What is DIAMETER



Diameter is a planned replacement of RADIUS. It is an AAA protocol for applications such as network access and IP mobility. Listed below are a few points that you need to know about Diameter:

  • It is intended to work in both local and roaming AAA situations.

  • Diameter is just twice the predecessor protocol Radius.

  • It uses TCP or SCTP and not UDP.

  • It uses transport level security (IPSEC or TLS).

  • It has 32 bit identifier instead of 8 bit.

  • It supports stateless as well as stateful mode.

  • It supports application layer acknowledgement, define failover.

  • It offers better roaming support.

  • It uses AVPs.

  • Diameter allows to define new commands and attributes. It is easy to extend.

What is Next?

Now you have a basic understanding of Radius and Diameter. To gain more knowledge about these protocols, you need to go through various RFCs and other resources mentioned in the Resources section.

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