}
}



DL-CCCH-Message ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					DL-CCCH-MessageType
}

DL-CCCH-MessageType ::= CHOICE {
	c1						CHOICE {
		rrcConnectionReestablishment			RRCConnectionReestablishment,
		rrcConnectionReestablishmentReject		RRCConnectionReestablishmentReject,
		rrcConnectionReject						RRCConnectionReject,
		rrcConnectionSetup						RRCConnectionSetup
	},
	messageClassExtension	CHOICE {
		c2						CHOICE {
			rrcEarlyDataComplete-r15			RRCEarlyDataComplete-r15,
			spare3	NULL, spare2 NULL, spare1 NULL
		},
		messageClassExtensionFuture-r15			SEQUENCE {}
	}
}



DL-DCCH-Message ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					DL-DCCH-MessageType
}

DL-DCCH-MessageType ::= CHOICE {
	c1						CHOICE {
		csfbParametersResponseCDMA2000			CSFBParametersResponseCDMA2000,
		dlInformationTransfer					DLInformationTransfer,
		handoverFromEUTRAPreparationRequest		HandoverFromEUTRAPreparationRequest,
		mobilityFromEUTRACommand				MobilityFromEUTRACommand,
		rrcConnectionReconfiguration			RRCConnectionReconfiguration,
		rrcConnectionRelease					RRCConnectionRelease,
		securityModeCommand						SecurityModeCommand,
		ueCapabilityEnquiry						UECapabilityEnquiry,
		counterCheck							CounterCheck,
		ueInformationRequest-r9					UEInformationRequest-r9,
		loggedMeasurementConfiguration-r10		LoggedMeasurementConfiguration-r10,
		rnReconfiguration-r10					RNReconfiguration-r10,
		rrcConnectionResume-r13					RRCConnectionResume-r13,
		dlDedicatedMessageSegment-r16			DLDedicatedMessageSegment-r16,
		spare2 NULL, spare1 NULL
	},
	messageClassExtension	SEQUENCE {}
}



UL-CCCH-Message ::= SEQUENCE {
	message					UL-CCCH-MessageType
}

UL-CCCH-MessageType ::= CHOICE {
	c1						CHOICE {
		rrcConnectionReestablishmentRequest		RRCConnectionReestablishmentRequest,
		rrcConnectionRequest					RRCConnectionRequest
	},
	messageClassExtension	CHOICE {
		c2						CHOICE {
			rrcConnectionResumeRequest-r13		RRCConnectionResumeRequest-r13
		},
		messageClassExtensionFuture-r13	CHOICE {
			c3						CHOICE {
				rrcEarlyDataRequest-r15			RRCEarlyDataRequest-r15,
				spare3	NULL, spare2	NULL, spare1	NULL
			},
			messageClassExtensionFuture-r15		SEQUENCE {}
		}
	}
}

Using ASN.1 Studio (Optional)

The gui/ subdirectory contains an ASN.1 Studio project for this sample. With ASN.1 Studio you can:

  • Open the LTE RRC ASN.1 modules.
  • Generate code from the ASN.1 schema.
  • Create and edit sample encoded LTE RRC messages.
  • Export projects to gmake makefiles.

Related Samples

Disclaimer

This sample is provided solely for illustration purposes, for example to demonstrate usage of the OSS ASN.1 Tools API with 3GPP LTE RRC messages. It does not represent a complete application. To build and run this sample, you must use a trial or licensed version of the appropriate OSS ASN.1 Tools. The copyright and license statements included in each source file remain fully applicable.

Need Help?

If you have questions about using this sample, contact OSS Nokalva Support.

See Also