• The primary goal of Non-RT RIC is to support intelligent RAN optimization by providing policy-based guidance, ML model management and enrichment information to the near-RT RIC function so that the RAN can optimize, e.g., RRM under certain conditions.
• It can also perform intelligent radio resource management function in non-real-time interval (i.e., greater than 1 second).
• Non-RT RIC can use data analytics and AI/ML training/inference to determine the RAN optimization actions for which it can leverage SMO services such as data collection and provisioning services of the O-RAN nodes.
• Non-RT-RIC will define and coordinate rApps (Non-RT-RIC applications) to perform Non-RT-RIC tasks.
• Non-RT-RIC will host the A1 interface (between NONRTRIC & near-RT RICs )
• Non-RT-RIC will also host the new R1 interface (between rApps and SMO/NONRTRIC services)

F Feature Scope / Achievements:

• Study & prototype Coordinated Service Exposure (SE)

  • Continue SE contribution building on the manual approaches already studied/completed.
  • Create/apply K8S configurations to isolate platform services and rApp microservices, then configure controlled secure access between service
  • Prototype CAPIF compliant API for Service/rApp registration/discovery, and service provider/consumer registration/configuration

• Data Management & Exposure (DME):

  • Pre-spec O1 PM via pre-spec R1 DME demo
  • Configure & connect to PM data - collected by SMO (ONAP)
  • Collect, Filter & Coordinate Delivery of PM data from DMaaP/Kafka to rApps over R1 (ICS)

• General activities

  • Continue to provide spec-compliant implementation of A1-Policy & A1-EI functions
  • NONRTRIC repo re-org
  • Continue to integrate and deploy SMO/NONRTRIC platform/rApps in OSC integration env.
  • Continue to expand NONRTRIC test platform & testsets
  • Show various versions rApps implemented/deployed as holistic “Automation Compositions” (ref ONAP ACM)
  • Continue to provide & integrate strawman rApps to comply with OSC RSAC integration usecases.

F release source code, container images and deployment instructions

• Source Code:
  • See "Gerrit /Code" below: branch "f-release" (In progress)
• Build & Run:
  • F Release: discussions: (NONRTRIC Wiki Release F) (In progress)
  • F Release: How to build: (NONRTRIC Wiki Release F - Build) (In progress)
  • F Release: How to run:
    • Docker (NONRTRIC Wiki Release F - Run - Docker)
    &
    • Kubernetes (NONRTRIC Wiki Release F - Run - Kubernetes)
    (In progress)
• Released Images / Tags / Versions:
  • Coming soon! (In progressNONRTRIC (F-Release)
• Spikes / Discussions / Studies:
  • Release F: Technical spikes

• Wiki: https://wiki.o-ran-sc.org/display/RICNR
• JIRA: https://jira.o-ran-sc.org/projects/NONRTRIC/issues
• Gerrit / Code:
  
  • nonrtric : https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/nonrtric
  • portal/nonrtric-controlpanel : https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/portal/nonrtric-controlpanel
  • sim/a1-interface : https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/sim/a1-interface
  • nonrtric-plt-a1policymanagementservice: https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/nonrtric/plt/a1policymanagementservice
    
  • nonrtric-plt-dmaapadapter: https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/nonrtric/plt/dmaapadapter
    
  • nonrtric-plt-informationcoordinatorservice: https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/nonrtric/plt/informationcoordinatorservice
  • nonrtric-plt-rappcatalogue: https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/nonrtric/plt/rappcatalogue
  • nonrtric-plt-dmaapmediatorproducer: https://gerrit.o-ran-sc.org/r/admin/repos/nonrtric/plt/dmaapmediatorproducer
    
• Sonar / Test Coverage Reports
  
  • nonrtric-plt-dmaapadapter: https://sonarcloud.io/project/overview?id=o-ran-sc_nonrtric-plt-dmaapadapter
  • nonrtric-plt-dmaapmediatorproducer: https://sonarcloud.io/project/overview?id=o-ran-sc_nonrtric-plt-dmaapmediatorproducer
  • nonrtric-plt-informationcoordinatorservice: https://sonarcloud.io/project/overview?id=o-ran-sc_nonrtric-plt-informationcoordinatorservice
    
