DFI Adds Horsepower to 5G Small Cellular and Multi Access Edge Computing

Due to the trend of software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV), general-purpose processors are becoming more and more suitable for computing cores of small cells. Intel Atom® processors are used as network processors (NPUs), combined with FPGA in charge of baseband processing to effectively backhaul the broadband data traffic of the local small cell to the core network, and bring more flexibility for application deployment.

To confirm the technical feasibility of 5G small cells, one leading cellular carrier began investigating the use of DFI's DV970 embedded with Intel Atom® C3958 Processor with FPGA and 5G communication modules to conduct a proof of concept (POC). However, each device needed to be synchronized at any time and periodically sent a signal pulse to ensure the coherence of data and actions. Therefore, it was a challenge to effectively reduce latency. Longer latency meant that the processor must consume higher utilization of computing power.

To overcome the latency problem, DFI took a two-pronged approach from both software and hardware. First, DFI optimized the hardware circuit to detect the signal pulse as soon as possible, and at the same time improved the PCIe connection between the processor and the 5G communication module to increase the overall system performance. Second, DFI strived for more processing time by using a low-latency Linux kernel and released more processor performance to support other network service requirements.

In order to realize both low latency and high bandwidth, the 5G base station divided the BBU (Baseband Unit) into CU and DU. CU (Centralized Unit) was responsible for processing non-real-time protocols and services, and DU (Distribute Unit) for physical layer protocols and real-time services.

By utilizing SDN/NFV technology, the BBU should be compatible with 4G/5G, and support could-radio access networks (C-RAN), distributed-RAN (D-RAN), and both 5G central and distributed units (CU/DU), which equips it with the robust ability for flexible deployment in the future. The new generation of modular baseband processing platforms based on Intel architecture has increased capacity, high-level integration, and multi-mode flexible networking features, to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Based on NFV, ETSI further proposed multi-access edge computing (MEC, Multi-access Edge Computing) in 2015, so that it could be deployed close to the small cell to provide ultra-low-latency and real-time services, and even combining both as one unity with powerful computing power, complementary to Massive MIMO and Beamforming, which allowed small cells and multiple users to transmit data simultaneously within same frequency resources. When the architecture of access networks adopted separate CU (Centralized Unit) and DU (Distributed Unit), edge computing of CU could be deployed on MEC platforms to provide ultra-low latency services. Furthermore, according to the viewpoint from ETSI, Cloud RAN and MEC were a perfect pairing, because of the benefits of co-deployment.

The Intel Atom® C3000 series adopted by DFI DV970 has a wide range of SKUs (2-16 cores), QuickAssist Technology (QAT) that can accelerate encryption, decryption, and decompression, up to 16 x SATA, 16 x PCIe 3.0, 4 x USB 3, and 4 x 10 GbE Ethernet. It addresses extreme low power requirements (less than 10W TDP) and high-density form factors such as MEC. For boosting up the speed of internet traffic and cloud-computing applications that require fast response, DFI DV970 based on COM Express Type 7 provides not only enhanced computing performance and low-power consumption, but also versatile expansion capability. The DV970 supports 4 ports of 10GbE-KR Ethernet to strengthen the connection between server and equipment and is capable of a 24/7 stable operation in an extended-temp environment, therefore being an ideal solution for 5G Small Cell and MEC.

MEC servers and numerous 5G small cells are often deployed in a relatively harsh environment within limited space. In addition to the wide temperature support, the overall design must adopt industrial computer specifications, which is by no means competent with a general server. DFI has been working in the field of industrial-grade computers for a long time across industrial motherboards, system-on-modules, industrial computers, and industrial panel PC & displays. It also provides fast customized services for various types of applications to meet customer’s requirements.

RemoGuard Ensure the Availability of Numerous Small Cells and Edge Computing Servers

Many 5G small cells and edge computing servers are deployed in a very wide range. If the operating system crashes and the general in-band remote management cannot be used, it is necessary to allocate manpower for on-site maintenance. The more the number of devices, the higher the costs, and it will lead to the rapid growth of the overall operation expenses (OPEX), and lower quality of service.

RemoGuard, a cloud management platform co-developed by both DFI and Innodisk, introduces out-of-band management and moves the entire management system to the cloud. The platform can automatically backup the data and recover the operating system remotely when the edge devices crash, which exactly meets the managing attributes of 5G small cells – to maintain numerous stations allocated at multiple sites.

Besides remote OS recovery, RemoGuard also has device monitoring services. The platform updates the real-time updated data of logging temperature, input/output voltage, and power consumption for in-time action, and proactively estimates the lifespan of SSDs, turning passive notification to active prediction to pin down a precise benchmark of replacement timing as well as yielding benefits for inventory control, maintenance efficiency, and service continuity of the 5G small stations.

As the management is conducted through both in-band and out-of-band, both the connection to the cloud and the data itself should be protected. The advanced AES encryption is adopted to prevent data from tampering, and the Transport Layer Security Protocol (TLS) adopted by Azure Sphere further ensures communication confidentiality. Moreover, in the case of potential data breaches or improper violation of the physical equipment, secure erasure and self-destruction can also be triggered as specially required in mission-critical settings, ensuring comprehensive data security under the transmission.

DFI assists customers to scale 5G into the future

In the advent of the 5G era, whether from radio access network (RAN), multi-access edge computing (MEC), or evolved data packet core (EPC), it is necessary to create a good 5G application environment and take into account the capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX). The x86 server platform with high application flexibility, high reliability, and high availability is the most ideal choice, fully implementing the spirit of software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) core.

DFI, which focuses on industrial computers, not only provides complete hardware solutions and cloud management systems for 5G small cell and edge computing servers but also combines 16-core Atom C3958 processor and 5G small station by its DV970 COM Express module to provide sufficient performance for today’s workloads. DFI has enough expansion space to adapt to the ever-increasing data flow in the future and makes the vision of the internet of things no longer unattainable and unreachable.