Quick Reference¶
This guide provides a quick reference for all the blueprints OnRamp defines for Aether. It assumes a general familiarity with OnRamp, and a specific understanding of how OnRamp uses blueprints to configure target deployments of Aether.
Blueprint Specification¶
The specification for every Aether blueprint is anchored in an Ansible
variable file (e.g., vars/main-<blueprint>.yml).
The blueprint names in the first column of the following table link the relevant OnRamp documentation. The vars files can be found in the aether-onramp repo.
Name |
Vars File |
Description |
|---|---|---|
main-quickstart.yml |
Minimal configuration running in a single server or VM. |
|
main-gnbsim.yml |
Scalable 5G Control Plane workload from gNBsim directed at 5G Core. |
|
main-gNB.yml |
Physical 5G small cell radio connected to 5G Core; demonstrated with MOSO CANOPY 5G indoor small cell. |
|
main-upf.yml |
Instantiate multiple UPFs and bind them to distinct Slices. |
|
main-sdran.yml |
SD-RAN (with RANSIM traffic) connected to 5G Core. |
|
main-ueransim.yml |
UERANSIM (with |
|
main-eNB.yml |
Physical 4G small cell radio connected to 4G Core; demonstrated with Sercomm indoor small cell. |
|
main-sriov.yml |
5G Core with core.upf.mode set to dpdk, enabling SR-IOV and DPDK optimizations for the user plane. |
|
main-oai.yml |
OAI software radio connected to 5G Core. |
|
main-srsran.yml |
srsRAN software radio connected to 5G Core. |
|
main-ocudu.yml |
OCUDU software radio connected to 5G Core, with support for simulated UE, UHD-backed radios, and split 7.2 RU deployments. |
|
main-n3iwf.yml |
N3IWF connected to 5G Core to provide internet access to non-3GPP devices. |
Ansible Variables¶
The Ansible vars/main-<blueprint>.yml file associated with each
blueprint defines the high-level parameters used to configure Aether.
The following identifies the key variables users are likely to modify;
the list is not comprehensive.
Variable |
Default |
Description |
|---|---|---|
core.networks.access.ran_subnet |
172.20.0.0/16 |
Overlay subnet connecting Core to RAN when gNBs run in a container; set to empty string (“”) to derive it from the access interface when gNBs are directly connected to the server’s physical network. |
core.networks.<name> |
access, core (optional) |
Networks the UPF attaches to; fields are iface, vlan, subnet, gateway, attach, resource_name and ran_subnet. All have defaults, so omitting this key gives the single-interface deployment on the default-route interface. See Network Details. |
core.networks.<name>.resource_name |
intel.com/intel_sriov_vfio_access (access), intel.com/intel_sriov_vfio_core (core) |
SR-IOV resource pool name in dpdk mode. |
core.upf.instances.<name> |
default (optional) |
UPFs, each with access and core ({network, ip}), ue_ip_pool and mode. default is the built-in UPF; every other instance is deployed by 5gc-upf-install. |
core.standalone |
true |
Core to run standalone with simapp-managed subscribers; set to false to manage device groups/slices via SD-Core webui. |
core.amf.ip |
“10.76.28.113” |
IP address of AMF; edit to match IP address assigned to the server’s network interface. |
core.amf.external_traffic_policy |
unset |
Optional externalTrafficPolicy of the AMF N2 Service; Cluster or Local. |
core.upf.mode |
af_packet |
UPF datapath mode for instances that do not set their own; set to dpdk to enable the integrated SR-IOV/DPDK rendering in the core and additional-UPF templates. |
gnbsim.router.data_iface |
ens18 |
Network interface used by gNBsim; set to the server’s interface (the Core derives its own interface from the default route). |
