The document discusses Aether, an open source 5G/LTE connected edge cloud platform from the Open Networking Foundation (ONF). It aims to enable digital transformation through a cloud-native platform that supports disaggregated and virtualized mobile networks. Aether provides a common, neutral platform for building distributed edge applications and allows enterprises to deploy private 4G/5G networks. It has global deployments across multiple continents and edges that are centrally orchestrated from the cloud.

1. AETHER
The First Open Source 5G/LTE Connected Edge Cloud Platform
Xin Zhe Khooi
PhD Student at NUS | ONF Ambassador
MYNOG 10
The opinions, if any, expressed in this presentation and on the following slides are solely those of the presenter and they do not necessarily reflect the the opinions and beliefs of the organization(s) where the presenter is from.

2. Overview: Open Networking Foundation (ONF)
• Open Source Software
• Cloud-Native and SDN Technologies
• Disaggregation and White Box
Hardware
2

3. ONF’s success in driving disaggregation and SDN
3
Source: Productize Programmable Network Infrastructure

4. ONF’s Effort Towards Disaggregated Mobile Networks
2021+
Proprietary H/W
● Mobile core on monolithic
vertically integrated proprietary
solutions
● Provisioned for peak traffic
● Single purpose device
SDN
Disaggregation
SDN/NFV Disaggregated
4G/LTE Mobile Core
● Transitioning workload on
commodity servers with
virtualization
● Use CPU improvements and
features, platform and SW
differentiation, e.g., DPDK to
support I/O intensive workload
Cloud Native
To Cloud-Native, Distributed
& Scalable Mobile Networks
● Distributed edge Gateways enabling
applications at the edges
● Scaling-up or scaling-out necessary
component in private/public cloud
● CPU, platform and SW differentiation
with Smart NIC/ FPGA/ ASICs
● More disaggregated components,
e.g., O-RAN based SD-RAN
4
Source: Aether : 5G Private Network

5. 5G Connected Edge Cloud
Enabling Digital Transformation

6. 6
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

7. 7
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

8. 8
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

9. #OpenCORD 9
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

10. A general-purpose open-source platform is required to unleash Industry 4.0!
10
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

11. 11

12. AETHER
Open Source 5G/LTE Connected Edge Cloud Platform

13. Industry’s First Common Neutral Open Source Platform
13
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

14. Aether Enables 5G-Driven Industry 4.0 Initiatives
14
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

15. 15
Source: Aether Whitepaper Dec 2020

16. 16
Source: Aether Whitepaper

17. Aether Architecture
17
Source: SD-Core and Aether Techninar

18. Aether Components
18
Source: ONF Spotlight - Larry Peterson Talk

19. Aether Management Platform (AMP)
19
Source: ONF Spotlight - Larry Peterson Talk

20. AETHER
Sample Enterprise Network Deployment

21. Sample Enterprise Network
21
Source: SD-Core and Aether Techninar

22. 22
Source: SD-Core and Aether Techninar

23. 23
Source: SD-Core and Aether Techninar

24. AETHER
Global Deployments

25. Multiple Edges Orchestrated from Central Cloud
Multiple Edges all orchestrated
as one network with seamless
end-user roaming and edge
application distribution
Aether Control
and Management
Central (Public) Cloud
Centralized
Apps
Private 5G/LTE Networks
Edge Cloud
Applications
Open RAN
Controller
1
2
3
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26. Aether Network: Globally Connected Aether Edges
Aether Management Platform (AMP)
Aether Connectivity Control (ACC)
Aether Connected Edge
(ACE)
ONF
Intel
Ciena
AT&T
ONF
Telefonica
Turk
Telekom
NTT
Google Cloud
US West
Cornell
Princeton
Stanford
Asia
Europe
North America
Adapted from: Pronto: Verifiable, Closed-Loop Control of 5G Networks

28. Person Detection App Running on Google Anthos Platform
28
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

29. Aether Operator Dashboards
29
Source: ONF Spotlight - Guru Parulkar Keynote

30. Drones, IoT devices, and mobile
phones as end-user devices
A rack of 2x2 SDN fabric, CPU
(and GPU) servers at each edge
location forming the edge cloud
Aether Empowering Autonomous Drone
Flight Research at Stanford
A multi-cloud platform for 4G/5G connectivity
4G/5G small cells serving
real traffic for Internet access
and edge applications
Source: SoftCell: Taking Control of Cellular Core networks

31. Aether Empowering Autonomous Drone
Flight Research at Stanford
Source: SoftCell: Taking Control of Cellular Core networks

32. AETHER
Continuous Integration/ Continuous Deployment
(CI/ CD)

33. Aether: Internal Architecture
33
Source: Aether Documentation

34. Aether: Example CI/ CD Flow
34
Source: Aether Documentation

35. AETHER
What’s Next?

36. An Invitation to Join Us
Enterprises
• Explore ACE deployments for a POCs or trials
Ecosystem Partners
• Integrate your IoT/ML platforms & apps into Aether à Port Aether to your
hardware/software platform
University Campuses
• Deploy ACE for your research and campus automation
Open Source Developers
• Collaborate to realize Aether’s full potential
36

37. Aether Ecosystem
37

38. Getting Involved with Aether
Join the Community
• Register for an ONF Account → https://opennetworking.org/register/
• Join ONF Slack Workspace → https://onf-community.slack.com/
Read Up on Aether
• Private 5G → https://5g.systemsapproach.org/
• Edge Cloud Operations → https://ops.systemsapproach.org/
Download and Run Aether
• Aether OnRamp
• https://github.com/SystemsApproach/aether-onramp
• https://5g.systemsapproach.org/software.html
• Aether-in-a-Box (AiaB)
• git clone "https://gerrit.opencord.org/aether-in-a-box"
Aether Documentation:
38
Source: ONF Aether Techinar v2.1

39. Aether OnRamp
From Getting Started to Operational Deployment
• Learn About and Play with Aether
• Develop for and Contribute to Aether
• Deploy and Operate Aether
Staged Progression
• Install a Single Node Edge Site (~AiaB)
• Incorporate GitOps Tools
• Add Physical gNBs
• Optimize the Network (SR-IOV)
• Scale Up Servers and Slices
• Integrate with SD-RAN
39
Source: ONF Aether Techinar v2.1

40. Questions?
khooixz@ambassadors.opennetworking.org
Credits:
This presentation is (mostly) a compilation of resources from different presentations/ resources from the ONF Community.
Many thanks to the ONF Community!

41. Open Private 4G/5G Connected Edge Platform
41

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43. Overview: SD-RAN
43

44. Overview: SD-Core
• SD-Core Supports 4G, 5G,
5G - NSA
• 4G - Release 13 compliant
and selective features
from further releases
• 5G - Release 15 compliant
and selective features
from further releases
• Containerized network
functions deployed on K8s
using helm charts.
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