(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"

• Add the OAI repository as authorized remote system

  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:

sudo apt-get install libboost-all-dev libusb-1.0-0-dev python-mako doxygen python-docutils python-requests cmake build-essential
git clone git://github.com/EttusResearch/uhd.git
cd uhd; mkdir host/build; cd host/build
cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr ..
make -j4
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig
sudo /usr/lib/uhd/utils/uhd_images_downloader.py

Download our modifications

download: patches   extract the data:

tar xf opencells-mods-20170710.tgz

Download & Compile the eNB on 17.04

git clone https://gitlab.eurecom.fr/oai/openairinterface5g.git
cd openairinterface5g
git checkout develop

• 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

git apply opencells-mods/eNB.patch

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

source oaienv  
./cmake_targets/build_oai -I       # install SW packages from internet
./cmake_targets/build_oai  -w USRP --eNB --UE # compile eNB

Download and patch EPC

Clone OAI EPC:

git clone https://gitlab.eurecom.fr/oai/openair-cn.git
cd openair-cn
git checkout develop

(we used: commit 5353b606662a6ae7eaadf6bc39cbf6452d298b0e)

Apply the patch:

git apply opencells-mods/EPC.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

cd openair-cn; source oaienv; cd scripts
./build_hss -i

• 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

./build_mme -i

• 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

 ./build_spgw -i

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

Compile the EPC nodes

No difficulty found in this phase.

cd openair-cn; source oaienv; cd scripts
./build_hss
./build_mme
./build_spgw

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:

////////// MME parameters:
 mme_ip_address = ( { ipv4 = "127.0.0.20";
 ipv6 = "192:168:30::17";
 active = "yes";
 preference = "ipv4";
 }
 );

NETWORK_INTERFACES : 
 {
 ENB_INTERFACE_NAME_FOR_S1_MME = "lo";
 ENB_IPV4_ADDRESS_FOR_S1_MME = "127.0.0.10/8";

 ENB_INTERFACE_NAME_FOR_S1U = "lo";
 ENB_IPV4_ADDRESS_FOR_S1U = "127.0.0.10/8";
 ENB_PORT_FOR_S1U = 2152; # Spec 2152
 };

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

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/etc/oai
sudo cp -rp opencells-mods/config_epc/* /usr/local/etc/oai

cd openair-cn; source oaienv; cd scripts
./check_hss_s6a_certificate /usr/local/etc/oai/freeDiameter hss.OpenAir5G.Alliance
./check_mme_s6a_certificate /usr/local/etc/oai/freeDiameter mme.OpenAir5G.Alliance

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

 PGW_INTERFACE_NAME_FOR_SGI = "enp3s0"; 
 PGW_MASQUERADE_SGI = "yes";

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

GUMMEI_LIST = ( MCC="208" ; MNC="92"; MME_GID="4" ; MME_CODE="1"; } );
TAI_LIST = ({MCC="208" ; MNC="92"; TAC = "1"; } );

• • 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”)

./hss_db_import 127.0.0.1 root linux oai_db opencells-mods/opencells_db.sql

• • • • 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

cd openair-cn; source oaienv; cd scripts; ./run_hss

cd openair-cn; source oaienv; cd scripts; ./run_mme

cd openair-cn; source oaienv; cd scripts; sudo -E ./run_spgw

sudo bash
cd openairinterface5g; source oaienv
./cmake_targets/lte_build_oai/build/lte-softmodem -O <your config file>

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: