# Mastering
In this tutorial, we will deploy and run the SD-Core 5G core network following Control and User Plane Separation (CUPS) principles.
The radio and cell phone simulator will also be deployed on an isolated cluster.
This tutorial uses [LXD](https://canonical.com/lxd) with Terraform to deploy the required infrastructure.
## 1. Prepare the Host machine
A machine running Ubuntu 22.04 with the following resources:
- At least one NIC with internet access
- 8 cores
- 32 GB RAM
- 150 GiB disk
### Networks
The following IP networks will be used to connect and isolate the network functions:
| Name | Subnet | Gateway IP |
|--------------|---------------|------------|
| `management` | 10.201.0.0/24 | 10.201.0.1 |
| `access` | 10.202.0.0/24 | 10.202.0.1 |
| `core` | 10.203.0.0/24 | 10.203.0.1 |
| `ran` | 10.204.0.0/24 | 10.204.0.1 |
### Install and Configure LXD
Install LXD:
```console
sudo snap install lxd
```
Initialize LXD:
```console
lxd init --auto
```
### Install Terraform
Install Terraform:
```console
sudo snap install terraform --classic
```
## 2. Create Virtual Machines
To complete this tutorial, you will need four virtual machines with access to the networks as follows:
| Machine | CPUs | RAM | Disk | Networks |
|--------------------------------------|------|------|------|--------------------------------|
| Control Plane Kubernetes Cluster | 4 | 8g | 40g | `management` |
| User Plane Kubernetes Cluster | 4 | 12g | 20g | `management`, `access`, `core` |
| Juju Controller + Kubernetes Cluster | 4 | 6g | 40g | `management` |
| gNB Simulator Kubernetes Cluster | 2 | 3g | 20g | `management`, `ran` |
The complete infrastructure can be created with Terraform using the following commands:
```console
git clone https://github.com/canonical/charmed-aether-sd-core.git
cd charmed-aether-sd-core/terraform
terraform init
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
```{note}
The current version of the Terraform module has some race conditions, if the deployment fail, a retry will
usually fix the issue.
```
### Checkpoint 1: Are the VM's ready ?
You should be able to see all the VMs in a `Running` state with their default IP addresses by executing the following command:
```console
lxc list
```
The output should be similar to the following:
```
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+------+-----------------+-----------+
| NAME | STATE | IPV4 | IPV6 | TYPE | SNAPSHOTS |
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+------+-----------------+-----------+
| control-plane | RUNNING | 10.201.0.101 (enp5s0) | | VIRTUAL-MACHINE | 0 |
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+------+-----------------+-----------+
| gnbsim | RUNNING | 10.204.0.100 (enp6s0) | | VIRTUAL-MACHINE | 0 |
| | | 10.201.0.103 (enp5s0) | | | |
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+------+-----------------+-----------+
| juju-controller | RUNNING | 10.201.0.104 (enp5s0) | | VIRTUAL-MACHINE | 0 |
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+------+-----------------+-----------+
| user-plane | RUNNING | 10.203.0.100 (enp6s0) | | VIRTUAL-MACHINE | 0 |
| | | 10.202.0.100 (enp7s0) | | | |
| | | 10.201.0.102 (enp5s0) | | | |
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+------+-----------------+-----------+
```
## 3. Configure VMs for SD-Core Deployment
This section covers installation of necessary tools on the VMs which are going to build up the infrastructure for SD-Core.
### Prepare SD-Core Control Plane VM
Login to the `control-plane` VM:
```console
lxc exec control-plane --user 1000 -- bash -l
```
Install MicroK8s:
```console
sudo snap install microk8s --channel=1.29-strict/stable
sudo microk8s enable hostpath-storage
sudo usermod -a -G snap_microk8s $(whoami)
```
The control plane needs to expose two services: the AMF and the NMS.
In this step, we enable the MetalLB add on in MicroK8s, and give it a range of two IP addresses:
```console
sudo microk8s enable metallb:10.201.0.52-10.201.0.53
```
Now update MicroK8s DNS to point to our DNS server:
```console
sudo microk8s disable dns
sudo microk8s enable dns:10.201.0.1
```
Export the Kubernetes configuration and copy it to the `juju-controller` VM:
```console
sudo microk8s.config > /tmp/control-plane-cluster.yaml
scp /tmp/control-plane-cluster.yaml juju-controller.mgmt:
```
Log out of the VM.
