(updated: 2017, July 10th)

Modifs since version on July 6th:

• Latest commit
• Fix lacking file in the tarball
  (non modified ones since the June version were missing)
• improved code pieces formating in HTML, added automatic git patch
• Full re-test, from disk install of Ubuntu 17.04 to UE throughput measurement

This document explains how to install and configure OAI EPC+eNB on one single Ubuntu 17.04 64 bits machine connected with a regular UE (a Huawei E3272), routing the UE traffic to internet.

We use EPC after a major contribution in May 2017: a lot of code has been modified, all directories names were changes, configuration parameters names/values changed.

The description uses a USRP B210 board, a Lime SDR page is provided separately.

We also explain how to simplify, fix existing issues, to make a single computer as a full LTE network: EPC+eNB.

Known limitations fixed in the hereafter description

• OAI EPC require kernel >= 4.7, so we have to use Ubuntu 17.04
  • We already pushed some enhancements in OAI, nevertheless some more are required
• GTP UDP ports are in conflict for eNB and SGW
• Useless link between OAI and the Ubuntu/Linux hostname removed
• Several simplifications and precisions to make easier and reliable installations

Install Ubuntu

• Prepare a machine: a 4 actual cores, no hyper-threading.
  All other configuration in OAI Wiki (C1 states, …) describes is about useless.
• Download Ubuntu 17.04 64 bits version iso file
• create a usb key to boot on it
• install Ubuntu: choose to install Third party SW, and to upgrade all packages while installing
• do: apt update; apt upgrade until the machine is up-to-date
• install git and configure your identification in git:
  
  sudo apt install git git config --global user.name "Laurent" git config --global user.email "laurent.thomas@open-cells.com"

  1 2 3

  sudo apt install git git config --global user.name "Laurent" git config --global user.email "laurent.thomas@open-cells.com"

• Add the OAI repository as authorized remote system
  
  Shell

  echo -n | openssl s_client -showcerts -connect gitlab.eurecom.fr:443 2>/dev/null | sed -ne '/-BEGIN CERTIFICATE-/,/-END CERTIFICATE-/p' | sudo tee -a /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt

  1	echo -n | openssl s_client -showcerts -connect gitlab.eurecom.fr:443 2>/dev/null | sed -ne '/-BEGIN CERTIFICATE-/,/-END CERTIFICATE-/p' | sudo tee -a /etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt

• if you are upset with sudo password, add this line in /etc/sudoers
  • xxxxxx ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL (xxxxxx is your login name)
  • sudo will not ask anymore for a password

Install USRP drivers

Ettus has not yet released their driver for Ubuntu 17.04, we take it from source:

Download our modifications

download: patches   extract the data:

Download & Compile the eNB on 17.04

• We tested with commit 08b8b3142df16831396a5283a015564ff56bf91c

We already merged in develop most of updates for Ubuntu 17.04, so we need only to add in build_helper file the Ubuntu 17.04 support

• Now, you should be able to build as usual the eNB

Download and patch EPC

Clone OAI EPC:

(we used: commit 5353b606662a6ae7eaadf6bc39cbf6452d298b0e)

Apply the patch:

The new version of the source files are also in the tar, if you want to merge with another version of OpenAir EPC

What is in the patch file:

• Add Ubuntu 17.04 for compilation and fix some bugs
  • build/tools/build_helper
  • src/common/common_defs.h
  • src/oai_hss/utils/hss_config.c
• Remove link between Linux host name and LTE diameter protocol configuration
  • src/s6a/s6a_peer.c
• Add usage of the input address for the SGW input socket
  • src/gtpv1-u/gtp_mod_kernel.c
  • src/gtpv1-u/gtp_mod_kernel.h
  • src/gtpv1-u/gtpv1u_task.c

No kernel module patch is required anymore: generic Ubuntu kernel 17.04 works fine with OAI

Install third party SW for EPC

• Do you want to install freeDiameter 1.2.0 ?: yes
• set your MySQL password and remember it!
• Answer yes to install: freeDiameter 1.2.0
• phpmyadmin:
  • choose light or apache as you prefer
  • Configure database for phpmyadmin with dbconfig-common: yes
  • password: same as MySQL for simplicity
  • We don’t use phpmyadmin later in this procedure, nevertheless we tested successfully also with it

• Install 3PP SW for mme and spgw

• Do you want to install freeDiameter 1.2.0: no
• Do you want to install asn1c rev 1516 patched? <y/N>: no
• Do you want to install libgtpnl ? <y/N>: yes
• wireshark permissions: as you prefer

• Do you want to install libgtpnl ? <y/N>: no

Compile the EPC nodes

No difficulty found in this phase.

