This reference architecture guide provides guidance for designing and deploying a RAN solution based on VMware Telco Cloud Platform™ — RAN.
Intended Audience
This guide is intended for telecommunications and solution architects, sales engineers, field consultants, advanced services specialists, and customers who are responsible for designing the Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs), Cloud Native Network Functions (CNFs), and the RAN environment in which they run.
Acronyms and Definitions
The following table lists the Telco Cloud Platform acronyms used frequently in this guide.
| Telco Cloud Platform Acronyms |
Definitions |
|---|---|
| 3GPP |
3rd Generation Partnership Project |
| AMF |
Access and Mobility Management Function |
| AUSF |
Authentication Server Function |
| BC |
Boundary Clock |
| CBRS |
Citizens Broadband Radio Service |
| CNTT |
Common NFVI Telco Task Force |
| CSP |
Communications Service Provider |
| CU |
Centralized Unit |
| DHCP |
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol |
| DPDK |
Data Plane Development Kit, an Intel-led packet processing acceleration technology |
| DU |
Distributed Unit |
| ETSI |
European Telecommunications Standards Institute |
| GM |
Grandmaster |
| gNB |
Next Generation NodeB |
| GNSS |
Global Navigation Satellite System |
| LCM |
Life Cycle Management |
| NFV |
Network Functions Virtualization |
| NRF |
NF Repository Function |
| PCIe |
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express |
| PCF |
Policy Control Function |
| PCRF |
Policy and Charging Rule Function |
| PRTC |
Primary Reference Time Clock |
| PTP |
Precision Time Protocol |
| QCI |
Quality of Service Class Identifier |
| RAN |
Radio Access Network |
| RRU |
Remote Radio Unit |
| SMF |
Session Management Function |
| SBA |
Service-Based Architecture |
| SBI |
Service-Based Interface |
| SR-IOV |
Single Root Input/Output Virtualization |
| STP |
Spanning Tree Protocol |
| SVI |
Switched Virtual Interface |
| ToR Switch |
Top-of-Rack Switch |
| UDM |
Unified Data Management |
| UDR |
Unified Data Repository |
| VDS |
vSphere Distributed Switch |
| VNF |
Virtual Network Function |
The following table lists the Cloud Native acronyms used frequently in this guide:
| Cloud Native Acronyms |
Definition |
|---|---|
| CAPI |
Cluster API is a Kubernetes sub-project focused on providing declarative APIs and tooling to simplify provisioning, upgrading, and operating multiple Kubernetes clusters. |
| CAPV |
Cluster API Provider vSphere |
| CMK |
CPU Manager for Kubernetes |
| CNI |
Container Network Interface |
| CNCF |
Cloud Native Computing Foundation, a Linux Foundation project designed to help advance the container technology |
| CNF |
Cloud Native Network Function executing within a Kubernetes environment |
| CSAR |
Cloud Service Archive |
| CSI |
Container Storage Interface. VMware vSphere® CSI exposes vSphere storage to containerized workloads on container orchestrators, such as Kubernetes. It enables vSAN and other types of vSphere storage. |
| CNS |
Cloud Native Storage, a storage solution that provides comprehensive data management for Kubernetes stateful applications. |
| K8s |
Kubernetes |
| PSP |
Pod Security Policy |
| TCA-CP |
Telco Cloud Automation-Control Plane |