### Prepare SD-Core User Plane VM
Log in to the `user-plane` VM:
```console
lxc exec user-plane --user 1000 -- bash -l
```
Install MicroK8s, configure MetalLB to expose 1 IP address for the UPF (`10.201.0.200`) and enable the Multus plugin:
```console
sudo snap install microk8s --channel=1.29-strict/stable
sudo microk8s enable hostpath-storage
sudo microk8s enable metallb:10.201.0.200/32
sudo microk8s addons repo add community \
https://github.com/canonical/microk8s-community-addons \
--reference feat/strict-fix-multus
sudo microk8s enable multus
sudo usermod -a -G snap_microk8s $(whoami)
```
Now update MicroK8s DNS to point to our DNS server:
```console
sudo microk8s disable dns
sudo microk8s enable dns:10.201.0.1
```
Export the Kubernetes configuration and copy it to the `juju-controller` VM:
```console
sudo microk8s.config > /tmp/user-plane-cluster.yaml
scp /tmp/user-plane-cluster.yaml juju-controller.mgmt:
```
In this guide, the following network interfaces are available on the SD-Core `user-plane` VM:
| Interface Name | Purpose |
|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| enp5s0 | internal Kubernetes management interface. This maps to the `management` subnet. |
| enp6s0 | core interface. This maps to the `core` subnet. |
| enp7s0 | access interface. This maps to the `access` subnet. Note that internet egress is required here and routing tables are already set to route gNB generated traffic. |
Now we create the MACVLAN bridges for `enp6s0` and `enp7s0`.
These instructions are put into a file that is executed on reboot so the interfaces will come back:
```console
cat << EOF | sudo tee /etc/rc.local
#!/bin/bash
sudo ip link add access link enp7s0 type macvlan mode bridge
sudo ip link set dev access up
sudo ip link add core link enp6s0 type macvlan mode bridge
sudo ip link set dev core up
EOF
sudo chmod +x /etc/rc.local
sudo /etc/rc.local
```
Log out of the VM.
### Prepare gNB Simulator VM
Log in to the `gnbsim` VM:
```console
lxc exec gnbsim --user 1000 -- bash -l
```
Install MicroK8s and add the Multus plugin:
```console
sudo snap install microk8s --channel=1.29-strict/stable
sudo microk8s enable hostpath-storage
sudo microk8s addons repo add community \
https://github.com/canonical/microk8s-community-addons \
--reference feat/strict-fix-multus
sudo microk8s enable multus
sudo usermod -a -G snap_microk8s $(whoami)
```
Now update MicroK8s DNS to point to our DNS server:
```console
sudo microk8s disable dns
sudo microk8s enable dns:10.201.0.1
```
Export the Kubernetes configuration and copy it to the `juju-controller` VM:
```console
sudo microk8s.config > /tmp/gnb-cluster.yaml
scp /tmp/gnb-cluster.yaml juju-controller.mgmt:
```
In this guide, the following network interfaces are available on the `gnbsim` VM:
| Interface Name | Purpose |
|----------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| enp5s0 | internal Kubernetes management interface. This maps to the `management` subnet. |
| enp6s0 | ran interface. This maps to the `ran` subnet. |
Now we create the MACVLAN bridges for `enp6s0`, and label them accordingly:
```console
cat << EOF | sudo tee /etc/rc.local
#!/bin/bash
sudo ip link add ran link enp6s0 type macvlan mode bridge
sudo ip link set dev ran up
EOF
sudo chmod +x /etc/rc.local
sudo /etc/rc.local
```
Log out of the VM.
### Prepare the Juju Controller VM
Log in to the `juju-controller` VM:
```console
lxc exec juju-controller --user 1000 -- bash -l
```
Begin by installing MicroK8s to hold the Juju controller.
