Spectracom's suite of PTP products solve the problem of "Time Fidelity" to the server or PC software application - here's how...
1. GPS time to local masters - PTP grandmaster clock
As critical infrastructure, it is typical, but not necessary, to deploy SecureSync network master clocks (known as grandmasters in the PTP specification) as redundant pairs. PTP clients (or slaves) use a “best master clock” algorithm so no special switches are required to accommodate a failover from one SecureSync to the other.
2. Analyzer the PTP network to minimize packet delay variation (PDV)
Special care is required to minimize packet delay variation (PDV) by eliminating as many indeterminate time delays in the network as possible and practical. Timing accuracy is degraded due to timing packet path asymmetry. Use low traffic or directly connected PTP masters and slaves via hubs since switches and routers queue messages depending on network conditions. Alternatively, special PTP-enabled routers can be deployed. Known as PTP transparent clocks, they are able to compensate for any delay of PTP messages.
3. For best results - implement PTP time-stamping hardware
PTP slaves are deployed using TSync-PCIe-PTP PCI express slot cards for 1U application servers that can accept such hardware, or confirm that blade server network ports are PTP-enabled.
4. Don't stop now - deploy TimeKeeper PTP linux client software
While hardware can carry precise network timing all the way to the server or PC's local clock, built-in OS time management was not built to handle microsecond-level precision. Only TimeKeeper Linux Timing Software offers an easy-to-deploy solution to the problem of time fidelity to the time-stamps available to the application.
5. Measure and confirm
Timing performance across the network can be analyzed by measuring the phase of the 1 pulse-per-second signals from the PTP grandmaster and the PTP hardware slave. Spectracom offers several time and frequency measurement devices capable of high precision measurement of 1PPS offset.
Products for Microsecond Time Fidelity to the Server
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SecureSync Master Clock
Due to its flexibility and configurability, SecureSync supports a wide variety of master clock functions including GPS sync and internal Rubidium atomic standard. It is natively a high performance NTP server with the ability to add up to 6 PTP-enabled ports.
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TSync PCI express slot cards
Offering the highest precision timing functions, the TSync PCI express timing cards provide precision timing to servers with PCI slots including +/- 4 nanosecond PTP time-stamping accuracy.
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TimeKeeper Linux PTP Software
Solve the problem of OS "overhead" that greatly reduces the "fidelity" of time accuracy to the software application. Simple to install (and uninstall) without requiring modification to the Linux kernal, nor the applications.
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