DuSIM: O-DU Emulation Solution

Capturing the promise of dis-aggregated 5G RAN 

With the O-RAN dis-aggregated architecture, three distinct components emerge: the radio unit (O-RU), the distributed unit (O-DU), and the centralized unit (O-CU). O-RAN open interfaces facilitate multi-vendor network deployments, enabling a more competitive supplier ecosystem, thus introducing a strong demand for conformance, interoperability, and performance testing for all these components.

Keysight helps network equipment manufacturers, as well as mobile operators, in simplifying the interoperability challenges among multiple vendors to test the split architecture. 

DuSIM is a O-DU emulator to validate O-RAN O-CU functionality, performance, and conformance over the Higher-Layer Split midhaul interface

DuSIM Overview

Highly scalable, DuSIM can emulate hundreds of O-DUs and is targeted at O-CU vendors who want to test the scalability of their architectures. This virtual solution (with Keysight specialized hardware optionally available) supports the Control Plane/User Plane (CP/UP) split and both Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) topologies. DuSIM can include a real 5G or 4G Core in the system under test, or O-CU wrap-around testing is also possible using CoreSIM, Keysight’s core emulation product. Simulated eNBs and simulated O-CUs can also be added to the tests, exposing X2 and Xn interfaces respectively.

DuSIM supports full automation via REST APIs, allowing users to create regression test plans for continuous validation of product quality.

Key Benefits

• Wraparound O-CU testing with support for RRC and NAS features, subscriber behaviors, and complex application traffic flows

• Runs in lightweight VM on standard COTS hardware, or as container in public/private cloud.

• Performance, Capacity Testing with Cloud Native platform that supports vertical and horizontal scaling to achieve control and user plane test objectives.

• Support for co-existence of Non-Standalone and Standalone topologies under test, with EN-DC and NR-DC UE emulation options

• Optional Core Network emulation provides Inter-working Model Core for simultaneous Option 3X and Option 2 RAN test support.

Product Capabilities

Control Plane

• Support of Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) configuration procedures

-       MeNB and SgNB procedures over X2AP

-       eNB S1AP procedures

• GNB XnAP non-UE and UE procedures over XnAP

• IPsec support for Control Plane F1-C

• Impairment capability allowing negative testing scenarios.

• Simulation of thousands of sessions across multiple coordinated emulated O-Dus

• UE signaling procedures: Register, Deregister, Authentication, Session Establishment and Release

• Validation of PDU Sessions establishment, uplink and downlink flows, deletion, and modification

• Cell changes, intra- and inter-DU handovers, and inter-CU handovers with real CUs under test or simulated neighbor CUs

• Option to configure single or multiple PDU sessions per UE, with single or multiple DNNs

• Test any mix of IPv4 and IPv6 for control and user planes

• Ability to configure and execute control-plane-only traffic models

• Topology-driven user interface

• F1 / X2 / Xn / S1 / RRC / NAS statistics