Configure MetalLB to expose one IP address for the controller (`10.201.0.50`) and one for the Canonical Observability Stack (`10.201.0.51)`:
```console
sudo snap install microk8s --channel=1.29-strict/stable
sudo microk8s enable hostpath-storage
sudo microk8s enable metallb:10.201.0.50-10.201.0.51
sudo usermod -a -G snap_microk8s $(whoami)
newgrp snap_microk8s
```
Now update MicroK8s DNS to point to our DNS server:
```console
sudo microk8s disable dns
sudo microk8s enable dns:10.201.0.1
```
```{note}
The `microk8s enable` command confirms enabling the DNS before it actually happens.
Before going forward, please make sure that the DNS is actually running.
To do that run `microk8s.kubectl -n kube-system get pods` and make sure that the `coredns` pod is in `Running` status.
```
Install Juju and bootstrap the controller to the local MicroK8s install as a LoadBalancer service.
This will expose the Juju controller on the first allocated MetalLB address:
```console
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/juju
sudo snap install juju --channel=3.4/stable
juju bootstrap microk8s --config controller-service-type=loadbalancer sdcore
```
At this point, the Juju controller is ready to start managing external clouds.
Add the Kubernetes clusters representing the user plane, control plane, and gNB simulator to Juju.
This is done by using the Kubernetes configuration file generated when setting up the clusters above.
```console
cd /home/ubuntu
export KUBECONFIG=control-plane-cluster.yaml
juju add-k8s control-plane-cluster --controller sdcore
export KUBECONFIG=user-plane-cluster.yaml
juju add-k8s user-plane-cluster --controller sdcore
export KUBECONFIG=gnb-cluster.yaml
juju add-k8s gnb-cluster --controller sdcore
```
Install Terraform:
```console
sudo snap install terraform --classic
```
## 4. Deploy SD-Core Control Plane
The following steps build on the Juju controller which was bootstrapped and knows how to manage the SD-Core Control Plane Kubernetes cluster.
First, we will create a new Terraform module which we will use to deploy SD-Core Control Plane.
After the successful deployment, we will configure the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) IP address for sharing with the radios and the Traefik external hostname for exposing the SD-Core Network Management System (NMS).
This host name must be resolvable by the gNB and the IP address must be reachable and resolve to the AMF unit.
In the bootstrap step, we set the Control Plane MetalLB IP range, and that is what we use in the configuration.
Lastly, the module will expose the Software as a Service offer for the AMF.
Create Juju model for the SD-Core Control Plane:
```console
juju add-model control-plane control-plane-cluster
```
Create new folder called `terraform`:
```console
mkdir terraform
```
Inside newly created `terraform` folder create a `terraform.tf` file:
```console
cd terraform
cat << EOF > versions.tf
terraform {
required_providers {
juju = {
source = "juju/juju"
version = ">= 0.12.0"
}
}
}
EOF
```
Create Terraform module:
```console
cat << EOF > main.tf
data "juju_model" "control-plane" {
name = "control-plane"
}
module "sdcore-control-plane" {
source = "git::https://github.com/canonical/terraform-juju-sdcore//modules/sdcore-control-plane-k8s"
model = data.juju_model.control-plane.name
amf_config = {
external-amf-hostname = "amf.mgmt"
}
traefik_config = {
routing_mode = "subdomain"
}
}
EOF
```
Initialize Juju Terraform provider:
```console
terraform init
```
Deploy SD-Core Control Plane:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
Monitor the status of the deployment:
```console
juju status --watch 1s --relations
```
The deployment is ready when all the charms are in the `Active/Idle` state.
It is normal for `grafana-agent` to remain in waiting state.
It is also expected that `traefik` goes to the error state (related Traefik [bug](https://github.com/canonical/traefik-k8s-operator/issues/361)).
Once the deployment is ready, we will proceed to the configuration part.
Get the IP addresses of the AMF and Traefik LoadBalancer services:
Log in to the `control-plane` VM:
```console
ssh control-plane
```
Get LoadBalancer services:
```console
microk8s.kubectl get services -A | grep LoadBalancer
```
This will show output similar to the following:
```console
control-plane amf-external LoadBalancer 10.152.183.179 10.201.0.52 38412:30408/SCTP
control-plane traefik-lb LoadBalancer 10.152.183.28 10.201.0.53 80:32349/TCP,443:31925/TCP
```
Note both IPs - in this case `10.201.0.52` for the AMF and `10.201.0.53` for Traefik.
