Required Data Inputs for Ericsson Infrastructure –

Ultima Mentor v7.0

Required Data Inputs

for
Ericsson Infrastructure

Ultima Mentor v7.0

Copyright Notice
Due to a policy of continuous product development and refinement, Schema reserves the right
to alter the specifications and descriptions outlined in this publication without giving prior notice
of any kind. In addition, no part of this publication, taken as a whole or separately, shall be
deemed to be part of any contract for equipment or services.
Schema retains the sole proprietary rights to all information contained in this document. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any
form or by any means, including but not limited to: electronic, mechanical, magnetic,
photocopy, recording, or otherwise, in use now or in the future, without prior written consent
from Schema.

Copyright ©2010 Schema

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Table of Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 3
1.1 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations .............................................................. 3
2 Mentor Preliminary Setup Checklist .......................................................................... 4
3 Detailed Description of Required Information and Data .......................................... 5
3.1 Network Configuration Data.................................................................................... 5
3.1.1 Ericsson 3G Network Topology (XML format) ................................................. 5
3.1.2 GSM Network Topology .................................................................................. 7
3.1.3 Antenna and Sectors Physical Location, Profiles, and Parameters in
Delimited Format ........................................................................................................... 8
4 Ericsson GPEH Logs and Stats ................................................................................ 10
4.1 GPEH Log Collection and Setup .......................................................................... 10
4.1.1 GPEH Profile ................................................................................................. 10
4.1.2 Retrieval Procedure ....................................................................................... 11
4.1.3 Events to Record ........................................................................................... 11
4.2 Stats File (XML) .................................................................................................... 12
4.2.1 Configuring Counters in OSSRC ................................................................... 12
4.2.2 RBS Counters Required for Proper HSPA Analysis ...................................... 12
4.2.3 Retrieval Procedure ....................................................................................... 13
4.3 Templates ............................................................................................................. 13
4.4 RES Activation and Properties (WMRR) .............................................................. 14
4.4.1 Setting up a WMRR Recording ..................................................................... 14
4.4.2 RES Results .................................................................................................. 16
4.5 Folder Structure for GPEH and Counter Files ...................................................... 16

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1 Introduction
The following document contains a list of all the required information and data to be collected
on Ericsson UMTS infrastructures in preparation for the installation of the Mentor optimization
tool.
The information and data required includes the following:
 Network configuration (described in detail in section ‎3)
o Ericsson Network Topology file (XML format)
o Antenna and sectors physical location, profiles, and parameters in delimited format
(internally known as Schema format)
o GSM Network Topology (Optional, for running an IRAT optimization and displaying
the GSM layer)
 UMTS logs and counter data (described in detail in section ‎4)
o GPEH logs
o Counters file (XML format)
o RBS logs
When preparing to set up Mentor in a network, it is usually recommended to start by creating
the network configuration, followed by a sample data collection.
Section ‎2 outlines a “setup checklist”, which should be used as a first step to facilitate
efficient installation and configuration.
The following sections of this document provide a more in-depth description of the required
data sources, and the manner in which they can be obtained.

1.1 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations

The following definitions, acronyms, and abbreviations are used throughout this document:
 HO – handoff
 HHO – hard handoff
 NL – neighbor list
 RNC - Radio Network Controller
 GPEH – General Performance Event Handler
 RAB – Radio Access Bearer
 XML – Extensible Markup Language

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2 Mentor Preliminary Setup Checklist

The following table summarizes the minimal data required for the kickoff of a Mentor
installation. This table should be used as a reference to expedite the installation process.
These files can be collected by Schema professional services on site, or by the customer point
of contact.
Mandatory files and definitions:
Description Data source Reference Check
1 Ericsson XML Ericsson OSSRC See section ‎3.1.1 below
configuration dump
2 Antenna File Planning tool (Mentum See section ‎3.1.3.1 below
Please also specify UTM Planet, Forsk Atoll etc.),
Zone, Projection used. internal DB

3 Terrain file TAB, GRD, GeoTiff See section ‎3.1.3.2 below

4 Antenna Profiles Planet formats and others See section ‎3.1.3.3 below
5 GPEH LOG files (sample 1 Ericsson P5/P6/P7/W10 See section ‎4.1 below
hour)
Important:
 GPEHfileSize: 60000 per RNC
 UEfraction: 1000
6 Ericsson Counter files Ericsson P5/P6/P7/W10 See section ‎4.2 below
7 RBS counter files See section ‎4.2.3 below

Optional files and definitions:

Description Data source Reference Check
1 GSM configuration Customer DB See section ‎3.1.1.3 below

Optional files for special cases only:

Description Data source Reference Check
1 RES periodic reporting Ericsson P5/P6/P7/W10 See section ‎4.4 below
(WMRR)
Reports should include:
Ec, EcIo, UeTxPower

Note: Schema recommends using RES recordings for a limited time only, and mainly for
creating the UeTxPower maps.

