Open Radio Access Network (RAN) was introduced recently to incorporate intelligence and openness into the upcoming generation of RAN. Open RAN offers standardized interfaces and the capacity to accommodate network applications from external vendors through extensible applications (xApps), which enhance network management flexibility. The Near-Real-Time Radio Intelligent Controller (Near-RT-RIC) employs specialized and intelligent xApps for achieving time-critical optimization objectives, but conflicts may arise due to different vendors' xApps modifying the same parameters or indirectly affecting each others' performance. A standardized Conflict Management System (CMS) is absent in most of the popular Open RAN architectures including the most prominent O-RAN Alliance architecture. To address this, we propose a CMS with independent controllers for conflict detection and mitigation between xApps in the Near-RT-RIC. We utilize cooperative bargain game theory, including Nash Social Welfare Function (NSWF) and the Equal Gains (EG) solution, to find optimal configurations for conflicting parameters. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed Conflict Management Controller (CMC) in balancing conflicting parameters and mitigating adverse impacts in the Near-RT-RIC on a theoretical example scenario.

翻译：开放无线电接入网络（RAN）近期被引入，旨在将智能化和开放性融入下一代RAN中。Open RAN通过可扩展应用（xApps）提供标准化接口及容纳外部供应商网络应用的能力，从而增强网络管理灵活性。近实时无线智能控制器（Near-RT-RIC）利用专用智能xApps实现时间关键型优化目标，但不同供应商的xApps可能因修改相同参数或间接影响彼此性能而产生冲突。在包括最主流的O-RAN联盟架构在内的多数流行Open RAN架构中，标准化冲突管理系统（CMS）尚属空白。针对此问题，本文提出一种包含独立控制器的CMS，用于近实时RIC中xApps间的冲突检测与缓解。我们利用合作博弈理论（包括纳什社会福利函数（NSWF）与等增益（EG）解）为冲突参数寻找最优配置。实验结果表明，所提出的冲突管理控制器（CMC）在理论示例场景中能有效平衡冲突参数并缓解近实时RIC中的负面影响。