White Papers

Description: The need for synchronized time is critical for today’s network environments. Using NTP is an excellent way to keep a large number of network nodes in close synchronization. NTP requires a minimum of network overhead and can also maintain a high level of synchronization accuracy and security. In addition, an effectively designed NTP infrastructure is relatively easy to implement, making NTP ideal for both small and large enterprise networks.

Description: The Precision Time Protocol, as defined in the IEEE-1588 standard, provides a method to precisely synchronize computers over a Local Area Network (LAN). PTP is capable of synchronizing multiple clocks to better than 100 nanoseconds on a network specifically designed for IEEE-1588. A Network Time Server with PTP is typically referred to as an “IEEE-1588 Grandmaster” or “PTP Grandmaster”. This paper describes basic principles of PTP, information on using dual Grandmasters, and the requirements of the network to achieve sub-100 nanosecond time synchronization.