APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR TRACING OPEN RADIO ACCESS NETWORK (O-RAN) INTERFACES

1 . A method comprising:

tracing open radio access network (O-RAN) operations, based on a plurality of tracing parameters, by capturing communication with at least one of a plurality of RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) components controlling the O-RAN operations over a plurality of interfaces; and

generating a report comprising trace data based on the tracing in a predefined format.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predefined format comprises a file-based format or a streaming format.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a trace activation request from a device associated with an entity intended to trace O-RAN operations, wherein the trace activation request comprises the plurality of tracing parameters; and

transmitting the report to the device associated with the entity, wherein the entity comprises an operator providing services to subscribers.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of RIC components comprises a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC) and a near-real time RIC (Near-RT RIC);

wherein the communication with the at least one of the plurality of RIC components comprises a communication between the at least one of the plurality of RIC components and an E2 node, wherein the E2 node is used to implement a base station to provide wireless service to a plurality of user equipment using a cell; and

wherein the plurality of interfaces comprises A1 interface and E2 interface, wherein the A1 interface facilitates communication between the Non-RT RIC and the Near-RT RIC, and wherein the E2 interface facilitates communication between the Near-RT RIC and the E2 node.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the E2 node comprises at least one of an eNodeB (eNB), an O-RAN Central Unit-Control Plane (O-CU-CP), an O-RAN Central Unit-User Plane (O-CU-UP), an O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), and a Next Generation NodeB (gNB).

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein tracing the O-RAN operations further comprises capturing communication between the E2 node and at least one of the plurality of user equipment.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tracing parameters comprises at least one of:

a RIC ID comprising a unique identifier of a RIC controlling the O-RAN operations;

an E2 Node ID comprising a unique identifier of an E2 node associated with the RIC;

a Near-RT RIC Trace ID comprising a unique identifier of a Near-RT RIC associated with the RIC;

a Trace Depth comprising a set of trace levels indicating a degree of information to be traced while tracing the O-RAN operations, wherein the set of trace levels comprises a minimum trace, a medium trace, and a maximum trace;

a list of Near-RT RIC interfaces comprising a list of interfaces over which the at least one of the plurality of RIC components communicates; and

an IP address of a device.

8 . An apparatus comprising:

a memory;

at least one transceiver; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled with the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

trace open radio access network (O-RAN) operations, based on a plurality of tracing parameters, by capturing communication with at least one of a plurality of RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) components controlling the O-RAN operations over a plurality of interfaces; and

generate a report comprising trace data based on the tracing in a predefined format.

9 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the predefined format comprises a file-based format or a streaming format.

10 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a trace activation request from a device associated with an entity intended to trace O-RAN operations, wherein the trace activation request comprises the plurality of tracing parameters; and

transmit the report to the device associated with the entity, wherein the entity comprises an operator providing services to subscribers.

11 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of RIC components comprises a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC) and a near-real time RIC (Near-RT RIC);

wherein the communication with the at least one of the plurality of RIC components comprises a communication between the at least one of the plurality of RIC components and an E2 node, wherein the E2 node is used to implement a base station to provide wireless service to a plurality of user equipment using at least one cell; and

wherein the plurality of interfaces comprises A1 interface and E2 interface, wherein the A1 interface facilitates communication between the Non-RT RIC and the Near-RT RIC, and wherein the E2 interface facilitates communication between the Near-RT RIC and the E2 node.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the E2 node comprises at least one of an eNodeB (eNB), an O-RAN Central Unit-Control Plane (O-CU-CP), an O-RAN Central Unit-User Plane (O-CU-UP), an O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), and a Next Generation NodeB (gNB).

13 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to trace the O-RAN operations by capturing communication between the E2 node and at least one of the plurality of user equipment.

14 . The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of tracing parameters comprises at least one of:

a RIC ID comprising a unique identifier of a RIC controlling the O-RAN operations;

an E2 Node ID comprising a list of unique identifiers of an E2 node associated with the RIC;

a Near-RT RIC Trace ID comprising a unique identifier of a Near-RT RIC associated with the RIC;

a Trace Depth comprising a set of trace levels indicating a degree of information to be traced while tracing the O-RAN operations, wherein the set of trace levels comprises a minimum trace, a medium trace, and a maximum trace;

a list of Near-RT RIC interfaces comprising a list of interfaces over which the at least one of the plurality of RIC components communicates; and

an IP address of a device.

15 . A non-transitory computer readable media storing one or more instructions executable by at least one processor, the one or more instructions comprising:

one or more instructions for tracing open radio access network (O-RAN) operations, based on a plurality of tracing parameters, by capturing communication with at least one of a plurality of RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) components controlling the O-RAN operations over a plurality of interfaces; and

one or more instructions for generating a report comprising trace data based on the tracing in a predefined format.

16 . The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the predefined format comprises a file-based format or a streaming format.

17 . The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions for receiving a trace activation request from a device associated with an entity intended to trace O-RAN operations, wherein the trace activation request comprises the plurality of tracing parameters; and

one or more instructions for transmitting the report to the device associated with the entity, wherein the entity comprises an operator providing services to subscribers.

18 . The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of RIC components comprises a non-real time RIC (Non-RT RIC) and a near-real time RIC (Near-RT RIC);

wherein the communication with the at least one of the plurality of RIC components comprises a communication between the at least one of the plurality of RIC components and an E2 node, wherein the E2 node is used to implement a base station to provide wireless service to a plurality of user equipment using a cell;

wherein the E2 node comprises at least one of an eNodeB (eNB), an O-RAN Central Unit-Control Plane (O-CU-CP), an O-RAN Central Unit-User Plane (O-CU-UP), an O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU), and a Next Generation NodeB (gNB); and

wherein the plurality of interfaces comprises A1 interface and E2 interface, wherein the A1 interface facilitates communication between the Non-RT RIC and the Near-RT RIC, and wherein the E2 interface facilitates communication between the Near-RT RIC and the E2 node.

19 . The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 18 , wherein tracing the O-RAN operations further comprises capturing communication between the E2 node and at least one of the plurality of user equipment.

20 . The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of tracing parameters comprises at least one of:

a RIC ID comprising a unique identifier of a RIC controlling the O-RAN operations;

an E2 Node ID comprising a unique identifier of an E2 node associated with the RIC;

a Near-RT RIC Trace ID comprising a unique identifier of a Near-RT RIC associated with the RIC;

a Trace Depth comprising a set of trace levels indicating a degree of information to be traced while tracing the O-RAN operations, wherein the set of trace levels comprises a minimum trace, a medium trace, and a maximum trace;

a list of Near-RT RIC interfaces comprising a list of interfaces over which the plurality of RIC component communicates; and

an IP address of a device.