We will need them shortly.
```{note}
If the IP for the AMF is not `10.201.0.52`, you will need to update the DNS entry. In the host,
edit the `main.tf` file. Find the following line and set it to the right IP address, like so:
`host-record=amf.mgmt,10.201.0.53`
Then, run the following command on the host:
`terraform apply -auto-approve`
```
Log out of the `control-plane` VM.
Configure AMF external IP, using the address obtained in the previous step.
To do that, edit `amf_config` in the `main.tf` file in the `terraform` directory.
Updated `amf_config` should look like similar to the below:
```
(...)
module "sdcore-control-plane" {
(...)
amf_config = {
external-amf-ip = "10.201.0.52"
external-amf-hostname = "amf.mgmt"
}
(...)
}
(...)
```
Configure Traefik's external hostname, using the address obtained in the previous step.
To do that, edit `traefik_config` in the `main.tf` file.
Updated `traefik_config` should look like similar to the below:
```
(...)
module "sdcore-control-plane" {
(...)
traefik_config = {
routing_mode = "subdomain"
external_hostname = "10.201.0.53.nip.io"
}
(...)
}
(...)
```
Apply the changes:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
## 5. Deploy SD-Core User Plane
The following steps build on the Juju controller which was bootstrapped and knows how to manage the SD-Core User Plane Kubernetes cluster.
First, we will add SD-Core User Plane to the Terraform module created in the previous step.
We will provide necessary configuration (please see the list of the config options with the description in the table below) for the User Plane Function (UPF).
Lastly, we will expose the Software as a Service offer for the UPF.
| Config Option | Descriptions |
|-----------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| access-gateway-ip | The IP address of the gateway that knows how to route traffic from the UPF towards the gNB subnet |
| access-interface | The name of the MACVLAN interface on the Kubernetes host cluster to bridge to the `access` subnet |
| access-ip | The IP address for the UPF to use on the `access` subnet |
| core-gateway-ip | The IP address of the gateway that knows how to route traffic from the UPF towards the internet |
| core-interface | The name of the MACVLAN interface on the Kubernetes host cluster to bridge to the `core` subnet |
| core-ip | The IP address for the UPF to use on the `core` subnet |
| external-upf-hostname | The DNS name of the UPF |
| gnb-subnet | The subnet CIDR where the gNB radios are reachable. |
In the `juju-controller` VM, create a Juju model for the SD-Core Control Plane:
```console
juju add-model user-plane user-plane-cluster
```
Update the `main.tf` file:
```console
cat << EOF >> main.tf
data "juju_model" "user-plane" {
name = "user-plane"
}
module "sdcore-user-plane" {
source = "git::https://github.com/canonical/terraform-juju-sdcore//modules/sdcore-user-plane-k8s"
model = data.juju_model.user-plane.name
upf_config = {
cni-type = "macvlan"
access-gateway-ip = "10.202.0.1"
access-interface = "access"
access-ip = "10.202.0.10/24"
core-gateway-ip = "10.203.0.1"
core-interface = "core"
core-ip = "10.203.0.10/24"
external-upf-hostname = "upf.mgmt"
gnb-subnet = "10.204.0.0/24"
}
}
EOF
```
Update Juju Terraform provider:
```console
terraform init
```
Deploy SD-Core User Plane:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
Monitor the status of the deployment:
```console
juju status --watch 1s --relations
```
The deployment is ready when the UPF application is in the `Active/Idle` state.
It is normal for `grafana-agent` to remain in waiting state.
### Checkpoint 3: Does the UPF external LoadBalancer service exist?
You should be able to see the UPF external LoadBalancer service in Kubernetes.
