Open Broadband-Broadband Access Abstraction (OB-BAA)

Standardized, Automated Deployment for Cloud-based Access Services

Overview

Broadband Access Abstraction under BBF’s Open Broadband initiative is an open source project that specifies Northbound Interfaces (NBI), Core Components and Southbound Adaptation Interfaces (SAI) for functions associated with the access network devices  that have been virtualized. 

OB-BAA facilitates co-existence and seamless migration bringing the agility to adapt to a wide variety of software defined access models as they become defined by vendors and providers in a potentially vast market.

This Open Broadband reference implementation enables standardized, SDN-automated and accelerated deployment and management (e.g., configuration, reporting, alarms, performance monitoring and fault mangement) of new cloud-based access infrastructure and services.

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Inherent in the OB-BAA project is the ability to pull differing access device types, including legacy implementations, together under a single network and service management &control umbrella to be exposed to management elements such as the SDN Management and/or Control and Element Management Systems.

The OB-BAA project is designed to be deployed within the BBF's CloudCO environment as one or more virtualized network functions (VNFs). Because the NBI and SAI utilize standardized data models and the Core components of the OB-BAA project are designed as virtualized micro-services with specified interfaces, the components of the OB-BAA project can also be adapted and deployed in other virtualized environments.

Mauro Tilocca (TIM), BBF Board Member, talks about the latest BBF activities in its Open Broadband initiative, including the Broadband Access Abstration (OB-BAA) project


News release

Published August 22, 2018

Open Broadband - Broadband Access Abstraction

Providing a standardized, automated deployment for Cloud-based Access Services. Read more.


 

OB-BAA Webinar

OB-BAA white paper

Published August 22, 2018



OB-BAA release 1.0 & download

OB-BAA release 1.0

  • Core Framework
    • NETCONF/YANG based Southbound Interface
    • NETCONF/YANG based Northbound Interface
    • Persistent management enabled BAA core that allows an Access Node to be configured when they are offline and to be synchronized when connectivity is reestablished
  • Functionality to discover and manage an Access Node that includes the ability to:
    • Discover an Access Node based on Direct SSH, TR-301 CallHome
    • Create, retrieve, update and delete (CRUD) an Access Node within the BAA layer as well the AN's data
    • Load YANG module sets for a type of Access Node
  • Deployment & Usage instructions
    • Simulator recommendations
    • Examples of requests to the BAA layer and YANG modules for a DPU

How to Download

  • OB-BAA is a freely-published, open source project.
  • The August 2018 release, consisting of code and supporting documentation is available at obbaa.broadband-forum.org.

What makes BAA different?

The layered architecture diagram on the right shows how BAA enables independence of the north and southbound implementations. This removes the need for difficult deployment planning by decoupling the device and software implementation choices from business and market conditions. i.e., it facilitates service provider choices for local or system-wide implementation, migration, co-existence based on market demand, RoI, resources, etc.

 

The Need for Open Access Abstraction

The layered architecture diagram on the right shows how BAA enables independence of the north and southbound implementations. This removes the need for difficult deployment planning by decoupling the device and software implementation choices from business and market conditions. i.e., it facilitates service provider choices for local or system-wide implementation, migration, co-existence based on market demand, RoI, resources, etc.

 

BAA and CloudCO

While both BAA and cloudCO are truly independent and free-standing applications, BAA fits exactly into the cloudCO architecture as one of many CloudCO use cases. The BAA layer integrated into the CloudCO Framework (TR-384) is shown in the diagram on the right.

 

Who Benefits?

Benefits for ServiceProviders

  • Standardized northbound interfaces (e.g. WT-411, WT-413 for BAA) provide SPs with interface contract Southbound of their OSS that is vendor and environment agnostic.
  • Standardized southbound interfaces (e.g., TR-355) provide interoperable interfaces toward network elements
  • Enables the migration of legacy access nodes into the new management ecosystem.
  • Abstract interfaces (north and south) provide exposure of functions regardless of the interfacing protocol.

Benefits for Manufacturers

  • Equipment vendors are able to limit the number of different interfaces they have to support to integrate into a Service Provider network.
  • Abstract interfaces (north and south) provide isolation of Core functionality from protocols and interfaces that change over time.
  • Network equipment manufacturers can use and extend the software with additional features and interfaces allowing them to differentiate themselves.