Bottleneck identification and failure prevention with procedural learning in 5G RAN

To meet the low latency requirements of 5G Radio Access Networks (RAN), it is essential to learn where performance bottlenecks occur. As parts are distributed and virtualized, it becomes troublesome to identify where unwanted delays occur. Today, vendors spend huge manual effort analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) and system logs to detect these bottlenecks. The 5G architecture allows a flexible scaling of microservices to handle the variation in traffic. But knowing how, when, and where to scale is difficult without a detailed latency analysis. In this article, we propose a novel method that combines procedural learning with latency analysis of system log events. The method, which we call LogGenie, learns the latency pattern of the system at different load scenarios and automatically identifies the parts with the most significant increase in latency. Our evaluation in an advanced 5G testbed shows that LogGenie can provide a more detailed analysis than previous research has achieved and help troubleshooters locate bottlenecks faster. Finally, through experiments, we show how a latency prediction model can dynamically fine-tune the behavior where bottlenecks occur. This lowers resource utilization, makes the architecture more flexible, and allows the system to fulfill its latency requirements.