Log in to the `user-plane` VM:
```console
ssh user-plane
```
Get the LoadBalancer service:
```console
microk8s.kubectl get services -A | grep LoadBalancer
```
This should produce output similar to the following indicating that the PFCP agent of the UPF is exposed on `10.201.0.200` UDP port 8805:
```console
user-plane upf-external LoadBalancer 10.152.183.126 10.201.0.200 8805:31101/UDP
```
Log out of the `user-plane` VM.
## 6. Deploy the gNB Simulator
The following steps build on the Juju controller which was bootstrapped and knows how to manage the gNB Simulator Kubernetes cluster.
First, we will add gNB Simulator to the Terraform module used in the previous steps.
We will provide necessary configuration (please see the list of the config options with the description in the table below) for the application and integrate the simulator with previously exposed AMF offering.
Lastly, we will expose the Software as a Service offer for the simulator.
| Config Option | Descriptions |
|-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| gnb-interface | The name of the MACVLAN interface to use on the host |
| gnb-ip-address | The IP address to use on the gnb interface |
| icmp-packet-destination | The target IP address to ping. If there is no egress to the internet on your core network, any IP that is reachable from the UPF should work. |
| upf-gateway | The IP address of the gateway between the RAN and Access networks |
| upf-subnet | Subnet where the UPFs are located (also called Access network) |
In the `juju-controller` VM, create Juju model for the SD-Core Control Plane:
```console
juju add-model gnbsim gnb-cluster
```
Update the `main.tf` file:
```console
cat << EOF >> main.tf
data "juju_model" "gnbsim" {
name = "gnbsim"
}
module "gnbsim" {
source = "git::https://github.com/canonical/sdcore-gnbsim-k8s-operator//terraform"
model = data.juju_model.gnbsim.name
config = {
gnb-interface = "ran"
gnb-ip-address = "10.204.0.10/24"
icmp-packet-destination = "8.8.8.8"
upf-gateway = "10.204.0.1"
upf-subnet = "10.202.0.0/24"
}
}
resource "juju_integration" "gnbsim-amf" {
model = data.juju_model.gnbsim.name
application {
name = module.gnbsim.app_name
endpoint = module.gnbsim.requires.fiveg_n2
}
application {
offer_url = module.sdcore-control-plane.amf_fiveg_n2_offer_url
}
}
resource "juju_offer" "gnbsim-fiveg-gnb-identity" {
model = data.juju_model.gnbsim.name
application_name = module.gnbsim.app_name
endpoint = module.gnbsim.provides.fiveg_gnb_identity
}
EOF
```
Update Juju Terraform provider:
```console
terraform init
```
Deploy the gNB simulator:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
Monitor the status of the deployment:
```console
juju status --watch 1s --relations
```
The deployment is ready when the `gnbsim` application is in the `Active/Idle` state.
## 7. Configure SD-Core
The following steps show how to configure the SD-Core 5G core network.
We will start by creating integrations between the Network Management System (NMS) and the UPF and the gNB Simulator.
Once the integrations are ready, we will create the core network configuration: a network slice, a device group and a subscriber.
Add required integrations to the `main.tf` file used in the previous steps:
```console
cat << EOF >> main.tf
resource "juju_integration" "nms-gnbsim" {
model = data.juju_model.control-plane.name
application {
name = module.sdcore-control-plane.nms_app_name
endpoint = module.sdcore-control-plane.fiveg_gnb_identity_endpoint
}
application {
offer_url = juju_offer.gnbsim-fiveg-gnb-identity.url
}
}
resource "juju_integration" "nms-upf" {
model = data.juju_model.control-plane.name
application {
name = module.sdcore-control-plane.nms_app_name
endpoint = module.sdcore-control-plane.fiveg_n4_endpoint
}
application {
offer_url = module.sdcore-user-plane.upf_fiveg_n4_offer_url
}
}
EOF
```
Apply the changes:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
Retrieve the NMS address:
```console
juju switch control-plane
juju run traefik/0 show-proxied-endpoints
```
The output should be `http://control-plane-nms.10.201.0.53.nip.io/`.
Navigate to this address in your browser.
In the Network Management System (NMS), create a network slice with the following attributes:
- Name: `Tutorial`
- MCC: `001`
- MNC: `01`
- UPF: `upf.mgmt:8805`
- gNodeB: `gnbsim-gnbsim-gnbsim (tac:1)`
You should see the following network slice created.
