Understanding the Computational Requirements of Virtualized Baseband Units using a Programmable Cloud Radio Access Network Testbed

Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) is emerging as a transformative architecture for the next generation of mobile cellular networks. In C-RAN, the Baseband Unit (BBU) is decoupled from the Base Station (BS) and consolidated in a centralized processing center. While the potential benefits of C-RAN have been studied extensively from the theoretical perspective, there are only a few works that address the system implementation issues and characterize the computational requirements of the virtualized BBU. In this paper, a programmable C-RAN testbed is presented where the BBU is virtualized using the OpenAirInterface (OAI) software platform, and the eNodeB and User Equipment (UEs) are implemented using USRP boards. Extensive experiments have been performed in a FDD downlink LTE emulation system to characterize the performance and computing resource consumption of the BBU under various conditions. It is shown that the processing time and CPU utilization of the BBU increase with the channel resources and with the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) index, and that the CPU utilization percentage can be well approximated as a linear increasing function of the maximum downlink data rate. These results provide real-world insights into the characteristics of the BBU in terms of computing resource and power consumption, which may serve as inputs for the design of efficient resource-provisioning and allocation strategies in C-RAN systems.Comment: In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Autonomic Computing (ICAC), July 201

Towards an open cloud marketplace: vision and first steps

As one of the most promising, emerging concepts in Information Technology (IT), cloud computing is transforming how IT is consumed and managed; yielding improved cost efficiencies, and delivering flexible, on-demand scalability by reducing computing infrastructures, platforms, and services to commodities acquired and paid-for on-demand through a set of cloud providers. Today, the transition of cloud computing from a subject of research and innovation to a critical infrastructure is proceeding at an incredibly fast pace. A potentially dangerous consequence of this speedy transition to practice is the premature adoption, and ossification, of the models, technologies, and standards underlying this critical infrastructure. This state of affairs is exacerbated by the fact that innovative research on production-scale platforms is becoming the purview of a small number of public cloud providers. Specifically, the academic research communities are effectively excluded from the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the evolution not to mention innovation and healthy mutation of cloud computing technologies. As the dependence on our society and economy on cloud computing increases, so does the realization that the academic research community cannot be shut out from contributing to the design and evolution of this critical infrastructure. In this article we provide an alternative vision that of an Open Cloud eXchange (OCX) a public cloud marketplace, where many stakeholders, rather than just a single cloud provider, participate in implementing and operating the cloud, thus creating an ecosystem that will bring the innovation of a broader community to bear on a much healthier and more efficient cloud marketplace