Passthrough of messages in an accelerator of a distributed unit
Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, an open radio access network (O-RAN) distributed unit (O-DU) may generate, at an O-DU application that executes on the O-DU, a first message that does not make use of an O-DU accelerator of the O-DU that is in-line with the O-DU application. The O-DU may transmit, from the O-DU application to an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU), the first message via a passthrough of the O-DU accelerator, wherein the first message does not make use of the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on a payload of the first message being transferred unchanged by the O-DU accelerator to the O-RU. Numerous other aspects are described.
1 . An apparatus for wireless communication at an open radio access network (O-RAN) distributed unit (O-DU), comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:
generate, at an O-DU application that executes on the O-DU, a first message that does not make use of an O-DU accelerator of the O-DU,
wherein the O-DU accelerator is in-line between the O-DU application and an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU); and
transmit, from the O-DU application to the O-RU, the first message via a passthrough of the O-DU accelerator,
wherein the first message passes through the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on a payload of the first message being transferred unchanged by the O-DU accelerator to the O-RU.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, to transmit the first message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator, are configured to:
embed, at the O-DU accelerator, the payload of the first message over a transport interface towards the O-RU, wherein the first message indicates a compression of beam weights, in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples, or other parameters describing a wireless channel associated with the O-DU.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
generate, at the O-DU accelerator, a second message based at least in part on a functional application platform interface between the O-DU accelerator and the O-DU application, wherein the second message is generated through hardware acceleration at the O-DU accelerator; and
transmit, from the O-DU accelerator to the O-RU, the second message.
4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first message is a control plane message, and wherein the second message is a control plane message or a user plane message.
5 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein:
the first message is associated with a beam weight implicitly knowable to the O-RU indicating that the first message is to be passed through the O-DU accelerator, wherein the beam weight is implicitly known to the O-RU based at least in part on a semi-static configuration, a dynamic configuration, or a dynamic implicit generation at the O-RU from a precoder indication from the O-DU; and
the second message is associated with O-DU accelerator-generated information including: dynamically-generated information to use in O-DU to O-RU messages, at least one in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) sample to use in the O-DU to O-RU messages, or at least one parameter signaling a result of accelerator-based decoding when I/Q samples are received from the O-RU.
6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
initiate signaling between the O-DU application and the O-DU accelerator to negotiate types of messages to be passed through the O-DU accelerator and types of messages to be subjected to hardware acceleration at the O-DU accelerator.
7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to support a plurality of channels, and the first message is associated with a channel included in the plurality of channels.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
initiate signaling between the O-DU application and the O-DU accelerator to negotiate parameters associated with fragmentation or assembly to be performed by the O-DU application or the O-DU accelerator; or
initiate signaling between the O-DU application and the O-DU accelerator to negotiate parameters associated with compression or decompression to be performed by the O-DU application or the O-DU accelerator.
9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
generate or interpret, at the O-DU application, section or header information for a second message that does not pass through the O-DU accelerator; or
generate or interpret, at the O-DU accelerator, the section or header information for the second message based at least in part on input received from the O-DU application.
10 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
generate, at the O-DU application, a second message; and
transmit, from the O-DU application to the O-RU, the second message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on the O-DU accelerator not supporting a channel associated with the second message.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
initiate or terminate, at a management plane entity associated with the O-DU application, management plane signaling with a management plane entity associated with the O-RU, wherein the management plane signaling is associated with an O-RU initialization, an O-RU discovery, or an O-RU orchestration, and wherein the management plane entity resides in the O-DU application and is assisted by a management plane helper which resides in the O-DU accelerator.
12 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein first messages generated at the O-DU application are coordinated with second messages generated at the O-DU accelerator with respect to a time and frequency mapping to data frames, beam indices, or spatial streams.
13 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit the first message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on one of:
signaling by the O-DU application of locations at which the O-DU accelerator generates or expects in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples, beam weights, beam indices, channel estimates, or decoded data, wherein the locations are associated with first messages that are application-generated or memory locations;
signaling by the O-DU application of the I/Q samples, the beam weights, the beam indices, the channel estimates, the decoded data, and other information associated with message headers and parameters to be generated or interpreted by the O-DU accelerator; or
signaling by the O-DU application of a second type of messages that are to be used by the O-DU accelerator for generation or interpretation of a first type of messages, wherein the second type of messages is associated with control plane messages, and wherein the first type of messages is associated with control plane messages and user plane messages.
14 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
receive, at the O-DU application from the O-RU, a third message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator; and
interpret, at the O-DU application, the third message that does not make use of the O-DU accelerator.
15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive, at the O-DU accelerator from the O-RU, a fourth message; and
interpret, at the O-DU accelerator, the fourth message based at least in part on a functional application platform interface between the O-DU accelerator and the O-DU application, wherein the fourth message is subjected to hardware acceleration at the O-DU accelerator.
16 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the one or more processors, to receive the third message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator, are configured to:
extract, at the O-DU accelerator, a payload of the third message, wherein the third message indicates a decompression of beam weights, in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples, or other parameters describing a wireless channel associated with the O-DU.
17 . The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein:
the first message and a second message are associated with O-DU transmitted messages; and
the third message and the fourth message are associated with O-DU received messages.
18 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
receive, at the O-DU application from the O-RU, a third message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on the O-DU accelerator not supporting a channel associated with the third message; and
interpret, at the O-DU application, the third message that does not make use of the O-DU accelerator.