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3 Detailed Description of Required Information and

Data

3.1 Network Configuration Data

The sources for network configuration data are:
 A predefined set of Network Topology files exported from the Ericsson OSS in XML format.
 Textual files, including complete information required for physical sites and soft parameter
configuration, depending on availability (“Schema Format”).
IMPORTANT – Mentor includes an automatic wizard that generates most of the textual files
required for its operation, based on the data commonly available in the service provider
environment.

3.1.1 Ericsson 3G Network Topology (XML format)

There are several options to generate the Ericsson XML configuration files. Many variants exist,
which will generate different content within the XML files.
The Mentor product makes use of an elaborated configuration file, which contains all of the RNC
and NodeB parameters. Using this type of file enables Mentor to identify and warn about
configuration problems, use the RBS counters as well as create an accurate model of the
network.
The network topology dump might already be activated in the network. Follow the procedure in
section ‎3.1.1.1 below to verify whether the dumps have already been created, or run them
directly from the UNIX machine. The procedure described in ‎3.1.1.2 uses the OSSRC to
generate the configuration files.

3.1.1.1 Generating the XML Configuration Using Scripts

First check if the configuration files are already available in the following directory:
/var/opt/ericsson/nms_umts_wran_bcg/files/export

You can use the UNIX scripts in the OSS that periodically generates the XML configuration file.
The shells script is called start_rah_export.sh, and is located in the following directory:
opt/ericsson/nms_umts_wran_bcg/bin/
Further information can be found in the ALEX system through:
“Bulk Configuration System Administrator Guide 1/1543-APR 901 550/2 Uen E “
“Bulk Configuration General and Transport User Guide”
“Bulk Configuration System Administrator Guide”

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3.1.1.2 Generating the XML Configuration File Using the OSSRC

IMPORTANT: because of an Ericsson internal issue, we recommend to export the entire

network configuration and not only a specific RNC. See chapter 3.1.1.3 for explanation
how to analyze the results.

1. Right click -> Configuration -> WCDMA radio access network -> WCDMA RAN explorer.
2. Ensure that the combo box under the Network menu has the value RNC/RBS.
3. Right-click Root (red icon) -> Export configuration. Can be performed up to RBS level.
4. Change the file name (optional).
5. Select the Both radio and transport topology option (3rd radio button).
6. Click Next and then Finish.

3.1.1.3 Working with Ericsson XML files and checking their validity

Ericsson OSS will not export the NodeB information, when only exporting a single RNC.
Schema recommends verifying the data using an external XML reader, like “XML Marker”.
(http://symbolclick.com/download.htm)
When loading a single RNC xml dump without the NodeB information, you will see a picture
similar to the one listed below. Under the main “SubNetwork” folder, there is an individual
“SubNetwork” for each RNC.

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An XML dump that contains NodeB data will include additional information under the RNC
“SubNetwork” like “ExternalGsmCell” etc.

Sometimes, it is not possible to open a large XML file with an XML editor (usually over 750MB).
In this case, use Schema‟s scripts to cut the file into the different RNCs, or manually cut-out
RNCs between the two XML directives:
<xn:SubNetwork id="RNC01">
And
</xn:SubNetwork>

3.1.2 GSM Network Topology

Note – This is an optional input used for IRAT optimization and for displaying the GSM topology.
A special retrieval procedure can be used on the OSS for each of the underlying GSM vendors.
Moreover, a physical topology file is required, similar to the one needed for UMTS.
Schema can provide detailed documentation on how to perform this operation, if required.
For example, for Ericsson GSM networks the following “standard” procedure should be followed
(additional variants are available, depending on the specific versions). This is only an excerpt
from the full document.

Retrieve the required BSS network configuration file from the Ericsson OSS, using the Cellular
Network Administrator (CNA), by running the following commands:
 Overall Network configuration:
cna_export NW = all, MSC = all, MSC_REF = none, BSC = all, BSC_REF = all, SITE = all,
SITE_REF = none, CELL = all, CELL_REF = all, OUTPUT=AllParameters_YYYYMMDD.txt
 Foreign cells:
cna_export NW = all, FCELL = all, FCELL_REF = all, OUTPUT=foreign_HO_YYYYMMDD.txt

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(where: YYYY – year, MM – month, DD – day)

3.1.3 Antenna and Sectors Physical Location, Profiles, and Parameters in Delimited Format
The physical parameters of the network, such as the sector and antenna location, and the
antenna profiles, might not be available through the OSS configuration dump.
Most of the required physical configuration of the network can be derived from network
planning tools or from customer-self-maintained databases with the most updated network
configuration.
Mentor defines a set of textual files that should be available. These files are:
 Antenna file - includes the physical configuration of each sector. See section ‎3.1.3.1 below
for the file format.
 Antenna profiles – antenna-pattern data files

 Mentor also requires an updated Terrain file.

In contrast to planning tools or other configuration sources, Mentor requires only active sector-
carriers. Sectors that are inactive during an analyzed period should be marked as “inactive” in
the antenna files.
All soft parameters may be defined in this file, but will be overridden by the Network Topology
files. It is recommended that the latest Network Topology files be used to update the Schema
format file and to identify any inconsistencies, such as missing or unnecessary sectors.

3.1.3.1 Antenna File

The antenna file (in tab-delimited text format) includes the physical configuration of each
sector, including:
 Location data (i.e., coordinates, height, and so forth)
 Antenna characteristics (i.e., height, azimuth, and so forth)
 Physical constraints
 Network topology
The antenna file must include all sectors selected for optimization and all sectors in the
guard-zone area – where optimization is not performed. It is recommended that all
sectors within two tiers of the selected sectors be included.

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The Antenna file fields are described in Table 1 below

Field Value Range Description Default

RNC Name String Unique in the network RNC display name
RNC ID String Unique in the network
RNC Vendor String The vendor of the RNC
NodeB Name String Site display name
NodeB ID String Unique under the same RNC
NodeB Longitude Double
NodeB Latitude Double
Sector Name String Parent of cell
Antenna ID String 50ch max Unique under the same cell
Antenna Model String Lookup from antenna DB
Sector Keywords String 1000ch max Comma-Separated list of keywords, if any
Antenna Longitude Double
Antenna Latitude Double
Antenna Height Integer 0…200 Height of the antenna above ground
Antenna Electrical
Integer -20 …+20 Electrical tilt
DownTilt
Antenna Mechanical
Integer -20 …+20 Mechanical tilt
DownTilt
Antenna Azimuth Integer 0…359 Azimuth
UL Cable Loss Double 0…20 With step 0.1
DL Cable Loss Double 0…20 With step 0.1 0
Active String 50ch max
In building String 50ch max

Table 1: Antenna File Parameters

Note: If UTM coordinates are used, the relevant column headers should be different:
NodeB X, NodeB Y, Antenna X, and Antenna Y.

3.1.3.2 Terrain File

The terrain map should be in GeoTif data format. It is recommended that the map resolution be
at least 50m. Mentor can support additional terrain file formats, such as TAB, grd etc.

3.1.3.3 Antenna Profiles

Antenna-pattern data files are in Planet format.

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4 Ericsson GPEH Logs and Stats

The General Performance Event Handler (GPEH) files contain periodic and event-triggered
mobile and NodeB reports, which enable Mentor to model the network.
The following procedure should be used to define GPEH and Stats profiles, generate them, and
collect them for use in Mentor.

4.1 GPEH Log Collection and Setup

4.1.1 GPEH Profile

In order for the GPEH files to have the necessary information required for Mentor to operate,
the correct profile must be defined in the OSSRC. The following procedure can be used to set
the profile:
INPORTANT - The following two parameters must be defined correctly:

 UeFraction=1,000
 GPEHfileSize=60,000
 Mentor can operate with reduced values for these parameters. To define a different set
of values, please consult Schema support.

