Improvement in radio logging system for performance testing

Abstract

Testing is a major portion of developing a stable network. Radio access network base stations consist of several components that are constantly transmitting data between each other. Each component can cause failures in the system which can be detrimental in the connection to user device. When new software, hardware or features are integrated to the base stations, system’s stability and performance are tested. Radio is the component which is responsible for transmitting and receiving data from and to user device. All radio units in base station write a log from where the tester can see if it operates as expected. Retrieving logs in fault situations can be an arduous and time-consuming task, which requires an external connection to the radio unit.

To facilitate radio log collection, this thesis introduces an automated tool that gathers logs from radio unit. An initial survey was conducted to collect data for the design. Data were used to set specifications on what tasks system should be able to perform. The tool collects log types that are most frequently used in fault investigations. Additionally, it should work with minimal interaction. This system consists of hardware and software parts that are used to create a connection to the radio unit and fetch logs from it. The tool can be configured by the user for various radio models and to collect logs from different test scenarios. In addition, tool supports integration to a larger base station test automation pipeline.

The system was evaluated for its radio log collection capabilities, usability, and an end survey to the evaluation participants. Tool is demonstrated to perform the logging tasks that were set in the start of this thesis work. After the proposed tool is added to a testing environment and configured for it, it can be used effortlessly with little interaction. The end survey results show that 66.7% of testers found this system to improve radio log collection. Additionally, 16.7% thought that it would partly help the process. Furthermore, 83% would use it to capture logs from radio unit.