  • nonrtric-plt-rappcatalogue: https://sonarcloud.io/project/overview?id=o-ran-sc_nonrtric-plt-rappcatalogue
  • nonrtric use cases: https://sonarcloud.io/organizations/o-ran-sc/projects?search=nonrtric&sort=name
• Docs:
  • nonrtric : https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-nonrtric
  • portal/nonrtric-controlpanel : https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-portal-nonrtric-controlpanel
  • sim/a1-interface : https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-sim-a1-interface
  • nonrtric-plt-a1policymanagementservice: https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-nonrtric-plt-a1policymanagementservice
  • nonrtric-plt-dmaapadapter: https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-nonrtric-plt-dmaapadapter
  • nonrtric-plt-informationcoordinatorservice: https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-nonrtric-plt-informationcoordinatorservice
  • nonrtric-plt-rappcatalogue: https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-nonrtric-plt-rappcatalogue
  • nonrtric-plt-dmaapmediatorproducer: https://docs.o-ran-sc.org/projects/o-ran-sc-nonrtric-plt-dmaapmediatorproducer
• Testing:
  • Function Tests
• Weekly Meetings:
  • Meetings

Primary Goals:  

Implementation of the O-DU Low Physical Layer functions for a 5G Open Access Radio Network allowing the flexibility of a software implementation coupled with the ability of incorporating hardware accelerators on a selective basis and meets the O-RAN architecture goals of scalablity, mix and match multi-vendor modules that are interoperable and that can be upgraded as the standards evolve by software updates.

The O-DU Low physical layer functions follow the 3GPP TS 38 series recommendations for 5G and the 3GPP TS 36 series recommendations for LTE with the 3GPP 7.2 functional split between O-DU Low and O-RU. In 3GPP terms the O-DU Low is referred to HIGH-PHY in the functional split for 5G.

Implementation of the Open Front Haul interface to the O-RU per O-RAN WG4 CUS specifications.

Integration of this component with multi-vendor implementations of O-DU High and O-RU modules for end to end interoperability and compatibility verification.

F Release Feature Scope:

The O-DU Low F release adds support for Massive MIMO, URLLC and it is based on the commercial FlexRan 21.11 release. This release is an incremental improvement over the E-maintenance release code released on March of this year and that still needs to be integrated with the RSYS O-DU High code.

The O-DU Low F Release code is an Intel contribution in collaboration with Tieto Poland for the source code releases in the O-RAN gerrit and for the binary blobs contributed via GitHub.

For the documentation preparation of this release Intel worked with collaboration from Fransiscus Bimo and Professor Ray-Guang Cheng from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST).  

The F release can be used for end to end testing and it is based on the E maintenance release that was used for the 2021 November US O-RAN Plugfest and tested in conjuction with 2 stack partners and 2 different Test equipment vendors. The Front Haul Interface was also tested for compliance using Keysight's Front Haul Test equipment.

Container images and deployment instructions TBDare to be provided during the F maintenance release cycle

E Release Feature Scope: 

O-DU Low  E maintenance release was provided in March, 2022 and it is based on the code used in the November 2021 US O-RAN Plugfest. There are additional changes in the vendor specific portion of the API to support Massive MIMO and URLLC.

Since the code was deployed in the US O-RAN Plugfest using the commercial versions of the stack partners O-DU High code, the open source version from the partners need to be integrated as well. 

The validation done prior to the release used the timer-mode and the test-mac to check all the new features.

Provided O-DU Low E-Maintenance Release on March 2022 to the O-RAN gerrit repo, documentation was updated. Binary blobs for the FlexRan L1 and testmac codes were also provided in github in March.

E release source code, container images and deployment instructions

Source code and documentation including deployment instructions have been provided to the O-RAN documentation site