This approach is somehow flawed. We need/want to debug problems on
systems with real traffic and re-compiling it with debug_diagram
is not an option. All internal logging needs to be expressive enough
so we can understand what is going on (e.g. create a script to
post-process the output).
Move the method into the PDCH. Extract the finding of TLLI into a
new class called Decoding. Move the assemble and forward LLC frames
into the TBF as it is poking in the internals of the TBF.
The list belongs to the BTS. This makes cleaning this up more easy
and establishes a hierachy of resources that start from the BTS. The
debug_diagram code is now broken.
The PollController is a friend of the SBAController and is allowed
to access the internal list. The list is hidden from everyone else.
This is done because the calculation of timeout should belong into
the PollController and not into the SBAController.
Only the gprs_rlcmac_pdch will manipulate the paging list now. There
can be various more refactorings of the code but they can be done
later. E.g. on memory allocation failure we can continue instead
of leaving the code, we should also set any_tbf only after things
have been paged.
Rely on packet_paging_request returning NULL in case the queue
is empty. We should move the write_packet_paging_request into
a separate file/object as well.
Compared to the previous code there will be a branch to get the
global pointer so the code will be slightly slower than the previous
version but it allows us to start creating objects but still use
the code from C. It is best approach I have found so far.
One downside of C++ is that by default talloc will not be used
(unless we override the new operator to use talloc. Right now
we need to memset the C data structure by hand. The benefit of
enforcing a better structure should is more important though.
Remove the global state from gprs_rlcmac_trigger_downlink_assignment
and walk up to the pcu_l1_if.cpp where I find the timeout handling
that should be part of the SBA and TBF functionality. In terms of
hierachies things start to be more clear.
There should be the BTS object. That holds the SBA and TBF Controllers
that can allocate TBFs and SBAs and will handle the timeout polling
for a BTS.
Global state makes mocking/writing tests more difficult. Continue
by removing direct usage of the bts and adding it as pointer to
the function calls (showing the true dependencies of the functions)
This is the begin of a long march of turning tbf into a C++ class
and properly hiding the secrets inside this implementation instead
of having it spread across various different files.
For mocking/unit-testing/emulation (and a dual trx-systems) having
global state is quite bad. Cut back on the usage of the global
struct gprs_rlcmac_bts. It also makes the complexity of certain
routines more clear.
The timing advance of any TBF is stored when it ends. Whenever a new TBF
with the same TLLI is created (downlink TBF), the stored TA is recalled.
This algorithm assumes that the mobile does not move too fast during
transfer. Also the mobile must start a connection in order to get correct
initial timing advance.
This algorithm does not implement the timing advance procedure as defined
in TS 04.60. To implement the standard timing advance procedure, the BTS
must decode RACH on certain bursts, the mobile is expected to send them.
This requires much more complexity to a transceiver like USRP/UmTRX or
Calypso BTS.
The algorithm was tested at TA >= 8 and works quite well.
The measurements include:
- DL bandwidth usage
- DL packet loss rate
- DL measurements by mobile
- UL measurements by BTS
In order to receive DL measurements from mobile, it must be enabled via
system information message at BSC.
This simpliefies the allocation process.
tfi_alloc is responsible to allocate a TFI, not a time slot.
The first time slot available depends on multislot class and on other
ongoing TBF (concurrent TBFs), so it is part of the allocation
algorithm to select it.
In order to use this feature, sysmoBTS requires option "-M", otherwise
the traffic is forwarded through socket interface.
This is essential, if PCU runs on processor of sysmoBTS. The reaction
time and delay of PDTCH frames could heavily degrade proper packet flow.
The slots are choosen in a way that later selection of slots for
concurrent TBFs will have the same downlink/uplink control channel
(PACCH).
This is required for polling acknowledge of new TBF assignment on PACCH.
The MS will always have the same PACCH uplink slot while beeing in packet
transfer mode.
Holger Hans Peter Freyther