oai.simulation |
true |
Run UE in simulation mode; set to false to connect real UEs. |
srsran.simulation |
true |
Run UE in simulation mode; set to false to connect real UEs. |
ocudu.simulation |
true |
Run UE in simulation mode; set to false to deploy OCUDU without the simulated UE. |
ocudu.docker.preflight.enabled |
true |
Enable the OCUDU Docker CPU availability preflight check before gNB startup. |
ocudu.docker.preflight.min_cpus |
4 |
Minimum CPU count that the Docker preflight must observe before the OCUDU gNB starts. |
ocudu.docker.preflight.probe_image |
ghcr.io/omec-project/pod-init:rel-1.2.2 |
Helper image used by the OCUDU Docker preflight to probe CPU availability inside Docker. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.enabled |
false |
Enable per-node DPDK host preparation for OCUDU RU deployments. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.hugepages |
2 |
Number of 1 GB hugepages reserved on that OCUDU host before starting a DPDK gNB. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.pf_iface |
enp81s0f3np3 |
Fronthaul PF interface used to create VF 0 for that OCUDU node. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.du_mac_addr |
00:33:22:33:00:11 |
Optional VF 0 MAC override rendered into the DPDK gNB config. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.ru_mac_addr |
70:b3:d5:e1:5e:7e |
RU fronthaul MAC address rendered into the DPDK gNB config. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.vf_bdf |
“” |
Optional VF 0 PCI BDF override; leave empty to auto-discover it from sysfs. |
ocudu.servers[n].dpdk.isolated_cpus |
3-23 |
CPU range isolated for the DPDK gNB process on that host. |
airgapped.enabled |
false |
Skip gated apt update cache refreshes for offline or mirror-backed deployments. |
airgapped.allow_purge |
false |
Permit playbooks to remove conflicting packages even in airgapped mode when a role supports that behavior. |
*.helm.local_charts |
false |
Loads Helm Charts from public repo; set to true to utilize local charts, with *.helm.charts_ref set to local path name. |
core.mongodb.members |
chart default |
Number of MongoDB replica set members; set to 1 to shrink the footprint. |
core.mongodb.arbiters |
chart default |
Number of MongoDB arbiters; set to 0 for a single-member deployment. |
core.mongodb.resources |
chart default |
CPU/memory requests and limits for the mongod and agent containers. |
core.mongodb.operator.helm.chart_version |
“” (latest) |
Version of the MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes operator chart. |
core.mongodb.operator.lpp.version |
v0.0.24 |
local-path-provisioner version installed when the cluster has no default StorageClass. |
core.kafka.operator.helm.chart_version |
0.49.1 |
Version of the Strimzi Kafka operator chart. |
proxy.enabled |
false |
Enable HTTP proxy support for all deployment steps; set to true when deploying behind a corporate or institutional proxy. |
proxy.http_proxy |
“” |
HTTP proxy URL (e.g., |
proxy.https_proxy |
“” |
HTTPS proxy URL (e.g., |
proxy.no_proxy |
See |
Comma-separated list of hosts and CIDRs that bypass the proxy;
the default includes localhost, private subnets, and Kubernetes
internal domains as defined in |
In addition to the variables listed in the preceding table, the vars file also references other configuration files required by each component. These include values override files used by Helm, along with other ad hoc files directly processed by the component. Note that alternative config files used by other blueprints are often available in the same directory. Edit these variable settings to substitute custom config files.