Our Network setup description

I’ve made a simple configuration for this all-in-one setup.

Each node is on a separate IP address, this address is used for all it’s interfaces. In our case of all-in-one, we take addresses on the loopback: this will be fine on all your machines.

• HSS is on localhost: 127.0.0.1
• eNB is on 127.0.0.10
• MME is on 127.0.0.20
• SPGW is on 127.0.0.30

The LTE diameter configuration is now isolated from Linux hostname.

realm for our EPC: “OpenAir5G.Alliance”, so, full distinguish names (FQDN) are: hss.OpenAir5G.Alliance, mme.OpenAir5G.Alliance

Install this configuration for eNB

In your eNB configuration file, the network is now fixed, as lo interface always exists and our computer internal addresses also:

In the eNB config file, you need also to set the MCC and MNC as per your SIM card:

tracking_area_code = “1”;
mobile_country_code = “208”;
mobile_network_code = “92”;

And obviously, your radio parameters.

Wwe tested with USRP B210 and two parameter files: 10MHz band, 20MHz band, Huawei E3272 UE, a cavity duplexer a simple antenna, about 1 meter distance UE/eNB antenna.

• openairinterface5g/targets/PROJECTS/GENERIC-LTE-EPC/CONF/enb.band7.tm1.50PRB.usrpb210.conf
• openairinterface5g/targets/PROJECTS/GENERIC-LTE-EPC/CONF/enb.band7.tm1.100PRB.usrpb210.conf

Install this configuration for EPC

For the EPC, we install in OAI default directory: /usr/local/etc/oai

Only the SGi output to internet need to be configured.
In /usr/local/etc/oai/spgw.conf,
your should set the Ethernet interface that is connected to Internet, and,
to tell to the PGW to implement NAPT for the UE traffic

For the SIM card, you’ll have more to do:

• SIM MCC/MNC should be duplicated in a couple of files
  • eNB: See above in eNB configuration chapter
  • MME file: /usr/local/etc/oai/mme.conf to update

• • HSS
    • Configure the password for MySQL
      • in /usr/local/etc/oai/hss.conf, set password as the password you created during MySQL installation
    • A HSS database in text is in: opencells-mods/opencells_db.sql
      • We don’t use phpmyadmin: we load the database from a ascii file
      • It is pre-configured with the
        • mme id
        • 10 users is network 208/92 (a French test network) are also created (don’t use 3GPP test network: 001/01: the mme fails when MCC starts by “0”)
      • Each time you import this db, it erases the entire database
        (example: you set mysql password to “linux”)

• • • • We use to modify the db by updating this file with regular text editor,
        then we re-load the entire database,
        but, if you prefer, usage of http://localhost/phpmyadmin is fine
      • The important values to set are:
        • table pdn:
          • all IMSI are listed, with the APN: these values are in UE/USIM
        • table users:
          • all IMSI, key (Ki) and OPc must be the same in USIM card
          • Sqn increments automatically  when the UE authenticate in both USIM and HSS DB: it should be set as per USIM internal incrementation
    • SIM card update
      • Open cells UICC and card reader will  be supported

Final test and verification

open 4 terminal windows

1. in each window

Connect the UE, it should attach to network and be able to reach internet through OAI network

We re-built this procedure from scratch and tested two machines: i5-4570 and i5-6600K.

On the i5-4570, at maximum traffic, the eNB is stable on 10MHz band at full user data speed.

On the i5-6600K, we obtain stable performance at maximum traffic over 20MHz, transmission mode 1 (SISO), one single UE over-the-air 1 meter distance: