TCS Network Configuration

Managing Networks

One of the first tasks that must be completed in TCS is the definition of network of entities. As a reminder, a network entity is defined as a grouping of BNs and RNs. Entities are created as hierarchies that must be defined before equipment may be assigned. Each network hierarchy is as follows from highest to lowest:

  • Region: Typically a large geographic area such as a small country, or part of a large country

  • Market: A geographical area within a Region, such as a large city or metropolitan area

  • Site: An installation within a Market, such as, a tower

  • Cell: An array of BNs at a Site used to service RNs that are within proximity of the Site

  • Sector: An individual BN and its connected RNs

A Region may contain multiple Markets, Markets may include multiple Sites, and Cells may include multiple Sectors, depending on the specific deployment requirements. Each hierarchy entity assigns attributes to all deployed devices in the hierarchy beneath it.

Note: Only administrators given the role of OP Admin can configure a network.

To create or edit a network, click Admin→Network Configuration from the navigation pane. The network configuration is a key component of TCS and is used to define all deployed networks. At the top of the hierarchy is the Operator, which is typically the name of the company that owns the G1 devices. Underneath the operator name is a folder for unassigned BNs. All BNs that have not yet been assigned to a network will be placed in BN Devices: Unassigned in the network list. Below that is a hierarchical view of the operator’s network as defined by the operator. Any configured regions are shown by default with a plus (+) sign next to the region name. Clicking the plus sign will expand the region to show the rest of the hierarchy.

The top of the hierarchical tree starts with the Operator name. Underneath the operator is a folder for unassigned BNs as well as customer-defined deployment regions.

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Figure 99: Network Configuration and Hierarchy

Operator Configuration

An Operator in TCS typically refers to the company that purchased the Tarana equipment. The Operator Name is typically the purchasing-company name.

To edit operator information and policies, click the operator’s name at the top of the hierarchy tree and click Edit. Click Done to save any changes.

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Figure 100: Operator Configuration

Operator configuration information includes:

  • Operator Name: The name of the operator.

  • Description: A brief description (optional).

  • Operator ID: A unique numerical value used to refer to this operator. The Operator ID is also configured on the BN and RN devices to identify which operator they are managed by. Note: This is not configurable by the operator. This value is set by Tarana.

  • Logo: Allows a logo file to be uploaded. File must be in PNG or JPEG format with a maximum height of 50px and width of 145px. Once uploaded, the logo is used on the TCS portal and will appear in the upper left corner of every TCS window.

  • FCC OR-ID: Only required for CBRS operation. The FCC OR-ID is assigned to customers by the Spectrum Access Service (SAS) provider.

  • Spectrum Access Server: Only required for CBRS operation (supported values are Google or Federated Wireless).

  • Contact Person: The name of a contact person for this operator (optional).

  • Email Address: The email address for the contact person (optional).

  • Time Zone: Sets the time zone for the maintenance window and timestamps within TCS.

  • Maintenance Window: A daily or weekly period of time available for maintenance operations (upgrade devices to the minimum software version).

  • Software Auto-upgrade Policy: Indicates if an automatic software upgrade policy for new devices is in effect. If so, all new devices added to the network will automatically be upgraded to the minimum software version specified. This can be overridden at the sector level to allow for sector-level testing of new software releases.

  • Note: When a software upgrade is triggered by this setting, TCS pushes both the BN and RN images to the BN and instructs the BN to push the image to the RN at the maintenance window time setting.

  • BN Software (Minimum Version): The minimum software version required for BNs. New devices will be upgraded to this minimum.

  • RN Software (Minimum Version): The minimum software version required for RNs. New devices will be upgraded to this minimum.

  • Notification Email: One or more email addresses (comma separated) to send notifications.

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Figure 101: Editing the Operator (Part 1)

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Figure 102: Editing the Operator (Part 2)

Managing Regions

To create a region, click the Add Region button on the operator screen. Enter the applicable information:

  • Region Name: Name of the region.

  • Description: An informative description.

  • Regulatory Domain: The applicable regulatory domain where the network is deployed.

  • Regulatory Country: The country where the network is deployed.

  • Contact Person: A contact person for the region.

  • E-mail Address: The contact person’s email address.

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Click Done. The new Region will appear in the network list on the left.

To modify an existing Region, click the region name from the network list and click the Edit button on the main screen.

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Figure 103: Create a New Region

Managing Markets

To create a market, select the region under which it will be located from the network list. Click the Add Market button on the main screen. Enter the applicable information:

  • Market Name: Name of the market.

  • Description: An informative description.

  • Network Profile: The network profile defines the maximum distance of the RN from the BN.

  • Profile 1: 15km maximum

  • Contact Person: A contact person for the market.

  • E-mail Address: The contact person’s email address.

Click Done. The new Market will appear in the network list on the left underneath the corresponding region.

To modify an existing Market, click the market name from the network list and click the Edit button on the main screen.

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Figure 104: Create a New Market

Managing Sites

To create a Site, select the market under which it will be located from the network list. Click the Add Site button on the main screen. Enter the applicable information:

  • Site Name: Name of the site.

  • Description: An informative description.

  • Address: The site address.

  • Lat, Long: The latitude and longitude coordinates of the site in decimal notation.

  • Contact Person: A contact person for the site.

  • E-mail Address: The contact person’s email address.

Click Done. The new Site will appear in the network list on the left underneath the corresponding market.

To modify an existing Site, click the Site Name from the network list and click the Edit button on the main screen.

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Figure 105: Create a New Site

Managing Cells

A cell is an array of up to four BNs that service a grouping of RNs within proximity of a site. The BNs of a Cell have the following common factors:

  • Cell ID

  • Frequency Band

  • Network Profile

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To create a cell, select the site under which it will be located from the network list. Click the Add Cell button on the main screen. Enter the applicable information:

  • Cell Name: Name of the cell.

  • Description: An informative description.

  • Set ID: The identifier for a set. A group of 24 cells form a set. A set ID is part of the planning ID (or BN ID) that uniquely identifies a sector BN.

  • Cell ID: Identifier for the cell. A group of up to 4 co-channel sectors form a cell.

  • Band: The frequency band used by the cell, e.g., 5 GHz.

  • Network Profile: The network profile defines the maximum distance of the RN from the BN as well as the downlink/uplink ratio of the TDD frame.

Click Done. The new cell will appear in the network list on the left underneath the corresponding site. To modify an existing Cell, click the Cell Name from the network list and click the Edit button on the main screen.

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Figure 106: Create a New Cell

Managing Sectors

A Sector refers to an individual BN and all of its connected RNs. It is important to note that a BN does not define a sector. A sector is defined as an abstract via TCS. This allows a BN to be swapped out of the Sector without changing the Sector. The Sector name and attributes stay the same even though the actual hardware has changed.

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To create a Sector, select the Cell under which it will be located from the network list. Click the Add Sector button on the main screen. Enter the applicable information:

  • Sector Name: Name of the sector.

  • Description: An informative description.

  • Carrier 0: Set frequency for the carrier 0 radio of the BN.

  • Carrier 1: Set frequency for the carrier 1 radio of the BN.

  • Channel Width: The channel width in MHz.

  • Classification Type: Indicates the method by which internet-side traffic will be examined for quality of service (QoS) markings. The BN will honor these markings to prioritize inbound traffic on the data ports.

    • VLAN 802.1p: Use this mechanism to apply QoS markings at the media access control (MAC) level.

    • DSCP: Uses differentiated services code point (DSCP) to determine QoS.

  • Software Auto-upgrade Policy – Globally, this is provisioned under the Operator Configuration but the minimum software release for a BN and RN can be changed on a per sector basis. This allows an admin to test new software upgrades sector by sector before upgrading the entire network.

  • Note: When a software upgrade is triggered by this setting, TCS pushes both the BN and RN images to the BN and instructs the BN to push the image to the RN at the maintenance window time setting.

Click Done. The new Sector will appear in the network list on the left underneath the corresponding Cell. To modify an existing Sector, click the Sector Name from the network list and click the Edit button on the main screen.

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Figure 107: Create a New Sector

Alerts Configuration

Under Alerts Configuration, email alerts can be configured by cause and by network scope.

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Figure 108: Alerts Configuration

Select the alert type. For Device Connected and Device Disconnected, select device type. For all causes, give this alert and name and then select the scope for this alert by selecting the applicable Region, Market, Site, Cell, and Sector. Then enter the email address(es) that will receive this alert.

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Figure 109: Adding a New Alert

User Management

New users and user permissions are created under Admin→User Management.

Display User Accounts

The first screen displays a list of all users currently configured on the system as well as other details including:

  • Name: Personal name

  • Role: Administrative role, such as NOC Operator

  • Email: Email address

  • Mobile: Mobile phone number

  • Last Sign In: Last time this account signed into TCS

  • Creation Time: When the account was created

The search bar in the top left-hand corner may be used to search for a user by name or any of the other fields described above.

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Figure 110: User Management

Tarana Wireless, Inc. ©2021. All rights reserved. G1 Administration Guide vG1-AG-2022-08— 87 Use the Customize button in the bottom right-hand corner to change the information displayed. Use the Select All button to select all information and the Clear button to deselect all information fields.

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Figure 111: Customize User Information Display

Creating User Accounts

To create a new user account, click the New User icon in the top right-hand corner. A dialogue box will open. Enter the personal information (name, email address, mobile number) in each field. The Roles section assigns administrative permission to the new user. There are three roles available for assignment. These are defined as follows:

  • NOC L1 User: Read-only access. A NOC L1 User may do any of the following:

    • View Dashboard, Map, Devices, Performance, Alarms, Events, Single Device pages

    • View or edit own user profile information

  • NOC Operator: Includes all permissions given to a NOC L1 User as well as the following device operations:

    • Software upgrades

    • Create snapshots

    • Reboot device

  • OP Admin: Includes all permissions given to a NOC Operator as well as:

    • Create or configure networks

    • Create or configure users and assign roles

Click Add New User to create the account or click Cancel to exit the dialogue box without saving any changes.

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Figure 112: Add User Accounts

Managing User Accounts

A user with OP Admin privileges can also manage an existing account. Click the three-dot icon to the right of the user under the manage column. This presents a menu to edit the information, reset the password, or delete the user account.

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Figure 113: Managing a User Account

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