.. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. .. SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0 .. Copyright (C) 2020 Nordix .. |archpic| image:: ./images/nonrtric-architecture-D.png :alt: Image: O-RAN SC - NONRTRIC Overall Architecture Summary ------- The Non-RealTime RIC (RAN Intelligent Controller) is an Orchestration and Automation function described by the O-RAN Alliance for non-real-time intelligent management of RAN (Radio Access Network) functions. The primary goal of the Non-RealTime RIC is to support non-real-time radio resource management, higher layer procedure optimization, policy optimization in RAN, and providing guidance, parameters, policies and AI/ML models to support the operation of near-RealTime RIC functions in the RAN to achieve higher-level non-real-time objectives. NONRTRIC functions include service and policy management, RAN analytics and model-training for the near-RealTime RICs. The NONRTRIC project provides concepts, specifications, architecture and reference implementations as defined and described by the `O-RAN Alliance `_ architecture. The O-RAN-SC NONRTRIC implementation communicates with near-RealTime RIC elements in the RAN via the A1 interface. Using the A1 interface the NONRTRIC will facilitate the provision of policies for individual UEs or groups of UEs; monitor and provide basic feedback on policy state from near-RealTime RICs; provide enrichment information as required by near-RealTime RICs; and facilitate ML model training, distribution and inference in cooperation with the near-RealTime RICs. |archpic| Find detailed description of the NONRTRIC project see the `O-RAN SC NONRTRIC Project Wiki `_. NONRTRIC components ------------------- These are the components that make up the Non-RT-RIC: * Non-RT-RIC Control Panel / Dashboard * A1 Policy Management Service (developed in ONAP) * A1/SDNC Controller & A1 Adapter (Controller plugin) * Enrichment Information Coordinator * Non-RT-RIC (Spring Cloud) Service Gateway * Non-RT-RIC (Kong) Service Exposure Prototyping * Initial Non-RT-RIC App Catalogue * Near-RT-RIC A1 Simulator The code base for "D" Release is in the `NONRTRIC `_, `NONRTRIC-ControlPanel `_, and `Near-RT-RIC A1-Simulator `_ , Gerrit source repositories (D Branch). Non-RT-RIC Control Panel / NONRTRIC Dashboard ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Graphical user interface * View and Manage A1 policies in the RAN (near-RT-RICs) * Interacts with the Policy agent’s NBI (REST API) * Graphical A1 policy creation/editing is model-driven, based on policy type’s JSON schema * View and manage producers and jobs for the Enrichment coordinator service * Configure A1 Policy Management Service (e.g. add/remove near-rt-rics) * Interacts with the A1-PolicyManagementService & A1-EI-Coordinator (REST NBIs) via Service Exposure gateway Implementation: * Frontend: Angular framework * Repo: *portal/nonrtric-controlpanel* Please refer the developer guide and the wiki to set up in your local environment. More details available at the `NONRTRIC-Portal documentation site `_ A1 Policy Management Service (from ONAP CCSDK) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A1 Controller Service above A1 Controller/Adaptor that provides: * Unified REST & DMaaP NBI APIs for managing A1 Policies in all near-RT-RICs + Query A1 Policy Types in near-RT-RICs + Create/Query/Update/Delete A1 Policy Instances in near-RT-RICs + Query Status for A1 Policy Instances * Maintains (persistent) cache of RAN’s A1 Policy information * Support RAN-wide view of A1 Policy information * Streamline A1 traffic * Enable (optional) re-synchronization after inconsistencies / near-RT-RIC restarts * Supports a large number of near-RT-RICs (& multi-version support) * Converged ONAP & O-RAN-SC A1 Adapter/Controller functions in ONAP SDNC/CCSDK (Optionally deploy without A1 Adaptor to connect direct to near-RT-RICs) * Support for different Southbound connectors per near-RT-RIC - e.g. different A1 versions, different near-RT-RIC version, different A1 adapter/controllers supports different or proprietary A1 controllers/EMSs See also: `A1 Policy Management Service in ONAP `_ A1/SDNC Controller & A1 Adapter (Controller plugin) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mediation point for A1 interface termination in SMO/NONRTRIC * Implemented as CCSDK OSGI Feature/Bundles * A1 REST southbound * RESTCONF Northbound * NETCONF YANG > RESTCONF adapter * SLI Mapping logic supported * Can be included in an any controller based on ONAP CCSDK * Continues to support both a dedicated OSC A1-controller persona and an ONAP SDNC persona See also: `A1 Adapter/Controller Functions in ONAP `_ Enrichment Information Job Coordination Service ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coordinate/Register A1-EI Types, Producers, Consumers, and Jobs. * Maintains a registry of: - A1-EI Data Types / schemas - A1-EI Producers - A1-EI Consumers - A1-EI Jobs * A1-EI Query API (e.g. per producer, per consumer, per types) * Query status of A1-EI jobs * Monitors all near-RT-RICs and recovers from inconsistencies * After EI-type/Producer/Consumer/Job is successfully registered delivery/flow can happen directly between A1-EI Producers (in SMO/NONRTRIC domain) and A1-EI consumers (near-RT-RICs in RAN domain) * *Being extended to coordinate non-A1 Enrichment Information exchange between NONRTRIC Apps* Non-RT-RIC (Spring Cloud) Service Gateway ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Support Apps to use A1 Services * `Spring Cloud Gateway `_ provides the library to build a basic API gateway * Exposes A1 Policy Management Service & Enrichment Coordinator Service. * Additional predicates can be added in code or preferably in the Gateway yaml configuration. Implementation: * Implemented as a Java Spring Cloud application * Repo: *portal/nonrtric-controlpanel* Non-RT-RIC (Kong) Service Exposure Prototyping ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Support Apps to use NONRTRIC, SMO and other App interfaces A building block for coming releases as the R1 Interface concept matures * Support dynamic registration and exposure of service interfaces to Non-RT-RIC applications (& NONRTRIC Control panel) * Extends a static gateway function specifically for NONRTRIC Control panel (described above) * Initial version based on `Kong API Gateway `_ function * Initial exposure candidates include A1 (NONRTRIC) services & O1 (OAM/SMO) services NONRTRIC Kubernetes deployment - including Kong configurations can be found in the OSC `it/dep `_ Gerrit repo. Initial Non-RT-RIC App Catalogue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Register for Non-RT-RIC Apps. * Non-RT-RIC Apps can be registered / queried * Limited functionality/integration for now * *More work required in coming releases as the rApp concept matures* Initial K8S Helm Chart LCM Manager ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Onboard, start, stop, and modify Non-RT-RIC App µServices as Helm Charts *A building block for coming releases as the R-APP concept matures* * Interfaces that accepts Non-RT-RIC App µServices Helm Charts * Support basic LCM operations * Onboard, Start, Stop, Modify, Monitor * Initial version co-developed with v. similar functions in ONAP * *Limited functionality/integration for now* A1 Interface / Near-RT-RIC Simulator ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stateful A1 test stub. * Used to create multiple stateful A1 providers (simulated near-rt-rics) * Supports A1-Policy and A1-EnrichmentInformation * Swagger-based northbound interface, so easy to change the A1 profile exposed (e.g. A1 version, A1 Policy Types, A1-E1 consumers, etc) * All A1-AP versions supported Implementation: * Implemented as a Python application * Repo: *sim/a1-interface* More details available at the `A1 Simulator documentation site `_