PTN Clock Synchronization Technology and Its Applications

Clock synchronization is an important issue for packet transport networking. Current clock synchronization technologies include synchronous Ethernet, IEEE 1588v2, and Network Time Protocol (NTP). However, individually, these technologies are beset with certain problems. Synchronization Status Message (SSM) algorithm for synchronous Ethernet standards suffers clock ring, and has difficulty tracing and counting nodes. An extended SSM algorithm can improve clock synchronization. NTP is too imprecise to meet the requirements of telecom networks, yet IEEE 1588v2 alone can lead to slow convergence time and influence time delay precision when the network is heavily loaded. ZTE therefore proposes an IEEE 1588v2 solution based on synchronous Ethernet in order to effectively raise the precision of Packet Transport Network (PTN) time synchronization.