Note the device group has been expanded to show the default group that is created in the slice for you.
```{image} ../images/nms_tutorial_network_slice_with_device_group.png
:alt: NMS Network Slice
:align: center
```
We will now add a subscriber with the IMSI that was provided to the gNB simulator.
Navigate to Subscribers and click on Create.
Fill in the following:
- IMSI: `001010100007487`
- OPC: `981d464c7c52eb6e5036234984ad0bcf`
- Key: `5122250214c33e723a5dd523fc145fc0`
- Sequence Number: `16f3b3f70fc2`
- Network Slice: `Tutorial`
- Device Group: `Tutorial-default`
## 8. Integrate SD-Core with the Canonical Observability Stack (COS)
The following steps show how to integrate the SD-Core 5G core network with the Canonical Observability Stack (COS).
First, we will add COS to the Terraform module used in the previous steps.
Next, we will expose the Software as a Service offers for the COS and create integrations with SD-Core 5G core network components.
### Deploy COS Lite
Add `cos-lite` Terraform module to the `main.tf` file used in the previous steps:
```console
cat << EOF >> main.tf
module "cos-lite" {
source = "git::https://github.com/canonical/terraform-juju-sdcore//modules/external/cos-lite"
model_name = "cos-lite"
deploy_cos_configuration = true
cos_configuration_config = {
git_repo = "https://github.com/canonical/sdcore-cos-configuration"
git_branch = "main"
grafana_dashboards_path = "grafana_dashboards/sdcore/"
}
}
EOF
```
Update Juju Terraform provider:
```console
terraform init
```
Deploy COS:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
Monitor the status of the deployment:
```console
juju switch cos-lite
juju status --watch 1s --relations
```
The deployment is ready when all the charms are in the `Active/Idle` state.
### Integrate SD-Core with COS Lite
Once the COS deployment is ready, add integrations between SD-Core and COS applications to the `main.tf` file:
```console
cat << EOF >> main.tf
resource "juju_integration" "control-plane-prometheus" {
model = data.juju_model.control-plane.name
application {
name = module.sdcore-control-plane.grafana_agent_app_name
endpoint = module.sdcore-control-plane.send_remote_write_endpoint
}
application {
offer_url = module.cos-lite.prometheus_remote_write_offer_url
}
}
resource "juju_integration" "control-plane-loki" {
model = data.juju_model.control-plane.name
application {
name = module.sdcore-control-plane.grafana_agent_app_name
endpoint = module.sdcore-control-plane.logging_consumer_endpoint
}
application {
offer_url = module.cos-lite.loki_logging_offer_url
}
}
resource "juju_integration" "user-plane-prometheus" {
model = data.juju_model.user-plane.name
application {
name = module.sdcore-user-plane.grafana_agent_app_name
endpoint = module.sdcore-user-plane.send_remote_write_endpoint
}
application {
offer_url = module.cos-lite.prometheus_remote_write_offer_url
}
}
resource "juju_integration" "user-plane-loki" {
model = data.juju_model.user-plane.name
application {
name = module.sdcore-user-plane.grafana_agent_app_name
endpoint = module.sdcore-user-plane.logging_consumer_endpoint
}
application {
offer_url = module.cos-lite.loki_logging_offer_url
}
}
EOF
```
Apply the changes:
```console
terraform apply -auto-approve
```
## Checkpoint 4: Is Grafana dashboard available?
From the `juju-controller` VM, retrieve the Grafana URL and admin password:
```console
juju switch cos-lite
juju run grafana/leader get-admin-password
```
This produces output similar to the following:
```
Running operation 1 with 1 task
- task 2 on unit-grafana-0
Waiting for task 2...
admin-password: c72uEq8FyGRo
url: http://10.201.0.51/cos-lite-grafana
```
```{note}
Grafana can be accessed using both `http` (as returned by the command above) or `https`.
```
In your browser, navigate to the URL from the output (`https://10.201.0.51/cos-lite-grafana`).
Login using the "admin" username and the admin password provided in the last command.
