5G Radio Unit Upgrades with Bulk DU Restart Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for restarting distributed units (DUs) and upgrading radio units (RUs) in a 5G network are inefficient, prone to human error, and cause network coverage disruptions, particularly when multiple units need to be restarted or upgraded simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A system that employs a bulk DU restart script and RU upgrade script to simultaneously restart or upgrade multiple units with a single command, identifying necessary units, addressing connectivity issues, and optimizing memory partition configurations to ensure efficient and reliable operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual restart procedure is used for multiple DUs, then each DU can be restarted individually with full control, but the process is time-consuming and causes extended network coverage interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual DU restart operations into a single bulk restart operation. The NWMF receives a bulk restart request and simultaneously initiates restart procedures for multiple DUs, merging what would otherwise be separate sequential operations into one coordinated action that reduces total interruption time while maintaining reliability through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing a bulk restart framework that pre-configures the restart mechanism. The NWMF is pre-capable of handling bulk restart requests, and the system pre-establishes the coordination logic for simultaneous DU restarts, allowing rapid execution when needed without ad-hoc configuration during the actual restart event.
2Reliability
If multiple operators use computing devices to restart DUs manually, then each restart can be monitored and controlled, but processing and network resources are multiplied across multiple devices
Solution Approach 1:
The NWMF serves as a universal control point that consolidates the functionality previously distributed across multiple operators' computing devices. A single bulk restart request to the NWMF achieves what previously required multiple separate operations, reducing the cumulative processing and network resources consumed while maintaining centralized monitoring and control capabilities.
3Loss of energy
If DUs are restarted one by one, then resource consumption per operation is lower, but the total time and cumulative interruptions are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual restart operations into a single bulk operation executed simultaneously. The NWMF coordinates the restart of multiple DUs in parallel rather than sequentially, achieving high productivity through simultaneous execution while the centralized nature of the operation keeps overall resource consumption manageable compared to multiple separate operations.
4Reliability
If RU upgrade is performed individually, then each upgrade can be carefully managed, but the process is inefficient and causes extended network interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple individual RU upgrade operations into a single bulk upgrade process. The NWMF receives a bulk upgrade request and coordinates the simultaneous upgrading of multiple RUs, maintaining careful management and monitoring through centralized control while dramatically reducing the total time and network interruptions compared to sequential upgrades.
Data Source
AI summary
A jump server receives a command to restart a set of distributed units (DUs) at one or more cell sites. In response, the jump server executes a wrapper script that logs in to a backend server, copies an input file that identifies the set of DUs to a user-specific directory at the backend server. The jump server also copies a bulk DU restart script to the user-specific directory at the backend server. The jump server initiates the execution of the bulk DU restart script at the backend server. The execution of the bulk DU restart script causes the backend server to restart the set of DUS, generate an output log file that comprises the results of the DU restart process, and store the output log file in the user-specific directory.