Automated Base Station Configuration

(Automatic Establishment of IP Connectivity for 3G Base Station Commissioning and Recovery)

Dr.-Ing. Markus Hauenstein, Nokia Networks, R&D Center Dsseldorf Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Wannenwetsch, Nokia Networks, R&D Center Dsseldorf Chonticha Vathaniyakul, RWTH Aachen Prof.-Dr. Petri Mhnen, RWTH Aachen Dipl.-Ing. Marina Petrova, RWTH Aachen

2006 Nokia

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

Outline
UMTS architecture RAN topology Problem: Time consuming and expensive Base Station (BS) commissioning Solution: Automated BS configuration Automated BS configuration process Proof-of-Concept Conclusion

2006 Nokia

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

UMTS Architecture (Rel-99)

RAN
3G BTS

CN
Iu_cs
MSC/VLR GMSC

Iub
RNC

WCDMA
3G BTS MS 3G BTS

PSTN/ PSTN/ ISDN ISDN

Iur

HLR

RNC 3G BTS

Iu_ps

SGSN

GGSN

Internet Internet

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automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

RAN Transport Topology

PSTN/ PSTN/ ISDN ISDN Internet Internet

BS

Core Network
RNC

Star
RNC RNC

RNC

Ring

Tree Chain
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PDH (in most cases) PDH over microwave SDH/SONET Soon: Ethernet

IP-based Management Plane

10.1.2.0/24

Server
10.0.1.0/24

Several IP hosts in one BS and at BS site One IP subnet per BS and RNC IP router in BS and RNC

BS
10.1.3.0/24

IP IP Network Network RNC

10.1. 1.0/24 10.1.5.0/24 10.3. 1.0/24

10.4.1.0/24

RNC RNC
10.4.2.0/24 10.4.4.0/24

10.1.4.0/24

RNC
10.2.1.0/24 10.3.3.0/24 10.2.2.0/24 10.3.4.0/24 10.4.3.0/24

10.3.2.0/24

10.2.3.0/24

10.2.4.0/24
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10.3.5.024

10.3.6.0/24

10.3.7.0/24

10.3.8.0/24

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

Problem
Up to several 1000 Base Stations in the Radio Access Network (RAN). Some Base Stations may be even far away in remote areas takes long time to get to the sites and to configure the BS Skilled personnel needed to do commissioning on-site very expensive
Dsseldorf Hamburg Bremen Berlin

Dresden

Frankfurt Wrzburg Stuttgart

Solution:
See next slides

Munich

2006 Nokia

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

Automated configuration of a Base Station

Configuration Server

Plug and Play Base Station:

IP IP Network Network

A new Base Station (BS) is delivered to the site. All cables are connected. BS is powered on. BS configures itself automatically to get the IP connectivity for network management.

RNC

IPoATM Upstream BS (configured) IPoATM Downstream BS (not configured)

BS automatically accesses the configuration server and downloads its specific configuration file (created during network planning phase and stored on the configuration server beforehand). BS takes the configuration file into use. Now the BS is configured with its planned settings.

2006 Nokia

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

Automated BS Configuration: Overview

Step 1
10.0.1.0/24

Step 2
10.0.1.0/24

Step 3
10.0.1.0/24

Step 4
10.0.1.0/24

IP IP Network Network
10.1.1.0/24

IP IP Network Network
10.1.1.0/24

IP IP Network Network
10.1.1.0/24

Parameter 1 = Parameter 2 =

IP IP Network Network
10.1.1.0/24

10.1.2.0/24

IP Connectivity L1 & L2 Probing

Download Config File

10.1.2.0/24 10.1.2.0/24

10.1.2.0/24

10.1.3.0/24

Activate

2006 Nokia

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

Step 1: Layer-1 & Layer-2 Connection

RNC Downstream BS (not configured) Upstream BS (configured)

Configuration Server

FTP Client TCP

DHCP Client UDP

DHCP Server UDP IP RFC-2684 RFC-2684 AAL5 AAL5 ATM ATM IMA IMA E1/T1 E1/T1 IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM L2/L1 IMA E1/T1 IP Network IP Network

IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM IMA E1/T1

FTP Server TCP IP

L2/L1

The new BTS is not configured. The new BTS uses a trial and error method to get Layer-1 and Layer-2 connectivity by trying out any reasonable combination (there could be hundreds!) of PHY and IMA settings. This process stops when there is no active alarm anymore (e.g. Loss-of-Signal, Loss-of-Frame, Loss-of-Cell-Delineation). ATM and AAL5 may have default values (e.g. VPI, VCI = 1, 32).

