Falcon-RX Switch

The Falcon-RX/812/G Switch is a 5G xHaul timing-aware O-RAN switch & PTP grandmaster. This is used to provide both clocking and timing synchronization to both the DU and RU.

SyncCenter

The switch must be connected to an external clock source to ensure the PTP grandmaster is synchronized correctly. Once connected it is important to check that the GPS has been locked correctly and an accurate clock source is being provided. In this example a GPS reference is used.

To do this, navigate to the FalconRX configuration GUI and go to Configuration > Timing > SyncCenter and select GPS as the Sync Source Type. Once this is done, wait for the GPS to lock and synchronize correctly. The SyncCenter will display green once it has successfully locked to the GPS signal. This is shown in the above image.

PTP Clocks

Once the PTP grandmaster is successfully synchronized it must be configured correctly for use with the DU and RU.

First, go to Configuration > Timing > PTP and add a new PTP Clock. Select Device Type: Master Only and Profile: G8275.1. This is shown in the above image. After adding the PTP clock, click on the Clock Instance that you want to edit.

Once you have selected the Clock Instance you want to edit, set the VLAN ID to 1588 and activate all ports that you want to serve with PTP. From now on the PTP is sent with VLAN ID 1588.

You should now save your configuration.

VLAN

Next, the VLANs must be configured correctly so as to allow the DU and RU to receive the PTP sync from the grandmaster.

Go to Configuration > VLANs > Configuration to correctly configure the VLAN settings. First, set Allowed Access VLANs: as 1,2. Next, configure the ports you want to use as Trunk ports, set the Port VLAN as 1588, and set Egress Tagging as Untag Port VLAN. In the Allowed VLANs field you can set a range or specify specific VLANs. For example, here we are specifying 1,2,1588. You must include 1588 otherwise the DU and RU will not correctly receive the PTP sync.