An Automated Log Analyser for MACsec Protected Fronthaul Connections within a Base Station

Abstract

The increasing use of MACsec (Media Access Control Security) for securing fronthaul connec- tions necessitates efficient log analysis for debugging and testing purposes. The topic of this the- sis was to improve Rain - Nokia’s base station log analysis framework to analyse MAC layer pro- tected fronthaul connections. This addition would reduce the time spent by developers on manual log analysis during the debugging allowing them to concentrate on feature development work more efficiently. Logging is an important aspect of software development as by recording the information about system during runtime into logs, its behaviour can be reconstructed later. When debugging is needed, manual log analysis is flexible (as it is done by humans), but it consumes more effort, compared to automated analysis, especially when the same process needs to be repeated multi- ple times. And MACsec protected connections is something that needs to be analysed regularly. To develop the analyser, it was required to strengthen the knowledge in MAC security standard, as well as its implementation in a base station to identify log messages that would provide useful information. Also, preparational work involved studying Rain platform interfaces and analyser development guidelines. Then it was required to design and develop such analyser that will be capable of processing textual logs, extracting the information about secured connections, and presenting it to users. The result of this work is an automated log analysis program that makes analysis of MACsec protected fronthaul connections easier and efficient. That program is capable of processing logs produced by different software versions, has a modular architecture allowing developers to ex- tend it for covering complex scenarios. Analysis results are presented within the familiar to devel- opers Rain platform's graphical user interface. The thesis not only contributes a valuable tool for analysing MACsec connections but also deepens understanding of base station log analysis and Rain platform development.