SCOPE: an open and softwarized prototyping platform for NextG systems
SCOPE: an open and softwarized prototyping platform for NextG systems
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DOI：
10.1145/3458864.3466863
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发表时间：
2021-06
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Leonardo Bonati;Salvatore D’oro;S. Basagni;T. Melodia
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作者：
Leonardo Bonati;Salvatore D’oro;S. Basagni;T. Melodia
开放性、软件化和虚拟化原则正在彻底改变蜂窝网络生态系统，这将引导 NextG 网络转向在“白盒”基础设施上运行的解决方案。电信运营商将能够真正为网络带来智能，根据当前条件和流量需求在运行时动态部署和调整其元素。然而，为软件化的 NextG 网络部署智能解决方案需要大量的原型设计和测试程序，而目前基本上无法实现。为此，本文介绍了 SCOPE，一个用于 NextG 系统的开放式软件化原型平台。 SCOPE 由以下部分组成： (i) 一个即用型、便携式开源容器，用于实例化软件化和可编程蜂窝网络元素（例如基站和用户）； (ii) 用于测试新解决方案的各种实际部署、信道和流量条件的仿真模块； (iii) 用于人工智能和基于机器学习的应用程序的数据收集模块，以及 (iv) 一组开放的 API，供用户实时控制网元功能。研究人员可以使用 SCOPE 在各种大规模场景中测试和验证 NextG 解决方案，然后再在商业基础设施上实施。我们通过在全球最大的无线网络仿真器 Colosseum 的受控环境中制作示例性蜂窝解决方案原型来展示 SCOPE 的功能及其平台独立性。然后，我们将这些解决方案移植到室内和室外测试平台，即 Arena 和 POWDER（PAWR 平台）。
The cellular networking ecosystem is being radically transformed by openness, softwarization, and virtualization principles, which will steer NextG networks toward solutions running on "white box" infrastructures. Telco operators will be able to truly bring intelligence to the network, dynamically deploying and adapting its elements at run time according to current conditions and traffic demands. Deploying intelligent solutions for softwarized NextG networks, however, requires extensive prototyping and testing procedures, currently largely unavailable. To this aim, this paper introduces SCOPE, an open and softwarized prototyping platform for NextG systems. SCOPE is made up of: (i) A ready-to-use, portable open-source container for instantiating softwarized and programmable cellular network elements (e.g., base stations and users); (ii) an emulation module for diverse real-world deployments, channels and traffic conditions for testing new solutions; (iii) a data collection module for artificial intelligence and machine learning-based applications, and (iv) a set of open APIs for users to control network element functionalities in real time. Researchers can use SCOPE to test and validate NextG solutions over a variety of large-scale scenarios before implementing them on commercial infrastructures. We demonstrate the capabilities of SCOPE and its platform independence by prototyping exemplary cellular solutions in the controlled environment of Colosseum, the world's largest wireless network emulator. We then port these solutions to indoor and outdoor testbeds, namely, to Arena and POWDER, a PAWR platform.