To add the GPEH profile:

1. Right click -> OSS network explorer.
2. Performance -> initiate data collection -> WCDMA RAN measurements…
3. Administration -> Add profile.
4. General performance event handling profile (fourth radio button). Next.
5. Profile name (required) & Description (optional). Next.
6. Choose entity type - RNC / RBS (usually RNC). Next.
7. Choose RNC from left to right (only one can be chosen). Next.
8. Choose Cells from left to right. Next.
9. Choose which events to record from left to right. NOTE: Detailed event list is listed in
‎ .1.3 Next.
section 4
10. Choose UE fraction (1000 is recommended but a lower value can be used as well). Next.
11. Scheduler information - see Using scheduler. Finish.
In order to view and change the profiles go to the “General performance profile” tab.

Changing the GPEH recording profile from “Headers data only” to “All data”:
1. [Read / Edit] GPEH data level (Edit - only in admin user type).
2. Change GPEH data level from Headers data only to All data (Admin users only).

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3. Close the window.

4.1.2 Retrieval Procedure

The GPEH files are generated through the Ericsson OSS.

In OSS P5 the GPEH files are located in:
/var/opt/ericsson/nms_umts_pms_seg/segment1/red/downloaded/gpeh

In OSS 5.3 the GPEH files are located in:

/var/opt/ericsson/nms_umts_pms_seg/segment1/GPEH/SubNetwork=<RNC
Name>/MeContext=<RNC NAME>
Where <RNC NAME> is the name of the RNC you have to complete

4.1.3 Events to Record

The following GPEH events are required:
Event Protocol Description
8 RRC RRC_MEASUREMENT_REPORT
19 RRC RRC_RRC_CONNECTION_RELEASE
34 RRC RRC_RRC_CONNECTION_REQUEST
36 RRC RRC_CONNECTION_SETUP_COMPLETE
38 RRC RRC_HANDOVER_FROM_UTRAN_COMMAND
128 NBAP NBAP_RADIO_LINK_SETUP_REQUEST
145 NBAP NBAP_DEDICATED_MEASUREMENT_REPORT
258 RANAP RANAP_IU_RELEASE_REQUEST
259 RANAP RANAP_IU_RELEASE_COMMAND
265 RANAP RANAP_DIRECT_TRANSFER
268 RANAP RANAP_COMMON_ID
384 Internal INTERNAL_IMSI
385 Internal INTERNAL_RADIO_QUALITY_MEASUREMENTS_UEH
386 Internal INTERNAL_RADIO_QUALITY_MEASUREMENTS_RNH
387 Internal INTERNAL_CHANNEL_SWITCHING
391 Internal INTERNAL_ADMISSION_CONTROL_RESPONSE
392 Internal INTERNAL_CONGESTION_CONTROL_CHANNEL_SWITCH_AND_TERMINATE_RC
398 Internal INTERNAL_IRAT_HO_CC_EVALUATION
399 Internal INTERNAL_IRAT_HO_CC_EXECUTION
403 Internal INTERNAL_RRC_ERROR
404 Internal INTERNAL_NBAP_ERROR
405 Internal INTERNAL_RANAP_ERROR
415 Internal INTERNAL_RAB_ESTABLISHMENT
429 Internal INTERNAL_UE_POSITIONING_QOS
438 Internal INTERNAL_SYSTEM_RELEASE
441 Internal INTERNAL_PACKET_DEDICATED_THROUGHPUT
444 Internal INTERNAL_RECORDING_FAULT
445 Internal INTERNAL_RECORDING_RECOVERED

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Event Protocol Description

451 Internal INTERNAL_SYSTEM_UTILIZATION
Table 2: Events to Record as part of the GPEH Profile

4.2 Stats File (XML)

This 15-minute interval file contains the RNC counters for all the network elements. Usually the
counters are already correctly defined and enabled in the OSSRC.
If for any reason the RBS counters are not configured for collection, please refer to the list in
section ‎4.2.2 below for the list of counters. It is important to add them for proper HSPA
analysis.

