O-RAN E2 Node Simulator

Author: 蔡秀吉 (thc1006) Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-11-15

Overview

This repository contains an E2 Node Simulator designed to test O-RAN RIC Platform xApps by generating realistic E2 interface traffic. The simulator supports multiple xApps and can be configured to simulate various network scenarios.

Features

• Multi-xApp Support: Simultaneously sends E2 indications to:

  • KPIMON (port 8081)
  • Traffic Steering (port 8081)
  • QoE Predictor (port 8090)
  • RAN Control (port 8100)
  • Federated Learning (port 8110)

• Realistic Data Generation: Simulates KPIs including:

  • PRB utilization (DL/UL)
  • Active UE count
  • Throughput metrics
  • Latency measurements
  • RSRP/RSRQ values
  • CQI/MCS values

• Configurable Simulation:

  • Adjustable iteration interval (default: 30s)
  • Cell ID configuration (default: 1234567)
  • Extensible xApp target configuration

Architecture

┌─────────────────────┐
│  E2 Node Simulator  │
│  (Containerized)    │
└──────────┬──────────┘
           │
           │ HTTP POST /e2/indication
           │
           ├──────────┬──────────┬──────────┬──────────┐
           ↓          ↓          ↓          ↓          ↓
     ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
     │ KPIMON  │ │ Traffic │ │   QoE   │ │   RAN   │ │Federated│
     │  :8081  │ │Steering │ │Predictor│ │ Control │ │Learning │
     │         │ │  :8081  │ │  :8090  │ │  :8100  │ │  :8110  │
     └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Kubernetes cluster (k3s or other)
• kubectl configured
• Docker (for building custom images)
• O-RAN RIC Platform deployed in ricxapp namespace

Deployment

# Deploy using kubectl
kubectl apply -f deploy/deployment.yaml

# Verify deployment
kubectl get pods -n ricxapp | grep e2-simulator

# Check logs
kubectl logs -n ricxapp -l app=e2-simulator -f

Building Custom Image

# Build Docker image
docker build -t localhost:5000/e2-simulator:1.0.0 .

# Push to local registry
docker push localhost:5000/e2-simulator:1.0.0

# Update deployment
kubectl rollout restart deployment/e2-simulator -n ricxapp

Configuration

xApp Targets

Edit src/e2_simulator.py to configure xApp targets:

self.xapp_targets = {
    'kpimon': {
        'host': 'kpimon.ricxapp.svc.cluster.local',
        'port': 8081,
        'endpoint': '/e2/indication'
    },
    # Add more xApps...
}

Simulation Parameters

# Iteration interval (seconds)
iteration_interval = 30

# Cell ID
cell_id = 1234567

Monitoring

The simulator logs all activities:

# View simulation iterations
kubectl logs -n ricxapp -l app=e2-simulator | grep "Simulation Iteration"

# View connection status
kubectl logs -n ricxapp -l app=e2-simulator | grep "Connection"

# View error messages
kubectl logs -n ricxapp -l app=e2-simulator | grep -i "error\|failed"

Integration with RIC Platform

This E2 Node Simulator is designed to work with the O-RAN RIC Platform project. It enables:

• xApp Development: Test xApp logic without real RAN equipment
• Metrics Validation: Verify Prometheus metrics integration
• Performance Testing: Simulate various network conditions
• CI/CD Integration: Automated testing in deployment pipelines

Extending the Simulator

Adding New xApp Targets

1. Update self.xapp_targets in src/e2_simulator.py
2. Configure correct service name, port, and endpoint
3. Rebuild and redeploy

Adding New KPIs

1. Update generate_kpi_data() method
2. Add new metrics to the data structure
3. Ensure receiving xApp can process the new fields

Custom Scenarios

Create scenario-specific data generators:

def generate_high_load_scenario(self):
    """Simulate high network load"""
    return {
        'prb_usage_dl': random.uniform(80, 100),
        'prb_usage_ul': random.uniform(70, 90),
        'active_ue_count': random.randint(100, 200)
    }

Troubleshooting

Simulator Not Sending Data

Check:

• xApp services are running: kubectl get svc -n ricxapp
• Network connectivity: kubectl exec -n ricxapp e2-simulator-xxx -- curl -I http://kpimon.ricxapp.svc.cluster.local:8081

Solution:

• Verify service names and ports match configuration
• Check xApp readiness probes are passing

Connection Errors

Symptom: Connection error for <xapp> (xApp may not have REST endpoint yet)

Solution:

• Ensure xApp has implemented /e2/indication endpoint
• Verify xApp Service exposes correct port
• Check xApp Pod is in Running state

Data Not Reaching xApps

Check:

• xApp logs: kubectl logs -n ricxapp <xapp-pod-name>
• Prometheus metrics: Check if counters are incrementing

Solution:

• Verify xApp endpoint logic is correct
• Check xApp metrics implementation

Technical Details

Dependencies

• Python 3.9+
• requests
• Kubernetes service discovery (DNS)

Docker Image

Base image: python:3.9-slim

Size: ~150MB

Resource Requirements

resources:
  requests:
    memory: "64Mi"
    cpu: "50m"
  limits:
    memory: "128Mi"
    cpu: "100m"

Contributing

This simulator is part of the O-RAN RIC Platform deployment project. For issues, enhancements, or questions:

1. Check existing documentation in the main platform repository
2. Create an issue with detailed description
3. Follow the project's coding standards

Related Projects

• O-RAN RIC Platform - Main platform repository
• O-RAN SC - O-RAN Software Community

License

This project follows the same license as the O-RAN SC RIC Platform.

Changelog

Version 1.0.0 (2025-11-15)

• Initial release
• Support for 5 xApps (KPIMON, Traffic Steering, QoE, RC, FL)
• Configurable simulation parameters
• Comprehensive KPI data generation
• Kubernetes-native deployment

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Maintained by: 蔡秀吉 (thc1006) Repository: https://github.com/thc1006/oran-e2-node