The Auto Channel and Golay Optimizer features have been introduced to provide installers with a good starting point for channel planning in an established network.
Channel and Golay planning are crucial aspects of CnWave 60 GHz network design. In a network that has grown organically, it may be necessary to optimize channels and Golay settings at various stages of growth to update the channel and Golay allocation, ensuring the best resiliency against self-interference.
Channel Optimizer
With the Auto Channel Optimizer, the controller estimates the interference profile for the entire network by utilizing site coordinates and the antenna beam profiles for each hardware variant. Based on this information, channels and Golays are allocated. Channel changes are coordinated across the network by the E2E Controller without requiring input from the installer.
Note: In Fast Acquisition static mode, if the backup link is used for backhaul, running channel optimization may cause the CN to lose connectivity because the backup link’s channel remains fixed and does not adjust during the optimization process. To avoid this issue, channel optimization should not be performed in static mode when the backup link is in use.
Clearing user overrides for channel assignments
User overrides refer to manual configurations made by a network administrator or installer, such as assigning specific nodes to use a particular channel.
There is an option (or flag) that can be set to clear these overrides. When the flag is enabled, manual settings are erased, and the system automatically adjusts channels based on its interference analysis. However, there may be scenarios where the user prefers to retain overrides, such as when a long-range link (a connection over a long distance) relies on a specific channel for example, channel 4). In such cases, the installer would leave the flag disabled to preserve the manual override settings.
For example, the figure below shows that all are in channel 1 and manual channel override is configured in Backup-Pop_V5K.
When the channel overrides are cleared (using device UI or cnMaestro UI), the devices get automatically from the controller. Channel 2 is optimized between Backup-PoP_V5K and V5K-DN2 by the Controller (as shown in the figure below).
Golay Optimizer
Golay codes are used in CnWave 60 GHz for PHY training and synchronization. Different Golay codes are necessary to prevent false correlations in the presence of interference. They help protect links from early-stage weak interference and situations where channel discrimination is not possible because the interfering link belongs to the same link group. Since Golay is a link-based parameter and not a link group-based parameter like channel, different heuristics are applied during the optimization process.
Clearing user overrides for Golay assignments
Similar to channel assignments, there is also a flag for Golay codes that allows you to clear any user-set overrides. When enabled, the optimizer ignores manual Golay assignments and recalculates them based on the interference profile.
For example, the figure below shows the link between Primary-Pop_V5K and Backup-PoP_V5K has Golay 2. In this case, Backup-PoP_V5K is configured with Golay 2 override.
When the Golay overrides are cleared (using device UI or cnMaestro UI), the devices get Golay code automatically from the controller. The figure below shows the optimized Golay. In this case, the devices have received the Golay code as 1 from the controller, automatically.
Key points
Note the following key points specific to Auto Channel and Golay Optimizer:
- When optimizing the network for channels and Golay codes, channel optimization should be performed first, followed by Golay optimization.
- It is important to note that channel changes do not cause a minion restart. The links will attempt the channel change without dropping the link; however, if the RF channel conditions differ significantly, the links may drop and then re-establish.
- The Channel Optimizer requires all links to be online for the network to compute and apply channel changes. If any links are offline, channel changes for the group containing the offline link will be skipped. This prevents the offline DN from being stranded after a channel change.
- Only channels from the enabled channel list and those permitted by the regulatory region will be used. Check the enabled channel list (using the Advanced UI page) to ensure that the required channels are available.
- The interference profile is calculated based on the node’s coordinates and antenna beam pattern. For DNs and CNs with a GPS, the coordinates are automatically available. However, for V1000s, which do not have a built-in GPS, the coordinates must be manually entered to reflect the node’s position with reasonable accuracy, ensuring that the synthesized interference profile is representative.
- The Channel Optimizer assumes that all links in the network use CB1 channels only. CB2 channels are not included in the channel or Golay optimization.
Executing Auto Channel and Golay Optimizers
You can execute the Auto Channel and Golay Optimizer features through the Advanced page in the device UI or the cnMaestro UI.
Note: cnMaestro 5.2.0 and later versions support the UI controls for executing Auto Channel and Golay Optimizer features.
cnMaestro UI
Using the cnMaestro UI, perform the following tasks:
- Go to the Monitor and Manage > Networks > Configuration > Advanced
page and click Optimization.
- To execute the Channel Optimizer feature, select Optimize Channel Allocation from the Optimization drop-down list. Then, select the Clear user-assigned Channels checkbox and click Confirm.
- To execute the Golay Optimizer feature, select Optimize Golay Allocation from the Optimization drop-down list. Then, select the Clear user-assigned Golays checkbox and click Confirm.
Similarly, you can use the device UI and execute the Auto Channel and Golay Optimizer features. For details, check the latest 60 GHz cnWave User Guide.