Cellular Network Infrastructure » Radio Access Network » OsmoBSC

{{>toc}}

h1. OsmoBSC

[[OsmoBSC:]] is an implementation of a GSM BSC (Base Station Controller), i.e. it offers

* an A-bis interface towards the BTSs

* an A-over-IP (AoIP) interface towards an MSC (e.g. [[OsmoMSC:]]).

h2. History / Naming / SCCPlite

Until 2017, we used to have an @osmo-bsc@ part of the old @openbsc.git@ repository which implemented a smaller sub-set of the BSC functionality with an [[cellular-infrastructure:SCCPLite]] based A interface.  This legacy program is now called @osmo-bsc-sccplite@ and continues to be available for legacy users.  However, it is not actively developed anymore.

h2. OsmoBSC in the Osmocom architecture

h3. Signaling Plane only

{{graphviz_link()

digraph G {

    rankdir = LR;

    subgraph cluster_RAN {

        OsmoBTS;

        OsmoBTS1 [label="OsmoBTS"];

        OsmoBTS2 [label="OsmoBTS"];

        OsmoBSC [color=red];

        label = "RAN";

    }

    subgraph cluster_CN {

        OsmoMSC [label="MSC\ne.g. OsmoMSC"];

        Core [label="Other CN Elements"];

        label = "CN";

    }

    OsmoBTS -> OsmoBSC [label="Abis/IP"];

    OsmoBTS1 -> OsmoBSC [label="Abis/IP"];

    OsmoBTS2 -> OsmoBSC [label="Abis/IP"];

    OsmoBSC -> OsmoMSC [label="3GPP AoIP\nvia SIGTRAN/STP"];

    OsmoMSC -> Core [label="MAP/ISUP/SIP/GSUP"];

    }

}

}}

h3. Signaling + User (Media) Plane

{{graphviz_link()

digraph G {

    rankdir = LR;

    subgraph cluster_RAN {

        OsmoBTS;

        OsmoBTS1 [label="OsmoBTS"];

        OsmoBTS2 [label="OsmoBTS"];

        OsmoBSC [color=red];

        OsmoMGW [label="OsmoMGW\n(for BSC)"];

        OsmoBTS -> OsmoBSC [label="Abis/IP"];

        OsmoBTS1 -> OsmoBSC [label="Abis/IP"];

        OsmoBTS2 -> OsmoBSC [label="Abis/IP"];

        OsmoBSC -> OsmoMGW [label="MGCP"];

        { rank = same; OsmoBSC; OsmoMGW }

        OsmoBTS -> OsmoMGW [label="RTP"];

        OsmoBTS1 -> OsmoMGW [label="RTP"];

        OsmoBTS2 -> OsmoMGW [label="RTP"];

        label = "RAN";

    }

    subgraph cluster_CN {

        OsmoMGW1 [label="OsmoMGW\n(for MSC)"];

        OsmoMSC [label="MSC\ne.g. OsmoMSC"];

        Core [label="Other CN Elements"];

        OsmoMSC -> Core [label="MAP/ISUP/SIP/GSUP"];

        OsmoMSC -> OsmoMGW1 [label="MGCP"];

        { rank = same; OsmoMSC; OsmoMGW1 }

        OsmoMGW -> OsmoMGW1 [label="RTP"];

        OsmoMGW1 -> Core [label="RTP"];

        label = "CN";

    }

    OsmoBSC -> OsmoMSC [label="3GPP AoIP\nvia SIGTRAN/STP"];

}

}}

h2. BTS Support

OsmoBSC supports currently all BTSs running the [[OsmoBTS:]] software (such as sysmoBTS), as well as ip.access nanoBTS devices.  Other Abis/IP devices may be supported.

Support for legacy E1/T1 TDM based BTSs (like those supported by [[OsmoNITB:]] is on the roadmap.

{{graphviz_link()

graph G {

        MSC [label="MSC\n(e.g. OsmoMSC)"];

        STP [label="STP\n(e.g. OsmoSTP)"];

        nanoBTS [label="ip.access\nnanoBTS", shape=box];

        OsmoBTS;

        sysmoBTS [label="sysmocom sysmoBTS\n(many models)", shape=box];

        LC15 [label="Nuran\nLitecell 1.5", shape=box];

        OCT [label="Octasic\nOCTBTS", shape=box];

        TRX [label="OsmoTRX"];

        OtherSDR [label="Other SDR HW", shape=box, style=dashed];

        OtherPHY [label="Other GSM PHY", shape=box, style=dashed];

        UmTRX [label="Fairwaves\nUmTRX", shape=box];

        USRP [label="Ettus USRP\nFamily", shape=box];

        MSC -- STP [label="A/IP"];

        STP -- BSC [label="A/IP"];

        BSC -- nanoBTS [label="Abis/IP"];

        BSC -- OsmoBTS [label="Abis/IP"];

        BSC -- BS11 [label="Siemens\nAbis/E1"];

        BSC -- RBS2K [label="Ericsson\nAbis/E1"];

        BSC -- Nokia [label="Nokia\nAbis/E1"];

        subgraph cluster_2 {

                BSC [label="BSC\n(OsmoBSC, 3rd party)" color=red];

                color=white

        }

        subgraph cluster_0 {

                BS11 [label="Siemens BS-11", shape=box];

                SIU [label="Ericsson SIU"];

                RBS2K [label="Ericsson RBS 2000\n(many models)", shape=box];

                Nokia [label="Nokia InSite, MetroSite", shape=box];

                BSC -- L2TPD [label="Unix Socket"];

                L2TPD -- SIU [label="Ericsson\nL2TP/IP"];

                SIU -- RBS2K [label="Ericsson\nAbis/E1"];

                { rank=same; BS11 RBS2K Nokia }

                label = "Classic E1/T1";

        }

        subgraph cluster_1 {

                OsmoBTS -- sysmoBTS [label="osmo-bts-sysmo"];

                OsmoBTS -- LC15 [label="osmo-bts-lc15"];

                OsmoBTS -- OCT [label="osmo-bts-octphy"];

                OsmoBTS -- TRX [label="osmo-bts-trx"];

                OsmoBTS -- OtherPHY [style=dashed];

                TRX -- USRP;

                TRX -- UmTRX;

                TRX -- OtherSDR [style=dashed];

                { rank=same; nanoBTS sysmoBTS LC15 OCT UmTRX }

                label = "IP/Ethernet based";

        }

}

}}

{{include(cellular-infrastructure:MacroBinaryPackages)}}

h2. User Manuals

* osmo-bsc User Manual: http://ftp.osmocom.org/docs/latest/osmobsc-usermanual.pdf

* osmo-bsc VTY Reference: http://ftp.osmocom.org/docs/latest/osmobsc-vty-reference.pdf

h2. Source code

The source code is available from @git.osmocom.org@ (module @osmo-bsc@).

Public read-only access is available via

<pre>

git clone git://git.osmocom.org/osmo-bsc.git

</pre>

You can browse it via cgit:  https://git.osmocom.org/osmo-bsc

Contributions are welcome via [[Cellular Infrastructure:Gerrit]].

h2. Contact / Getting Help

Contact us via the openbsc@ mailing list, see [[Cellular Infrastructure:Mailing Lists]].

You can file issues (bugs / feature requests) using the redmine project you're currently viewing.

h2. Authors / Credit

The old OsmoBSC-SCCPlite was created by Holger Freyther based on the earler OpenBSC/OsmoNITB code by Dieter Spaar, Harald Welte, Holger Freyther and contributors.

3GPP AoIP support was developed by sysmocom.  Today, OsmoBSC is maintained by Harald Welte and his team at sysmocom.