Nokia AirScale DHCP Commissioning Guide
Configuring DHCP for Automatic Base Station Onboarding
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Prerequisites
- How It Works
- DHCP Server Configuration
- Base Station Configuration
- Verification
- Troubleshooting
- Option 43 Technical Reference
Overview
Nokia AirScale base stations can automatically discover and register with RAN Monitor through DHCP. When the base station powers on, it sends a DHCP request containing its identity. The DHCP server responds with the base station's IP configuration and the RAN Monitor server address encoded in DHCP Option 43 (Vendor-Specific Information).
This eliminates the need to manually configure each base station with the management server address. The base station completes the DHCP handshake, then initiates an NE3S agent discovery connection to the RAN Monitor IP provided in the DHCP response.
Who Should Use This Guide
Important: All Nokia AirScale base station configuration is performed by Omnitouch as part of the initial deployment and ongoing support. This guide is provided for:
- Advanced users who want to understand the DHCP commissioning process
- Self-managed deployments where customers manage their own DHCP infrastructure
- Troubleshooting DHCP-based autoconnection issues
If you are an Omnitouch-managed customer, contact Omnitouch support for base station commissioning and DHCP configuration.
Prerequisites
Before configuring DHCP commissioning, ensure you have:
- DHCP Server — A DHCP server on the base station management network (MikroTik, ISC DHCP, dnsmasq, etc.)
- RAN Monitor — A running RAN Monitor instance accessible from the base station network
- Network Connectivity — Layer 2 connectivity between the base station OAM port and the DHCP server
Required Information:
| Parameter | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| RAN Monitor IP | IP address where RAN Monitor is running | 10.179.2.139 |
| Management Subnet | Subnet for base station management interfaces | 10.7.15.64/26 |
| Gateway IP | Default gateway for the management subnet | 10.7.15.65 |
| DNS Server | DNS server IP | 10.7.15.65 |
How It Works
Autoconnection Flow
The base station progresses through these phases after receiving a DHCP lease:
| Phase | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|
| DHCP | Succeeded | IP address and RAN Monitor address obtained |
| Certificate | Skipped | No certificate enrollment required (private network) |
| IKE | Skipped | No IPsec tunnel required (private network) |
| Backhaul | Succeeded | Network connectivity confirmed |
| Identification | Requested | NE3S agent discovery initiated to RAN Monitor |
DHCP Server Configuration
Option 43 Encoding
Nokia AirScale base stations require DHCP Option 43 (Vendor-Specific Information) to contain the RAN Monitor IP address. The base station rejects DHCP Offers without a correctly-encoded Option 43.
Generating the Option 43 Value
Run this script with your RAN Monitor IP to generate the hex value needed for the DHCP server:
#!/bin/bash
# generate-nokia-option43.sh
# Usage: ./generate-nokia-option43.sh <ran-monitor-ip>
IP="${1:?Usage: $0 <ran-monitor-ip>}"
IFS='.' read -r a b c d <<< "$IP"
H=$(printf "%02x%02x%02x%02x" $a $b $c $d)
S=$(echo -n "$IP" | xxd -p)
L=$(printf "%02x" ${#IP})
echo "0x0104${H}0104${H}08${L}${S}0904706b69780b0101"
Example for 10.179.2.139:
$ ./generate-nokia-option43.sh 10.179.2.139
0x01040ab3028b04040ab3028b080c31302e3137392e322e3133390904706b69780b0101
Use the output as the value in the DHCP server configuration below.
MikroTik RouterOS 7
/ip dhcp-server option
add code=43 name=nokia-oms value=0x01040ab3028b04040ab3028b080c31302e3137392e322e3133390904706b69780b0101
/ip dhcp-server option sets
add name=nokia-set options=nokia-oms
/ip dhcp-server network
set [find address=10.7.15.64/26] dhcp-option-set=nokia-set dns-server=10.7.15.65 gateway=10.7.15.65
Parameters:
| Line | Purpose |
|---|---|
code=43 | DHCP Option 43 (Vendor-Specific Information) |
value=0x... | Hex-encoded Option 43 payload containing the RAN Monitor IP |
dhcp-option-set=nokia-set | Attaches the option set to the DHCP network |
dnsmasq
dhcp-option=43,01:04:0a:b3:02:8b:04:04:0a:b3:02:8b:08:0c:31:30:2e:31:37:39:2e:32:2e:31:33:39:09:04:70:6b:69:78:0b:01:01
ISC DHCP
option vendor-encapsulated-options 01:04:0a:b3:02:8b:04:04:0a:b3:02:8b:08:0c:31:30:2e:31:37:39:2e:32:2e:31:33:39:09:04:70:6b:69:78:0b:01:01;
Base Station Configuration
Autoconnection Mode
The base station must be set to Private network with DHCP mode. This is configured through the Web Element Manager:
- Open the base station Web Element Manager at
https://<base-station-ip>/ - Navigate to Configuration Automation
- Set Scenario to Private network with DHCP
- Leave Delete operator certificates as No
If the base station is set to Public network, it will reject DHCP Offers that contain Option 43 vendor data.
Ethernet Port
The base station sends DHCP on its OAM (Operations, Administration, Maintenance) ethernet port. On the SBTS system module, this is typically SystemModuleEIF3 or the first connected port. The base station auto-detects which port has link and probes each one in sequence.
The OAM port should be connected to the management network where the DHCP server is reachable. No VLAN tagging is required for private network deployments — the base station sends untagged DHCP on the plain interface first, then falls back to VLAN probing if no valid offer is received.
Verification
DHCP Lease
After configuring the DHCP server, verify the base station obtains a lease. On MikroTik:
/ip dhcp-server lease print where server=<dhcp-server-name>
The base station MAC address prefix is 78:F9:B4 (Nokia Solutions and Networks).
Base Station Logs
The base station autoconnection report (accessible via Web Element Manager) should show:
Dhcp offer Accepted
Identification Server Ip1: 10.179.2.139
Certificate Skipped
Ike Skipped
BTS backhaul connection Succeeded
Started agent discovery with identification IP: 10.179.2.139
RAN Monitor
In the RAN Monitor Web UI:
- Navigate to BTS Status
- The base station should appear with one of the following statuses:
- Connected (green) — registered, session active, config and PM data flowing
- Waiting for PM Data (blue) — session active, config received, waiting for first PM cycle
- Session Active (yellow) — registered with active session, waiting for data
- Registering (yellow) — NE3S registration in progress
- Disconnected (red) — not registered or unreachable
Troubleshooting
Base Station Not Accepting DHCP
Symptom: The base station sends DHCP Discover repeatedly but never accepts the Offer.
Check these in order:
- Is Option 43 attached to the DHCP network? — The option must be linked via
dhcp-option-set, not just defined - Is the base station set to "Private network with DHCP"? — Check the Web Element Manager Configuration Automation page
- Is the RAN Monitor IP reachable? — Verify routing between the base station subnet and RAN Monitor
"Connection to Identification Server unsuccessful"
Symptom: DHCP succeeds but the base station cannot connect to RAN Monitor.
Check:
- RAN Monitor is running and reachable from the base station subnet
- Port 443 is open between the base station and RAN Monitor
- The base station is added to RAN Monitor's device configuration
Additional Resources
- Nokia AirScale Configuration Guide — Configuring performance monitoring after commissioning
- Runtime Configuration Guide — RAN Monitor device configuration
- Troubleshooting — General troubleshooting guide