OB-BAA 3.0 eases migration to interoperable cloud-based networks

The Broadband Forum has published Release 3.0 of its Open Broadband – Broadband Access Abstraction (OB-BAA) open-source project. Release 3.0 provides:

  • key capabilities to manage SNMP-based Access Nodes via a vendor’s adapters, thus accelerating migration to SDN-based automation platforms.
  • service assurance capabilities for collecting Performance Monitoring (PM) data and translating the data into standardized YANG data models, including storage of the data into a common data lake
  • an IP Flow Information Export (IPFIX) data collector for use with Access Nodes that support Broadband Forum’s TR-383 standard for PM data collection. This enables operators to obtain and monitor data from Access Nodes.

These capabilities allows operators to efficiently and cost-effectively monitor and improve network performance, as well as modify information within the network to change device behaviour. This, in turn, opens up new possibilities for enhanced service assurance. In addition, notification capabilities are also improved to allow for subscriptions, enabling operators to effectively monitor network events such as failures or alarms.
Broadband Forum members directly involved in developing this release include Altice Labs, BT, DZS, Nokia and TIM.
“Release 3.0 of OB-BAA is a major step that enables monitoring of both legacy and new networks from a single centralised SDN platform,” commented Francisco De Carvalho, Senior Specialist of Comms Provider interconnectivity at BT. “By taking operators’ SNMP access nodes and putting them into a standardised, common YANG format, operators have the flexibility to leverage their existing SDN management and control systems in a cloud-based environment to open up new, enhanced service assurance capabilities. Not only does this further facilitate migration to next-generation networks for an increased number of operators, it provides them with the means to provide service assurance capabilities without overhauling their existing infrastructure.”
OB-BAA has already provided the basis for operators to evolve their traditional access network to a cloud-based infrastructure, but Nokia’s Timothy Carey says Release 3.0 will take this to the next-level by providing operators with the tools to monitor and enhance network performance, cost-effectively and efficiently. “By providing an SNMP adapter framework in a standardised format that can be used by various control and management systems, operators can plug their existing access network elements into a cloud-based platform – enabling intelligent and responsive network functionalities,” he argues.
OB-BAA delivers a reference implementation of Northbound Interfaces (NBI), Core Components and Southbound Adaption Interfaces (SAI) for functions associated with virtualized access network devices, providing an always-on digital representation of the network. As OB-BAA uses standardized Northbound Data Models, network testing only needs to be carried out once, resulting in significant cost and time savings for operators.
Release 3.0 of OB-BAA can be downloaded directly from Broadband Forum’s website and can be found here.
See here for more information about Broadband Forum and its work on OB-BAA.