The 5th generation of mobile technology, 5G, is already enabling a truly connected world where devices can communicate almost instantaneously. While 5G allows mobile users to enjoy much faster download speeds and lag-free internet streaming, it also significantly enhances real-time communications among billions of devices. This facilitates edge AI, autonomous driving, augmented reality (AR), and many other emerging technologies that require fast, low-latency data access and quick network responsiveness.
A mobile network is divided into two domains: the Radio Access Network (RAN) and the core network. The RAN is made up of base stations and antennas that cover a specific region. The antennas send and receive RF signals to and from mobile phones and other user devices, while the base station’s remote radio unit (RRU) and baseband unit (BBU) digitize and connect the signals to the core network. The core network is responsible for authenticating user access and then connecting users to the internet.
A traditional RAN is built using proprietary components supplied by a single vendor, making it extremely difficult for service providers to integrate components from different vendors for an optimal solution. As 5G continues to be rolled out globally, this closed RAN architecture is evolving toward an open network where operators can choose components from a broader range of suppliers. This helps address demands for faster speeds, tremendous network traffic growth, security risks, and other 5G-specific challenges, while still keeping equipment and operating costs low to make 5G more economically viable for the public.
Open RAN is built on a set of industry-wide open standard interfaces between all components, including non-proprietary hardware and virtualized software elements, to maximize interoperability among equipment from different vendors. Instead of being locked into a single vendor’s devices, service providers can purchase commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, such as white box servers, from hardware suppliers and then use cloud virtualization technologies and software programming to operate 5G base stations. This vendor-neutral environment gives operators faster and more flexible deployment options as they customize telecom services to meet varying bandwidth requirements, low-latency needs, and new use cases such as cloud analytics and edge computing. At the same time, it helps reduce dependence on a single supplier’s proprietary solutions, which may limit 5G innovation.
The Open RAN architecture splits a 5G base station into three functional units:
- Radio Unit (RU): Deployed on site near or integrated into the antenna, the Radio Unit converts radio signals sent to and from the antenna into digital data for transmission. It controls the digital front end (DFE), lower layer 1 (L1, physical layer) baseband processing, and fronthaul transport.
- Distributed Unit (DU): The Distributed Unit connects to multiple RUs and the Centralized Unit (CU), while being physically closer to the RU. The DU handles real-time layer 1 (L1, physical layer) and lower layer 2 (L2, data link layer) functions, including MAC (Media Access Control) and RLC (Radio Link Control).
- Centralized Unit (CU): The Centralized Unit contains compute resources and functions as a data center for the RU and DU. It controls DU operation, connects to the cellular network, and communicates with other base stations. The CU is responsible for non-real-time higher L2 and L3 (network layer) protocol stack workloads, such as RRC (Radio Resource Control) and PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol). One CU can manage one or more DUs over the midhaul interface.
5G Open RAN with Axiomtek’s NA870
Leveraging the powerful performance of 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, the NA870 network server is well suited for managing heavy communication workloads between the Centralized Unit (CU) and Distributed Unit (DU) within a 5G Open RAN network. The NA870 can be deployed in a 5G base station where it hosts and executes CU software to process non-real-time L2/L3 data flows. Meanwhile, the server’s computing power and up to 64 network adapter ports allow it to coordinate multiple Remote Radio Units (RRUs) distributed across different edge locations. It also provides compute support for the Distributed Unit (DU) to handle real-time L1/L2 processing, helping significantly reduce network deployment costs.
As virtualized radio access network (vRAN) architecture is increasingly adopted in 5G RAN deployments to simplify edge-based application deployment, the NA870 also supports the Intel® vRAN Dedicated Accelerator ACC100. This helps offload CPU workloads and accelerate the compute-intensive process of RAN layer 1 forward error correction (FEC), enabling the RAN to deliver greater 5G performance and virtualized services.
Powerful Edge Cloud Computing
The NA870 can be configured as a single- or dual-LGA4189 socket server featuring 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, code-named Ice Lake-SP, to deliver powerful processing performance for virtualized network workloads. The server takes advantage of higher CPU memory bandwidth and includes twenty DDR4-3200 R-DIMM memory slots with a memory capacity of up to 1,280GB. It also provides two hot-swappable 2.5-inch SATA HDD trays and two M.2 Key M 2242/2280 slots with PCIe and SATA signal support for storage expansion.
Extensive Connectivity
In terms of network interfaces, the server has two built-in Gigabit Ethernet ports, plus eight expandable NIC modules with a total of up to 64 LAN ports to support 1GbE, 10GbE, fiber, copper, and bypass functions. This allows the server to manage multiple connected systems and support network-intensive applications.
Advanced Security Capabilities
The NA870 provides a versatile on-premises network security platform to safeguard data exchange and storage across different networks. It features Intelligent Platform Management Interface 2.0 (IPMI 2.0) to enable remote management and monitoring of network servers, and supports Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM 2.0) to provide hardware-based data protection.
The NA870 also features Intel® Crypto Acceleration, a security technology incorporated into 3rd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, to deliver greater performance for intensive crypto processing workloads and stronger protection across server, storage, and network infrastructure. This helps operators address cybersecurity risks that may arise from the highly distributed and remote nature of 5G networks.