Features
The Reference Design Kit for Broadband(RDK-B) is a standard open source software stack which sits below the applications/services layer and provides a common interface to SoC’s acting as a universal SoC adapter that allows portability across hardware platforms. The RDK-B stack provides complex broadband and management functions such as Home Networking, WiFi, and Device Management. Even though almost all present RDK-B deployments are over DOCSIS gateways, its modular design makes RDK-B an ideal choice for a host of different devices like WiFi extenders, voice gateways or IoT platforms.
RDK-B comes with some of the added advantages due to a highly modular architecture which allows the developers to have the provisions for dynamic service discovery, common data model, multiple management interfaces like SNMP, TR069, WebUI. Some of the added advantages of RDK-B are :
- Easy Integration
- Portable
- Extensible
- Secure
- Reduced Cost of Maintenance
- WAN types
The RDK Broadband Feature List is categorized by the below functions, Enhancements and new features are developed and contributed asynchronously by members of the RDK Community.
Category | Feature | Feature | Dependency(If any) |
---|---|---|---|
Home Networking | Camera | Camera Onboarding (discovery via UPnP) | Device dependency |
GRE | Soft Generic Routing Encapsulation | ||
HNAP | HNAP Support (for Home Security) | ||
IoT | ZigBee Ready | Device dependency | |
Bluetooth LE Ready | |||
Bluetooth LE App Manager (For Tile Detection and Ring) | New items | ||
Zilker SDK | New items | ||
IP | IPv4/IPv6 | ||
IP Configuration | Static IP Provisioning (DSLite based) | ||
RIPv2. Routing Information Protocol (RIP): RDK-B uses RIP as the routing mechanism. RIP is a distance-vector routing protocols which employ the hop count as a routing metric. RIP prevents routing loops by implementing a limit on the number of hops allowed in a path from source to destination. | |||
Subnet Mask Configurability Ready | Device dependency | ||
LAN | DSCP marking for first northbound packets | ||
Ability to Disable LAN DHCP | |||
New CcspEthAgent component to manage Ethernet interface and clients | |||
WAN | New EthWan component to enable wan side connection through Ethernet port | ||
WAN mode auto detect | Device dependency | ||
WAN Manager | New items, Device dependency | ||
Wi-Fi Home Network QOS | Home Network Quality of Service | ||
Wi-Fi | Active Band Steering | ||
Configuration of Transmission Rates for the 2.4 and 5 GHz Bands | |||
Create telemetry markers for WiFi vAP (SSID) up percentages | |||
Dual Band support on XH SSID | |||
Lost+Found SSID – Automatic WiFi Onboarding | |||
Plume support | Device dependency | ||
Private Wi-Fi | |||
Public Wi-Fi | |||
Split Configuration – Band steering (POC) | Device dependency | ||
Wi-Fi ATM/DCS/DFS Ready | Device dependency | ||
Content | WiFi | Wi-Fi Spectrum Analysis Ready | Device dependency, Cloud dependency |
Wi-Fi Telemetry | Cloud dependency | ||
HAL for easyconnect and passpoint | New items | ||
Device Profile | DOCSIS 3.0 Support | ||
DOCSIS 3.1 Support | Device dependency | ||
EPON | Device dependency | ||
DSL | New items, Device dependency | ||
GPON | New items, Device dependency | ||
Video | Video over Wi-Fi (client required) | ||
VidiPath | |||
Device Management | Admistration | Local Admin Pages | |
Feature Control (Remotely enable/ disable individual features on devices without new code deployment) | Cloud dependency | ||
Cloud Management (WebPA & TR-181 based) | Cloud dependency | ||
MeshAgent – Adaption layer between WiFi extender and cloud based management services | |||
Boot Up & System time | Additional Boot Up information | ||
Synchronize System Time with NTP Server | |||
Build | Yocto 3.1 Dunfell on Raspberry Pi Reference Platform | Changed items | |
Download | HTTP Code Download | ||
XCONF Code Download & Device Management (client) | Cloud dependency | ||
XCONF Server | Cloud dependency | ||
Implementation | Converge RDK Video and RDK Broadband Messaging Bus | ||
Support for Cujo Rabid Framework for Parental Control | |||
Rabid Framework for Finger Printing | |||
Initialization & Reset | Boot Time Optimization | ||
Kernel | Linux 5.4.72 | Device dependency, Changed items | |
Linux Containers | Initial container implementation | ||
Linux Container for lighttpd | |||
Monitoring | TR-069/TR-181 | ||
SNMP | |||
SNMPv3 Migration | |||
Alias Manager – Exposing Custom DML for MSO specific names | New items | ||
SNMP Security Hardening | |||
RDK Telemetry | Cloud dependency | ||
WebPA | Cloud dependency | ||
TR-181 Object Telemetry | Cloud dependency | ||
Broadband Profiling (SpeedTest to Gateway device) | |||
Platform Enhancement | Read factory CM MAC (WAN MAC for non CM device) from hardware. | Device dependency | |
Power | Battery Backup Ready | Device dependency | |
RFC | Configurable RFC Check-in immediately | ||
Security | Device-agnostic platform hooks for CEDM Phase 1 | ||
Intrusion Detection | |||
Remove Tr69 sharedKey stored in the clear | Device dependency | ||
Update credential encryption/decryption utility to avoid platform specific prebuilt images | |||
Update dnsmasq to version 2.78 or above | |||
Self Healing | Resource Monitoring | ||
Need to limit the Ping failure based erouter Reset recovery mechanism | Device dependency | ||
Telemetry | WHiX – Create telemetry markers for channel noise floor | ||
Supports the ability to configure a “Unique Identification Telemetry Tag” to be used in the telemetry report | |||
Create telemetry markers for Maximum TX_RATE, RX_RATE per client | |||
