Prerequisites

System requirements and dependencies for Nokia BNG Lab

Before deploying the Nokia BNG Lab, ensure your system meets all the requirements below.

System Requirements

This lab requires significant system resources due to multiple network nodes running simultaneously.

Minimum Hardware Requirements

• CPU: 8 cores (16 recommended)
• RAM: 16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended)
• Disk Space: 50 GB free space
• Architecture: x86_64 (AMD64)

Operating System

• Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04+ or equivalent)
• Kernel version 4.x or higher
• Root or sudo access required

Windows and macOS are not directly supported. Use a Linux VM or WSL2 for Windows users.

Software Dependencies

Containerlab

1. Check Containerlab Version

   The lab requires Containerlab v0.50 or higher.

   containerlab version
   

   Expected output should show version 0.50.0 or higher.

2. Install Containerlab (if needed)

   If Containerlab is not installed or needs updating:

   # Download and install latest version
   bash -c "$(curl -sL https://get.containerlab.dev)"
   
   # Verify installation
   containerlab version
   

Docker

1. Check Docker Version

   Docker v24.0 or higher is required.

   docker --version
   
2. Install Docker (if needed)

   # Ubuntu/Debian
   curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
   sudo sh get-docker.sh
   
   # Add user to docker group
   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
   newgrp docker
   
3. Verify Docker Service

   # Check Docker service status
   sudo systemctl status docker
   
   # Enable Docker on boot
   sudo systemctl enable docker
   

Nokia Requirements

SR-SIM License

A valid Nokia SR-SIM license is required to run the BNG nodes. The license is not included in this repository.

You need:

• Valid Nokia SR-SIM license file (SR_SIM_license.txt)
• License must support:
  • SR-7 platform
  • IXR-ec platform
  • Required features (BNG, ISA cards)

Contact Nokia or your Nokia representative to obtain evaluation or production licenses.

Nokia SR OS Images

The lab requires Nokia SR OS image version 25.10.R2:

1. Obtain Nokia Images

   Download the following from Nokia support portal:

   • SR OS image version 25.10.R2
   • SRLinux image version 25.10
2. Import SR OS Image

   # Import the SR OS image to Docker
   docker import sros-25.10.R2.tar localhost/nokia/srsim:25.10.R2
   
   # Verify the image
   docker images | grep nokia/srsim
   
3. Pull SRLinux Image

   # Pull SRLinux image from GitHub Container Registry
   docker pull ghcr.io/nokia/srlinux:25.10
   

Network Requirements

Port Availability

The following host ports must be available:

SSH Ports

• 56661 - BNG1 SSH
• 56664 - BNG2 SSH
• 56667 - Switch SSH
• 56678 - OLT SSH
• 56673 - ONT1 SSH
• 56674 - ONT2 SSH
• 56675 - iPerf SSH
• 56676 - TX (SRLinux) SSH
• 56677 - PC1 SSH

gNMI Ports

• 56662 - BNG1 gNMI (57400)
• 56665 - BNG2 gNMI (57400)
• 56668 - Switch gNMI (57400)
• 56671 - OLT gNMI (57400)

NETCONF Ports

• 56663 - BNG1 NETCONF (830)
• 56666 - BNG2 NETCONF (830)
• 56669 - Switch NETCONF (830)
• 56672 - OLT NETCONF (830)

Application Ports

• 3030 - Grafana dashboard
• 9090 - Prometheus metrics
• 8081 - ONT1 web interface
• 8082 - ONT2 web interface

Check port availability with: sudo netstat -tulpn | grep -E '(3030|9090|5666[1-9]|5667[0-8]|808[1-2])'

Management Network

Containerlab will create a Docker network:

• Network Name: lab
• Subnet: 10.77.1.0/24
• Gateway: 10.77.1.1 (Docker bridge)

Ensure this subnet doesn’t conflict with existing networks on your system.

Container Images

The lab uses several public container images that will be pulled automatically:

Image	Purpose	Size
ghcr.io/abelperezr/ont-ds:0.2	ONT devices	~200MB
ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool	Testing tools	~50MB
ghcr.io/openconfig/gnmic:latest	Telemetry collector	~100MB
prom/prometheus	Metrics database	~200MB
grafana/grafana:10.3.5	Visualization	~300MB
ghcr.io/nokia/srlinux:25.10	SR Linux router	~1.5GB

1. Pre-pull Images (Optional)

   To speed up deployment, pre-pull the images:

   docker pull ghcr.io/abelperezr/ont-ds:0.2
   docker pull ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool
   docker pull ghcr.io/openconfig/gnmic:latest
   docker pull prom/prometheus
   docker pull grafana/grafana:10.3.5
   docker pull ghcr.io/nokia/srlinux:25.10
   

System Preparation

Kernel Modules

1. Load Required Modules

   # Enable IP forwarding
   sudo sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=1
   sudo sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1
   
   # Make persistent
   echo "net.ipv4.ip_forward=1" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
   echo "net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=1" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
   

Firewall Configuration

If using a firewall, ensure Docker and Containerlab traffic is allowed.

# UFW users
sudo ufw allow 3030/tcp comment 'Grafana'
sudo ufw allow 9090/tcp comment 'Prometheus'
sudo ufw allow from 10.77.1.0/24 comment 'Containerlab management'

Pre-deployment Checklist

1. Verify System Resources

   # Check CPU cores
   nproc
   
   # Check available RAM
   free -h
   
   # Check disk space
   df -h
   
2. Verify Software Versions

   containerlab version  # Should be 0.50+
   docker --version      # Should be 24.0+
   
3. Check Docker Images

   # Verify Nokia images are available
   docker images | grep -E '(nokia/srsim|nokia/srlinux)'
   
4. Verify License File

   # Check license file exists
   ls -lh configs/license/SR_SIM_license.txt
   
5. Check Port Availability

   # Verify key ports are free
   sudo netstat -tulpn | grep -E '(3030|9090)'
   

   No output means ports are available.

Troubleshooting Prerequisites

Docker Permission Denied

If you see “permission denied” errors:

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Log out and back in, or run:
newgrp docker

Port Already in Use

Find which process is using a port:

sudo netstat -tulpn | grep <port_number>
# or
sudo lsof -i :<port_number>

Stop the conflicting service or modify the lab.yml to use different ports.

Insufficient System Resources

To reduce resource usage:

1. Close unnecessary applications
2. Consider deploying only specific nodes you need
3. Modify lab.yml to comment out unused nodes
4. Use a more powerful system or cloud VM

Cannot Import Nokia Image

Ensure:

1. You have the correct SR OS image file
2. The file is not corrupted (check MD5/SHA)
3. Sufficient disk space is available
4. Docker service is running properly

# Check Docker status
sudo systemctl status docker

# Check disk space
df -h /var/lib/docker

Next Steps

Once all prerequisites are met, proceed to Installation.