Click on "Dashboards" -> "Browse" and select "5G Network Overview".
This dashboard presents an overview of your 5G Network status.
Keep this page open, we will revisit it shortly.
```{image} ../images/grafana_5g_dashboard_sim_before.png
:alt: Initial Grafana dashboard showing UPF status
:align: center
```
```{note}
It may take up to 5 minutes for the relevant metrics to be available in Prometheus.
```
## 9. Run the 5G simulation
On the `juju-controller` VM, switch to the `gnbsim` model.
```console
juju switch gnbsim
```
Start the simulation.
```console
juju run gnbsim/leader start-simulation
```
The simulation executed successfully if you see `success: "true"` as one of the output messages:
```
Running operation 1 with 1 task
- task 2 on unit-gnbsim-0
Waiting for task 2...
info: 5/5 profiles passed
success: "true"
```
## Checkpoint 5: Check the simulation logs to see the communication between elements and the data exchange
### gNB Simulation Logs
Let's take a look at the juju debug-log now by running the following command:
```console
juju debug-log --no-tail
```
This will emit the full log of the simulation starting with the following message:
```console
unit-gnbsim-0: 16:43:50 INFO unit.gnbsim/0.juju-log gnbsim simulation output:
```
As there is a lot of output, we can better understand if we filter by specific elements.
For example, let's take a look at the control plane transport of the log.
To do that, we search for `ControlPlaneTransport` in the Juju debug-log.
This shows the simulator locating the AMF and exchanging data with it.
```console
$ juju debug-log | grep ControlPlaneTransport
2023-11-30T16:43:40Z [TRAC][GNBSIM][GNodeB][ControlPlaneTransport] Connecting to AMF
2023-11-30T16:43:40Z [INFO][GNBSIM][GNodeB][ControlPlaneTransport] Connected to AMF, AMF IP: 10.201.0.52 AMF Port: 38412
...
```
We can do the same for the user plane transport to see it starts on the RAN network with IP address `10.204.0.10` as we requested, and it is communicating with our UPF at `10.202.0.10` as expected.
To follow the UE itself, we can filter by the IMSI.
```console
juju debug-log | grep imsi-001010100007487
```
### Control Plane Logs
You may view the control plane logs by logging into the control plane cluster and using Kubernetes commands as follows:
```console
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c amf amf-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c ausf ausf-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c nrf nrf-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c nssf nssf-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c pcf pcf-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c smf smf-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c udm udm-0 --tail 70
microk8s.kubectl logs -n control-plane -c udr udr-0 --tail 70
```
## Checkpoint 6: View the metrics
### Grafana Metrics
You can also revisit the Grafana dashboard to view the metrics for the test run.
You can see the IMSI is connected and has received an IP address.
There is now one active PDU session, and the ping test throughput can be seen in the graphs.
```{image} ../images/grafana_5g_dashboard_sim_after.png
:alt: Grafana dashboard showing throughput metrics
:align: center
```
## 10. Review
We have deployed 4 Kubernetes clusters, bootstrapped a Juju controller to manage them all, and deployed portions of the Charmed Aether SD-Core software according to CUPS principles.
You now have 5 Juju models as follows:
- `control-plane` where all the control functions are deployed
- `controller` where Juju manages state of the models
- `cos-lite` where the Canonical Observability Stack is deployed
- `gnbsim` where the gNB simulator is deployed
- `user-plane` where all the user plane function is deployed
You have learned how to:
- view the logs for the various functions
- manage the integrations between deployed functions
- run a simulation testing data flow through the 5G core
- view the metrics produced by the 5G core
```{note}
For your convenience, a complete Terraform module covering the deployments and integrations from this tutorial, is available in [this Git repository](https://github.com/canonical/charmed-aether-sd-core).
All necessary files are in the `examples/terraform/mastering` directory.
```
## 11. Cleaning up
On the host machine, destroy the Terraform deployment to get rid of the whole infrastructure:
```console
terraform destroy -auto-approve
```
```{note}
Terraform does not remove anything from the working directory.
If needed, please clean up the `terraform` directory manually by removing everything except for the `main.tf` and `terraform.tf` files.
```