User Specific Features | WEBUI Easy monitoring and control of the device using the WebUI. Enable, disable and modify various modes like Bridge mode, WiFi SSID and so on directly from WebUI. Factory Reset the device | ||
Respond to Get requests from SNMP Management System. Retrieve data from other RDK software components | |||
Register device to Auto-Configuration Server (ACS) using Inform notification. Periodically send device information to ACS using Inform notification. Allow ACS to configure periodic Inform interval. Retrieve device diagnostics/parameters using GetParameterValues() method. Set device parameters using SetParameterValues() method. Factory reset using FactoryReset method. Device reboot using Reboot method. | |||
Generate logs for all the components and processes. Configuration of logging level per component. Print formatted data to stdout and redirected to a local log file. Aggregate logs locally on device. Extract logs to server for analysis. | |||
MSO Specific Features | Dynamic DNS Support for automatically updating a name server in the Domain Name System (DNS). Allows maximum of 4 host names. | ||
Routing Provides support for Routing Information Protocol using which MSO can monitor the routing information for the packets being interfaced from the device. | |||
HS Port Forwarding Supports port forwarding feature for home security network | |||
Xconf Firmware upgrade Single entity for managing firmware on set-top. Provides set-top which firmware version, from where to download, and how (protocol) to download.Web interface for server side rule administration Key Highlights: Users can set download protocol-HTTPs as preferred method. Ability to decouple downloads from reboot. Ability to schedule firmware checks (During boot-up/Later), Configurable based on time zones, quiet times. Ability to redirect to secure download end points. Supports-Upgrade of Primary firmware, Remote Control, Disaster recovery images, Warehouse upgrades Service & Scripts: Service Name : /lib/systemd/system/swupdate.service Helper Script : /lib/rdk/swupdate_utility.sh Main Script : /lib/rdk/deviceInitiatedFWDnld.sh | |||
Operational limitations that lead to RFC: The only way to disable a new feature in the field was to rollback to the older firmware. Lack of options to do a feature deployment in a subset of devices. Lack of options to deliver dynamic configurations to the box Using RFC: Enables quicker roll out of features. Enables a secure channel for delivering runtime configurations to the device.Ability to control when the feature needs to be enabled/disabled ? Disable now/ Disable during reboot | |||
Telemetry is required to have more timely data about device health and status. With telemetry:-Data is more real-time. Metrics are available through configurable SLA policies: Critical matrix in real-time, Lower priority metrics in pre-scheduled interval. Real time metrics use terse key/value pairs. The log and telemetry upload process is controlled through dcm-log service | |||
WEBPA protocol provides this functionality of read/write access to device management parameters in an efficient manner as compared to TR-69 or SNMP. | |||
Feature of Smart Internet.Account/Device activation: devices has to be first “activated” on the account and network. On fresh boot up and factory reset, Captive Portal prompts to change the default SSID network name and password Allows user to personalize their WiFi SSIDs. This Step needs to be completed to connect to the internet. TR181 parameter for captive portal: Device.DeviceInfo.X_RDKCENTRAL-COM_CaptivePortalEnable | |||
Business Router Feature | Offers carrier grade Internet to Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) residing within the Service Provider footprint. As part of this support is provided for: WiFi – 5 GHz with 4×4 and 2.4 GHz with 2×2.Voice support with 8 FXS ports. 8 Gigabit Ethernet ports – ports 1 – 4 support 1Gbps individually while port 5-8 support shared capacity of 1 Gbps. Power over Ethernet (PoE) on ethernet port 8. functionalities like content filtering, bridge mode, various levels of firewall, and remote access to control the router. | ||
WiFi | WiFi connectivity over both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. WPS support for WiFi connectivity. Easy monitoring of WiFi credentials though UI. WiFi Air Time Management feature helps the user to assign weight and prioritize the bandwidth allocation based on SSID. WiFi Spectrum Analyzer feature provides the real time metrics for the WiFi radio spectrum. Band Steering feature helps the device to smartly switch the connected devices between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency band. WiFi Range Extender support. Prefer Private Mode when enabled prioritizes the private SSID over hotspot while at home. | ||
Ability to access the service provider network outside the home WiFi range. | |||
Passpoint Protocol that helps users discover and authenticate to Wi-Fi hotspots to access the internet. Passpoint is based on Hotspot2.0 technology | |||
Home Security – HNAP | |||
MoCA | Supports MoCA 2.0 for WiFi extenders. Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) supports networking over coaxial cable. | ||
WiFi Protected Setup: (WPS) | |||
MeshAgent | |||
Ethwan | |||
EPON Agent | |||
eMTA | RDK-B supports embedded Multimedia Terminal Adapter (MTA stack itself not included as part of RDK-B – provided by OEM). Various OEM’s can use their own MTA modules in collaboration with RDK-B middle ware. RDK-B provides various monitoring metrics and a data model parameters to enable and monitor the MTA module provided by the OEM. |