Variable |
Default Path Name |
|---|---|
amp.monitor_dashboard |
deps/amp/roles/monitor-load/templates/5g-monitoring/ |
core.values_file |
deps/5gc/roles/core/templates/sdcore-5g-values.yaml |
gnbsim.servers |
deps/gnbsim/config/gnbsim-default.yaml and similar per-container config files |
k8s.rke2.config.params_file.master |
deps/k8s/roles/rke2/templates/master-config.yaml |
k8s.rke2.config.params_file.worker |
deps/k8s/roles/rke2/templates/worker-config.yaml |
oai.servers[0].gnb_conf |
deps/oai/roles/gNb/templates/gnb.sa.band78.fr1.106PRB.usrpb210.conf |
oai.servers[0].ue_conf |
deps/oai/roles/uEsimulator/templates/ue.conf |
srsran.servers[0].gnb_conf |
deps/srsran/roles/gNB/templates/gnb_zmq.yaml |
srsran.servers[0].ue_conf |
deps/srsran/roles/uEsimulator/templates/ue_zmq.conf |
ocudu.servers[0].gnb_conf |
deps/ocudu/roles/gNB/templates/gnb_zmq.yaml |
ocudu.servers[0].ue_conf |
deps/ocudu/roles/uEsimulator/templates/ue_zmq.conf |
ocudu.servers[0].dpdk.* |
deps/ocudu/roles/gNB/templates/gnb_dpdk_benetel.yaml, plus DPDK host settings and RU companion config fragments under deps/ocudu/roles/dpdk/templates/ |
n3iwf.servers[0].conf_file |
deps/n3iwf/roles/n3iwf/templates/n3iwf-default.yaml |
ueransim.servers |
deps/ueransim/config/custom-gnb.yaml |
deps/ueransim/config/custom-ue.yaml |
Host Inventory¶
Each blueprint is deployed to the set of servers identified in an
Ansible inventory file (hosts.ini). The following identifies the
host groups that OnRamp currently supports.
In the default single-node inventory, the controller host is labeled
node1 even when it resolves to 127.0.0.1 for local execution.
The GitHub Actions workflows in the aether-onramp repository under
.github/workflows do not use that exact aliasing scheme: the
single-node workflows generate hosts.ini through shared helper
scripts, using localhost and ansible_connection=local.
Host Group |
Description |
|---|---|
[master_nodes] |
Servers hosting Kubernetes Controller. |
[worker_nodes] |
Worker servers in Kubernetes Cluster. |
[gnbsim_nodes] |
Servers hosting gNBsim containers. |
[ueransim_nodes] |
Servers hosting UERANSIM process. |
[oai_nodes] |
Servers hosting OAI gNB (and optionally UE) containers. |
[srsran_nodes] |
Servers hosting srsRAN gNB (and optionally UE) containers. |
[ocudu_nodes] |
Servers hosting OCUDU gNB (and optionally UE) containers. |
[n3iwf_nodes] |
Servers hosting N3IWF containers. |
The [worker_nodes] group can be empty, but must be present. The other groups are blueprint-specific, and with the exception of [ueransim_nodes], may be the same as the [master_nodes], making it possible for the blueprint to require only a single server.
Make Targets¶
OnRamp executes blueprints through a set of Make Targets. The following table identifies the Aether-wide targets used by the Quick Start Blueprint.
Target |
Description |
|---|---|
aether-k8s-install |
Install RKE2 and Helm. |
aether-k8s-uninstall |
Uninstall RKE2 Kubernetes and Helm. |
aether-5gc-install |
Install 5G Core workload; includes bridges for networking, the MongoDB and Kafka operators, and (if needed) a default StorageClass. |
aether-5gc-uninstall |
Uninstall 5G Core workload; includes bridges for networking, the MongoDB and Kafka operators, and Strimzi CRDs. |
aether-5gc-reset |
Delete and reinstall 5G Core workload; leaves network bridges untouched. |
aether-gnbsim-install |
Install gNBsim containers. |
aether-gnbsim-uninstall |
Uninstall gNBsim containers. |
aether-gnbsim-run |
Run gNBsim containers; may rerun multiple times without reinstalling. |
aether-amp-install |
Installs and initializes the Monitoring workload. |
aether-amp-uninstall |
Uninstalls the Monitoring workload. |
Other blueprints define component-specific targets, as listed in the following table. (The Aether-wide targets can also be used for all other blueprints.)