4.2.1 Configuring Counters in OSSRC

Adding Counters profile:

1. Right click -> OSS network explorer.
2. Performance -> initiate data collection -> WCDMA RAN measurements…
3. Administration -> Add profile.
4. User defined statistical subscription profile (first radio button). Next.
5. Profile name (required) & Description (optional). Next.
6. Standard statistics. Next.
7. Choose entity type - RNC / RBS / RXI (usually RNC). Next.
8. Choose RNC from left to right (more than one can be chosen). Next.
9. Choose which counters to record. There is a limit for the amount of counters to be
recorded per RNC, depending on the OSS version. The counters are sorted in
alphabetical order. The groups marked in blue are system defined and are a part of the
system‟s profiles, where the markings „Pr‟ means primary, „S‟ secondary. The profiles are
an integral part of the OSSRC program, and are usually active; hence there is no need to
recollect them. Next.

4.2.2 RBS Counters Required for Proper HSPA Analysis

pmCapAlloclubHsLimitingRatio
pmHsDataFramesLost
pmHsDataFramesReceived
pmAckReceived
pmNackReceived
pmAverageUserRate [0..17]
pmNoInactiveRequiredSubFrames
pmNoActiveSubFrames
pmNoOfHsUsersPerTti [0..4]
pmReportedCqi [0..31]

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pmSumNumHspdschCodesAdded
pmSampleNumHspdschCodesAdded
pmSumOfHsScchUsedPwr [0..102]
pmSumAckedBits
pmSumTransmittedBits
PmTransmittedCarrierPower [0..51]
PmTransmittedCarrierPowerNonHs [0..51]
PmAverageRssi [0..64]
pmTransmittedCarrierPowerHs
PmRemainingResourceCheck [0..2]

4.2.3 Retrieval Procedure

The Counter files are generated through the Ericsson OSS.

In OSS 5 the Counter files are located in:
var/opt/ericsson/nms_umts_pms_seg/segment1

In OSS 5.3 the Counter files are located in:

/var/opt/ericsson/nms_umts_pms_seg/segment1/XML/SubNetwork=<RNC Name>/MeContext=<RNC
NAME>
Where <RNC NAME> is the name of the RNC to complete, separated into RBS and RNC XML
files.

4.3 Templates
The template files are located in:
var/opt/ericsson/nms_umts_pms_reg/templates

The Template files include the GPEH events to record, counters to record, and network areas
for both.
If the template files are used, they must be activated in the “Data collection subscription
profiles” in the OSS.

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4.4 RES Activation and Properties (WMRR)

Note: This is an optional data input, which is rearly used with current customers.
Mentor can utilize the additional information provided as periodic messages in the GPEH logs.
Activating the periodic messages will increase the GPEH data file size.
If the messages are activated, Schema recommends defining EcIo, RSCP, and UeTxPower as
parameters to be reported in the periodic measurements.

4.4.1 Setting up a WMRR Recording

1. Open the configuration application and select New Recording->WMRR->WCDMA.

2. Define the recording time period and recurring schedule.

3. For the RNC measurements, under Service1, define the required RABs for
recording. It is recommended to include both voice and data RABs.

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4. Under Measurement Quantity define Ec/No, RSCP and UeTxPower (UeTxPower is

optional and can be removed if there is no place)

5. Select Sample & Fraction Settings. Make sure that UE Fraction is set to Full and
that the periodic samples for each service are maximum 16 seconds. (If required,
you can choose a higher sampling rate, for example, 12 or 8.)

6. In the Cell Set dialogue box, select the relevant RNCs for recording.

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7. Schedule the recording for execution.

4.4.2 RES Results

Activating RES in the network will result in additional periodic-measurement reports in the GPEH
files.
For example, below is a sample of a GPEH file that includes RES data. As can be seen by the time
stamp, each report is provided in 16-second time intervals.

In the following case, it can also be seen that two sectors were serving the terminal.

4.5 Folder Structure for GPEH and Counter Files

In order for OSS data – GPEH and counter files – to be processed most efficiently by Mentor,
the folder structure should be kept as follows:
 Under the parent folder, create two folders. One should be named “logs”, for the GPEH
files, and the other “KPIs” for the counter files (including the RBS counters). It is VITAL
that these folder names are used, as Mentor looks for these names when processing the
files.

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 Under each of the two folders, create a folder for each day of recordings, named
according to the date, in YYYYMMDD format. Diverting from this format will increase
Mentor‟s file processing time.
 Under each date folder, place the appropriate recording files for that day. The files can
be placed directly under the date folder, but it is recommended to open a subfolder for
each RNC/RBS, as shown in the example below.

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