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¶ Basic Process
For users to be able to run experiments on the massive MIMO platform on The University of Utah's POWDER wireless testbed, they need to follow the next steps:
- Create POWDER account
- Create an experiment profile
- Log into the POWDER machine provided by the experiment instantiation
- Familiarize with the RENEW software and run a basic demo script
This tutorial will show you how to perform each of these steps.
¶ 1. Create POWDER user account
To get started, users need to request an account here.
¶ 2. Create Experiment Profile
NOTE: To create an experiment using the massive MIMO setup inside the anechoic chamber, please follow the special instructions in this page. This is a temporary setup that will only be available during the 2021 summer.
After getting an account, users need to set up their experiment topology (i.e., hardware resources needed). To do so, we provide two options:
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Option A: Use Existing Profile (Basic Option - Recommended)
We created a set of profiles that provide basic functionalities. In many cases this might be enough for users to begin working with the platform. Here are the step-by-step instructions for reserving resources and instantiating the POWDER experiment.
- Click on
Experiments(top left)
- Select
Start Experiment
- Select
Change Profile
- Enter “renewlab” in the search box and select the “renewlab” profile. Click on
Select Profile
- Click
Next
- Select frequency range to operate at (default for mMIMO framework is 2496 MHz to 2506 MHz). Due to current spectrum constraints we must change our operating frequency to the CBRS band (i.e., 3550-3700 MHz). Click
Next
- Provide a name for this experiment and select a project and the machine cluster to be used. The idea behind selecting a project is to allow PIs (Principal Investigators) to create a project as administrators, and then allow their collaborators/students to work under that project. In terms of the cluster to use, we suggest to use the default
Emulab. Here you will see the graphical topology showing the PC, massive MIMO base station, and clients.
- On the next screen you will reserve the frequency resources you previously selected. As per FCC regulation, we need to ensure that we have permission to use the resources you requested at the time you want to use them. The POWDER team will have to authorize this request which takes a few hours during weekdays. There might be a longer delay during weekends though. By clicking on the
Create New Resource Reservationbutton a new set of options appear at the bottom of the screen as shown in the next two images.
You need to specify the number of days you are planning to reserve your resources for. We provide a tool that allows you to search an adequate time window given your specification. For instance, if you select 2 days and hit the Search button, the system will find a time slot and set your start/end time accordingly. Finally, you need to provide a simple reason for the request.
After the request has been approved, you can go back to this website to finalize your experiment reservation. You can click in the box next to the Creator column to automatically fill out the Start/End time of your experiment according to the approved frequency resource reservation schedule.
While you might be able to reserve the frequency resources for a long period of time, the experiment can only be set to a maximum of 16 hours, initially. Once the experiment is instantiated though, you can request an extension as shown below.
- After clicking on the
Finishbutton it will take a few minutes for the experiment instantiation to complete.
- Once the process is completed, users will be able to create a disk image, extend your experiment duration, or terminate the experiment.
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Option B: Copy and modify existing profile
Users can also copy an existing profile and modify it according to their own needs. The process is very similar to the one described above. For a much more detailed explanation on creating and modifying profiles, please follow the directions on the POWDER website.
¶ 3. Accessing the host machine
Under the List View tab, users will find the different nodes in the experiment topology. We can ssh into the host machine using the command provided. Remember to add use X11 forwarding (i.e., -X option) to forward the application display to your local machine.
Even though the experiment and resources have been instantiated, there are some startup scripts continue to run. These scripts install several dependencies that will be needed by users. Users can verify whether these scripts are still running, by looking at the pc block in the Topology View. At the top right of the compute node block, you will notice a circle with either a dot or a check mark. The check mark indicates everything has been installed and it's ready for use. See below:
¶ 4. RENEW Software
By default, the RENEW profiles clone the RENEWLab repository into the /scratch/dev_repos/ folder. These profiles also install all the dependencies required to run the RENEW scripts (i.e., runs the following install scripts: install_cclibs.sh, install_pylibs.sh, and install_soapy.sh).
WARNING: After the experiment expires, EVERYTHING in your HOME directory is deleted. Make sure you create a disk image or download your collected data before this happens.
You are now ready to start using the RENEW software. See the RENEW quick start guide for a step-by-step tutorial.
¶ 5. POWDER Deployment
For the most updated information on POWDER's deployment, please refer to their site.
The POWDER team has provided a map of their deployment. This map shows the locations of the available massive MIMO base stations and the UEs. Every POWDER user has access to this equipment.