All Blueprints
amp-monitor-install |
Install Monitor workload. |
amp-monitor-load |
Load dashboard panels into Monitor; assumes Monitor already deployed. |
amp-monitor-uninstall |
Uninstall Monitor workload. |
SD-RAN Blueprint
sdran-install |
Install SD-RAN workload; assumes Core already deployed. |
sdran-uninstall |
Uninstall SD-RAN workload. |
UERANSIM Blueprint
ueransim-install |
Install UERANSIM emulated RAN; assumes Core already deployed. |
ueransim-uninstall |
Uninstall UERANSIM emulated RAN. |
ueransim-run |
Run UERANSIM UE to generate User Plane traffic for the Core. |
OAI 5G RAN Blueprint
oai-gnb-install |
Install container running OAI 5G RAN radio; assumes Core already deployed. |
oai-gnb-uninstall |
Uninstall OAI 5G RAN container. |
oai-uesim-start |
Start container running OAI simulated UE. |
oai-uesim-stop |
Stop container running OAI simulated UE. |
srsRAN 5G Blueprint
srsran-gnb-install |
Install container running srsRAN 5G radio; assumes Core already deployed. |
srsran-gnb-uninstall |
Uninstall srsRAN 5G radio container. |
srsran-uesim-start |
Start container running srsRAN simulated UE. |
srsran-uesim-stop |
Stop container running srsRAN simulated UE. |
OCUDU Blueprint
ocudu-gnb-install |
Install Docker prerequisites, apply OCUDU routing, and start the OCUDU gNB; assumes Core already deployed. |
ocudu-gnb-uninstall |
Uninstall OCUDU gNB container. |
ocudu-gnb-start |
Start the OCUDU gNB directly after running the Docker CPU preflight and, when enabled, the same DPDK readiness gate exposed by ocudu-dpdk-status. |
ocudu-gnb-stop |
Stop the OCUDU gNB container without undoing the OCUDU routing changes. |
ocudu-dpdk-install |
Prepare DPDK prerequisites on OCUDU RU hosts before starting a DPDK-enabled gNB. This step may reboot the host and installs the persistent vf-bootstrap.service used to restore VF state across reboots. |
ocudu-dpdk-status |
Report whether each DPDK-enabled OCUDU host is ready for gNB startup. ocudu-gnb-start and ocudu-gnb-install already enforce this same readiness gate. |
ocudu-dpdk-verify |
Verify the live DPDK host state, including services, vf-bootstrap.service, hugepages, and VF binding. This is a stronger check than the readiness gate used by ocudu-gnb-start. |
ocudu-uesim-start |
Start container running the simulated srsRAN UE for OCUDU. |
ocudu-uesim-stop |
Stop container running the simulated srsRAN UE for OCUDU. |
N3IWF Blueprint
n3iwf-install |
Install N3IWF; assumes Core already deployed. |
n3iwf-uninstall |
Uninstall N3IWF. |
Multi-UPF Blueprint
5gc-upf-install |
Install additional UPF pods; assumes Core already deployed. |
5gc-upf-uninstall |
Uninstall additional UPF pods. |
Network Subnets¶
OnRamp configures a set of subnets in support of a given Aether
deployment. The following subnets are defined in vars/main.yml.
With the exception of core.networks.access.ran_subnet, these variables typically
do not need to be modified for an initial deployment of a blueprint.
IP Subnet |
Ansible Variable |
Description |
|---|---|---|
172.20.0.0/16 |
|
Assigned to container-based gNBs connecting to the Core via an
overlay subnet. Other gNB implementations connect to the Core
over the subnet assigned to the server’s physical interface
(the interface carrying the default route, unless overridden by
|
192.168.250.0/24 |
|
Subnet of the core network that connects UPF(s) to the Internet. By default the server is the gateway, at the first address (192.168.250.1). |
192.168.252.0/24 |
|
Subnet of the access network that connects UPF(s) to the RAN. By default the server is the gateway, at the first address (192.168.252.1). |
192.168.100.0/24 |
|
Assigned (by the Core) to UEs connecting to Aether. When
multiple UPFs are deployed—in addition to the |
10.76.28.0/24 |
N/A |
Used throughout OnRamp documentation as an exemplar for the local subnet on which Aether severs and radios are deployed. Corresponds to the server’s network interface (the one carrying the default route). |