VIAVI XhaulAdvisor XA1000 Real-Time Xhaul Analyzer for Open RAN Fronthaul

Real-time Xhaul analyzer on COTS hardware for Open RAN fronthaul interoperability testing and troubleshooting at 10G, 25G and 100G.

Weight: 27.3 kg (60.19 lb)
Dimensions (w x h x d): 434.0 x 86.8 x 647.1 mm (17.09 x 3.42 x 25.48 in)
Memory: 8 GB for a single session; Up to 10 sessions

Datasheet

Overview

The VIAVI XhaulAdvisor is a real-time Xhaul analyzer for Open RAN. It is a scalable tool that runs on COTS hardware and is used for interoperability testing and troubleshooting between equipment from different manufacturers. In Open RAN, individual O-RAN components can come from different vendors. Manufacturers need to show that their components work with other vendors' equipment, and operators need to check compliance with specifications, end-to-end interoperability and network performance.

Interoperability issues can occur at several points in the network, so the XhaulAdvisor analyzes fronthaul traffic in real time to find them. It checks optical, signal frequency and Ethernet parameters. It also identifies the C/U-plane, S-plane and M-plane flows and their bandwidth, and analyzes PTP and C/U-plane timing.

Operation modes

The analyzer can be set up in passive mode with an optical tap, or in through mode placed between the DU and RU. Through mode can be non-intrusive or intrusive. In intrusive mode, the instrument can start its own M-plane session to the RU. Analysis runs live or on stored captures, and synchronization comes from the Open Fronthaul or an external timing source.

Integration with other VIAVI tools

The XhaulAdvisor can be used with other VIAVI tools, including TM500 and TeraVM, to troubleshoot errors seen during end-to-end test case execution. It flags and isolates issues caused by Open Fronthaul timing, node configuration, packet content, and RAN, transport or synchronization functions.

Key Features

Checks optical, signal frequency and Ethernet parameters
Verifies presence and bandwidth of all C/U-plane, S-plane and M-plane flows
Analysis of PTP and C/U-plane timing critical to Open Fronthaul performance
Observes RE/RB channel utilization of C/U-plane flows
Displays all M-plane sessions
M-plane client to interact directly with the O-RU M-plane server and verify configuration
Passive mode or through mode setup (placed between DU and RU)
Analysis in live mode or post-capture mode
Synchronization from Open Fronthaul or an external timing source
Scalable tool running on COTS hardware
Captures packets at up to 100 Gbps on DL and UL simultaneously

Specifications

General

Weight	27.3 kg (60.19 lb) Typical at 25°C
Dimensions (w x h x d)	434.0 x 86.8 x 647.1 mm (17.09 x 3.42 x 25.48 in) Typical at 25°C
Memory	8 GB for a single session; Up to 10 sessions

Transport Functions

Optical Interfaces	10G, 25G, 100G
Transport Stats	Optical power level, Rx Frequency, Ethernet and MAC info

Setup Modes

Passive mode	Requires optical tap to connect to DL/UL fronthaul signals
Non-intrusive through mode	Instrument placed between DU and RU, but not impacting fronthaul signals
Intrusive through mode	Instrument placed between DU and RU, while not impacting CUSM plane traffic. It can initiate a secondary M-plane session to RU.

Live/Capture Modes

Live Mode	Live analysis of Xhaul flows
Capture/Replay Mode	Simultaneously captures packets at up to 100 Gbps on DL and UL

Flow Explorer

Flow identification	Identifies all CUSM flows distinguished by MAC/IP address, VLAN, eAxC ID in DL/UL

CU Timing Analysis

Profiles	Profiles per Open RAN WG4 IOT
Fronthaul Delay T12/T34	Programmable by user
Packet Arrival/Departure	Early/On-time/Late, CU, DL/UL

S-Plane

Reference	Reference time from Open Fronthaul or an external source (ToD, 1 PPS, 10 MHz)
Analyzer	Displays PTP Master and Slave/Subordinate info including domain number, clockClass, clockAccuracy and message rates

M-Plane

Analysis	Displays all M-plane sessions and respective VLAN, MAC/IP addresses
Emulation	Establishes an M-plane session with the RU and displays various RU parameters

RE/RB Channel Utilization

Radio Frames	Displays utilization (%) for each radio frame
C-plane stats	Displays C-plane RE utilization for each radio frame in respective PRB/Symbol grid
U-plane stats	Displays Power vs. Symbol vs. Carrier for each radio frame in respective PRB/Symbol grid

Specifications are taken from the manufacturer's documentation. See the datasheet for complete and current values.

Applications

Open RAN multi-vendor interoperability testing
Open Fronthaul troubleshooting
Transport function analysis
Fronthaul flow exploration
Fronthaul CU timing analysis
Fronthaul M-plane analysis
Fronthaul M-plane emulation
S-plane PTP analysis
Fronthaul RE/RB channel utilization analysis
End-to-end testing with TM500 and TeraVM

Options & Accessories

Option	Description
XA1000	XhaulAdvisor Mainframe — Includes Capture, Transport and Flow Explorer
XA2000	10G Ethernet
XA2001	25G Ethernet
XA2002	100G Ethernet
XA2003	CU Timing Analysis
XA2004	Channel Utilization
XA2005	S-Plane Analysis
XA2006	S-Plane Stack Emulation (Live Analysis)
XA2007	M-Plane Analysis
XA2008	M-Plane Client
ADAP-QSFPSFP28	QSFP-SFP adaptor to support SFP+/SFP28 application
CSFP28-10G-25G-3-1	SFP28 (10G/25G, 1310 nm)
CSFP28-25G-8-1	SFP28 (25G, 850 nm)
CSFPPLUS-1G-10G-3-1	SFP+ (1G/10G, 1310 nm)
CSFPPLUS-1G-10G-8-1	SFP+ (1G/10G, 850 nm)
CQSFP-103G-8-4-SR4	QSFP28 (100G, SR-4, 850 nm)
CQSFP-103G-3-1-FR	QSFP28 (100G, FR, 1310 nm)
CSFPPLUS-10G-23-1B	BiDi SFP+ (10G, 1290/1330 nm)
CSFPPLUS-10G-32-1B	BiDi SFP+ (10G, 1330/1290 nm)
CSFP28-25G-23-1B	BiDi SFP28 (10G/25G, 1290/1330 nm)
CSFP28-25G-32-1B	BiDi SFP28 (10G/25G, 1330/1290 nm)