Title:                         LS on SON Architecture Definition Procedure

Response to:             N/A

Release:                   Rel-8

Work Item:                LTE

Source:                     SA5

To:                            RAN2, RAN3

Contact Person

Name:                  Olaf POLLAKOWSKI

Tel. Number:        +49 89 636 751 30

E-mail Address:    <FirstName>.<LastName>@nsn.com

Attachments:             TR 32.816 v131      Study on management of E-UTRAN and EPC

1. Overall Description:

SA5 would like to provide to RAN2 and RAN3 an update on its work on the SON Management Architecture (SON Reference Model).

After extensive discussion of several different SON Reference Models, SA5 has reached the following conclusion:

1. There is not a (single) common SON Reference Model supporting all SON use cases.
2. Instead, different SON use case are supported by different Reference Models in the most appropriate way, in other words, there are Use Case Specific Reference Models.
3. The overall SON Reference Model is the combination of these Use Case Specific Reference Models.

SA5 has also specified a procedure allowing to identify the Use Case Specific Reference Models. This procedure is a three-step approach based on a functional decomposition of each use case:

Functional decomposition of each use case:

The high level business use cases are decomposed into smaller (atomic) functions or steps. For each (atomic) function only the WHAT but not the HOW shall be described. This step shall hence not mention anything about specific implementation details or the location of the (atomic) functions.

Definition of the Logical Architecture for each use case:

In the next step logical functions or functional blocks are identified. Each block supports one or more atomic functions. All functional blocks represent the logical architecture. The logical architecture does not specify where the functions are located. The logical architecture specifies the interactions and relationships between the functional blocs as well.

Definition of the Use Case Specific Reference Model for each use case

After the logical architecture has been agreed in terms of logical functions it has to be decided where these functions should be located in the existing Management Reference Model (NE, EM NM) or if a new entity should be defined. Note that the different logical functions do not need to be located all at the same place.

Relationships on open interfaces require full standardisation. Relationships between functional blocks inside one entity of the Reference Model or on closed interfaces are not standardized.

More information about this procedure and an example application to the self-configuration use case can be found in the attached TR 32.816 v131.

2. Actions to RAN2 and RAN3:

• SA5 kindly asks to check the procedure for the definition of the Use Case Specific Reference Models and to provide feedback if necessary.

• SA5 would like to ask to consider the adoption of this approach. SA5 believes that this would improve the communication between the groups which is particularly important for use cases whose solution involves work from multiple groups.