This section describes the deployment architecture of the Telco Cloud Platform 5G and RAN and the potential benefits of virtualization.

The architecture of the Telco Cloud Platform RAN solution shows the management and compute workload placement between the Regional Data Center site and the Cell Site. This guide focuses on the Telco Cloud Platform RAN solution. However, you must understand how a Cell Site host and application work in conjunction with a Regional Data Center and what are the dependencies to onboard a Cell Site host. The following figure shows an end-to-end deployment model of Telco Cloud Platform 5G core and RAN to understand how they work together.

In the Regional Data Center (RDC) site, vSphere administrators deploy and configure one management workload domain and one or more Cell Site compute workload domains. The Cell Site Compute workload domain dedicates a vCenter Server to manage both Regional Data Center (RDC) and Cell Site ESXi hosts and workloads.

Figure 1. Telco Cloud Platform RAN Deployment Model
Telco Cloud Platform RAN Deployment Model
Note:

NSX, vRNI, vROPS, and vRLI are optional components in the Telco Cloud Platform RAN design, and they are shown at RDC.

This deployment model includes one Regional Data Center (RDC) and one Cell Site as part of the VMware Telco Cloud Platform RAN solution architecture.

  • Regional Data Center (RDC) consists of one Management Workload Domain and one Cell Site Compute Workload Domain.

  • Management workload domain hosts a dedicated vCenter Server and manages all the SDDC management and operational management components such as vCenter Server, NSX, vRealize Operations, vRealize Log Insight, and so on.

  • VMware NSX is deployed as part of 5G Core components. It is used only for workload that is specific to telco management at RDC. NSX is not used for Cell Site Compute Workload Domain.

  • Compute Workload Domains contain a vSphere cluster such as WLD1-Cluster1 and multiple Cell Site ESXi hosts.

  • In the Compute vCenter Server, WLD1-Cluster1 is hosted at Regional Data Center and standalone ESXi hosts are deployed at Cell Site locations.

  • A dedicated vSphere Distributed Switch is used for both the RDC vSphere cluster and the Cell Site.

  • Kubernetes cluster components such as control plane nodes are deployed in the vSphere cluster in the RDC.

  • Kubernetes Worker nodes are deployed at both the Regional Data Center and Cell Site locations to support the CNF workloads such as the CU and DU in a geographically distributed manner.