19 . A method of wireless communication performed by an open radio access network (O-RAN) distributed unit (O-DU), comprising:
generating, at an O-DU application that executes on the O-DU, a first message that does not make use of an O-DU accelerator of the O-DU,
wherein the O-DU accelerator is in-line between the O-DU application and an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU); and
transmitting, from the O-DU application to the O-RU, the first message via a passthrough of the O-DU accelerator,
wherein the first message passes through the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on a payload of the first message being transferred unchanged by the O-DU accelerator to the O-RU.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein transmitting the first message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator further comprises:
embedding, at the O-DU accelerator, the payload of the first message over a transport interface towards the O-RU, wherein the first message indicates a compression of beam weights, in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples, or other parameters describing a wireless channel associated with the O-DU.
21 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
generating, at the O-DU accelerator, a second message based at least in part on a functional application platform interface between the O-DU accelerator and the O-DU application, wherein the second message is subjected to hardware acceleration at the O-DU accelerator; and
transmitting, from the O-DU accelerator to the O-RU, the second message,
wherein the first message is a control plane message, and wherein the second message is a control plane message or a user plane message,
wherein the first message is associated with a beam weight implicitly knowable to the O-RU indicating that the first message is to be passed through the O-DU accelerator, wherein the beam weight is implicitly known to the O-RU based at least in part on a semi-static configuration, a dynamic configuration, or a dynamic implicit generation at the O-RU from a precoder indication from the O-DU, and
wherein the second message is associated with O-DU accelerator-generated information including: dynamically-generated information to use in O-DU to O-RU messages, at least one in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) sample to use in the O-DU to O-RU messages, or at least one parameter signaling a result of accelerator-based decoding when I/Q samples are received from the O-RU.
22 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
initiating signaling between the O-DU application and the O-DU accelerator to negotiate types of messages to be passed through the O-DU accelerator and types of messages to be subjected to hardware acceleration at the O-DU accelerator;
supporting a plurality of channels, and the first message is associated with a channel included in the plurality of channels; or
initiating or terminating, at a management plane entity associated with the O-DU application, management plane signaling with a management plane entity associated with the O-RU, wherein the management plane signaling is associated with an O-RU initialization, an O-RU discovery, or an O-RU orchestration, and wherein the management plane entity resides in the O-DU application and is assisted by a management plane helper which resides in the O-DU accelerator.
23 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
initiating signaling between the O-DU application and the O-DU accelerator to negotiate parameters associated with fragmentation or assembly to be performed by the O-DU application or the O-DU accelerator; or
initiating signaling between the O-DU application and the O-DU accelerator to negotiate parameters associated with compression or decompression to be performed by the O-DU application or the O-DU accelerator.
24 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
generating, at the O-DU application, a second message; and
transmitting, from the O-DU application to the O-RU, the second message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on the O-DU accelerator not supporting a channel associated with the second message.
25 . The method of claim 19 , wherein transmitting the first message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator is based at least in part on one of:
signaling by the O-DU application of locations at which the O-DU accelerator generates or expects in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples, beam weights, beam indices, channel estimates, or decoded data, wherein the locations are associated with first messages that are application-generated or memory locations;
signaling by the O-DU application of the I/Q samples, the beam weights, the beam indices, the channel estimates, the decoded data, and other information associated with message headers and parameters to be generated or interpreted by the O-DU accelerator; or
signaling by the O-DU application of a second type of messages that are to be used by the O-DU accelerator for generation or interpretation of a first type of messages, wherein the second type of messages is associated with control plane messages, and wherein the first type of messages is associated with control plane messages and user plane messages.
26 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
receiving, at the O-DU application from the O-RU, a third message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator; and
interpreting, at the O-DU application, the third message that does not make use of the O-DU accelerator.
27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising:
receiving, at the O-DU accelerator from the O-RU, a fourth message; and
interpreting, at the O-DU accelerator, the fourth message based at least in part on a functional application platform interface between the O-DU accelerator and the O-DU application, wherein the fourth message is subjected to hardware acceleration at the O-DU accelerator.
28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein receiving the third message via the passthrough of the O-DU accelerator comprises:
extracting, at the O-DU accelerator, a payload of the third message, wherein the third message indicates a decompression of beam weights, in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) samples, or other parameters describing a wireless channel associated with the O-DU,
wherein the first message and a second message are associated with O-DU transmitted messages, and the third message and the fourth message are associated with O-DU received messages.
29 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an open radio access network (O-RAN) distributed unit (O-DU), cause the O-DU to:
generate, at an O-DU application that executes on the O-DU, a first message that does not make use of an O-DU accelerator of the O-DU,
wherein the O-DU accelerator is in-line between the O-DU application and an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU); and
transmit, from the O-DU application to the O-RU, the first message via a passthrough of the O-DU accelerator,
wherein the first message passes through the O-DU accelerator based at least in part on a payload of the first message being transferred unchanged by the O-DU accelerator to the O-RU.
30 . An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:
means for generating, at an application that executes on the apparatus, a first message that does not make use of an accelerator of the apparatus,
wherein the accelerator is in-line between the application and an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU); and
means for transmitting, from the application to the O-RU, the first message via a passthrough of the accelerator,
wherein the first message passes through the accelerator based at least in part on a payload of the first message being transferred unchanged by the accelerator to the O-RU.