2006 Nokia

automatedBSConfiguration.ppt / 2006-07-19 / MHa

Step 2: IP Connectivity
RNC Downstream BS (not configured) Upstream BS (configured)

Configuration Server

FTP Client TCP

DHCP Client UDP IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM IMA E1/T1

DHCP Server UDP IP RFC-2684 RFC-2684 AAL5 AAL5 ATM ATM IMA IMA E1/T1 E1/T1 IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM L2/L1 IMA E1/T1 IP Network IP Network

FTP Server TCP IP

L2/L1

The configured upstream BS acts as a DHCP (BOOTP) server and the unconfigured downstream BS acts as a DHCP (BOOTP) client (some adaptations are needed to make DHCP or BOOTP run across a P2P link). The upstream BS assigns an IP address from its own subnet to the downstream BS. The downstream BS configures the upstream BS as default router, and the upstream BS configures a host route to the downstream BS. Thus the downstream BS temporarily becomes a member of the subnet of the upstream BS and has immediately IP connectivity to the configuration server. There is no need to update routing tables in other routers.
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Step 3: Configuration File Download

RNC Downstream BS (not configured) Upstream BS (configured)

Configuration Server

FTP Client TCP

DHCP Client UDP

DHCP Server UDP IP RFC-2684 RFC-2684 AAL5 AAL5 ATM ATM IMA IMA E1/T1 E1/T1 IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM L2/L1 IMA E1/T1 IP Network IP Network

IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM IMA E1/T1

FTP Server TCP IP

L2/L1

Via DHCP, the downstream BS has also learned the IP address of the configuration server. On the configuration server, there is a specific configuration file for the downstream BS. This configuration file is a result of network planning, which has been done beforehand. The pathname may contain a unique BS hardware identifier. The BS can read its hardware identifier and construct the pathname from this. Alternatively, the pathname can also be included in the DHCP reply. The downstream opens an FTP session and downloads its specific configuration file from the configuration server.

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Step 4: Activate Configuration File

RNC Downstream BS (now configured) Upstream BS (configured)

Configuration Server

DHCP Server UDP IP RFC-2684 RFC-2684 AAL5 AAL5 ATM ATM IMA IMA E1/T1 E1/T1

DHCP Server UDP IP RFC-2684 RFC-2684 AAL5 AAL5 ATM ATM IMA IMA E1/T1 E1/T1 IP RFC-2684 AAL5 ATM L2/L1 IMA E1/T1 IP Network IP Network

FTP Server TCP IP

L2/L1

The new BS operates now with its planned settings. The new BS has now its own IP subnet according to network planning. The new BS has now IP routing functionality (for the management plane). The new BS can now act as upstream BTS for another downstream BS, which is not yet configured.

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Proof-of-Concept
PoC was done in the context of a diploma thesis. AXC was used as platform. AXC is the embedded transport node of the Nokia UltraSite 3G base station. Coding was done in CORBA Script and C/C++. More than 1000 Layer-1/Layer-2 configurations were automatically tested: One AXC (upstream) was controlled by a script which loaded the different configurations, and a second AXC (downstream) had to find out a compatible configuration automatically. Convergence was achieved in all cases. 3 AXC were available to model RAN star, chain and ring topologies. 1 AXC was already configured, the other two were unconfigured. A fourth AXC acted as configuration server. Automated configuration (Layer-1, Layer-2, IP connectivity with lending IP address via BOOTP, FTP download and activation of specific configuration file) worked in all cases. AXC

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Conclusion
After Base Station (BS) installation done by assemblymen, skilled technicians need to visit the BS site for commissioning tasks. This on-site BS commissioning is time consuming and expensive. A method for automated BS commissioning was presented, so that a site visit of skilled technicians is unnecessary. No prior physical, data link or IP layer configuration in a new BS is needed. A Proof-of-Concept implementation demonstrates that the method works. The same method is also applicable for BS recovery: When a BS looses its management connection (e.g. because of remote misconfiguration), it can revert to the not-configured state.

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