NISTIR 7192

2004 Conference on

IEEE 1588, Standard for a Precision 

Clock Synchronization Protocol for

Networked Measurement and Control 

Systems

Kang B. Lee

John C. Eidson

 
 
NISTIR 7192

2004 Conference on

IEEE 1588, Standard for a Precision 

Clock Synchronization Protocol for

Networked Measurement and Control 

Systems

Kang B. Lee

Manufacturing Metrology Division

Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory

John C. Eidson

Agilent Technologies 

November 2004

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Donald L. Evans, Secretary

TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION

Phillip J. Bond, Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

Hratch G. Semerjian, Acting Director

 
2004 Conference on 

 IEEE 1588, Standard for a Precision Clock 

Synchronization Protocol for 

Networked Measurement and Control 

Systems

Co-sponsored by 

NIST and IEEE Instrumentation and 

Measurement Society

NIST 

Gaithersburg, Maryland 

September 27-29, 2004 

Conference Sessions: Lecture Room A 

Plug-fest Demonstration: Lecture Room B 

Disclaimer 

Certain commercial equipment, instruments, or materials are identified in this proceedings to specify the experimental 

procedure adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National 

Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the materials or equipment identified are 

necessarily the best available for the purpose. 

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Agenda.................................................................................................................................................................... 5 

Executive Summary from the Conference Co-chairs............................................................................................. 8 

Abstracts............................................................................................................................................................... 10 

TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS- SESSION I 

A Flexible and Scalable Network Simulation Environment for Clock Synchronization- 

 Roland Höller, Georg Gaderer, Hannes Muhr, Nikolaus Kerö, 

 Vienna University of Technology and Oregano Systems ................................................................................................... 16 

Implementation and Performance of Time Stamping Techniques- 

 Hans Weibel, Dominic Béchaz, Zurich University of Applied Sciences............................................................................ 24 

Industrial Automation Requires Synchronization of Line Topology- Antonius Boller, Siemens AG ................................... 39 

TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS- SESSION II 

IEEE 1588 Ethernet Switch Transparency- No Need for Boundary Clocks!- 

Sven Nylund, Oyvind Holmeide, OnTime Networks AS................................................................................................... 48 

Bridging Networks with PTPKarl Weber, Jürgen Jasperneite, Siemens AG and Phoenix Contact GmbH..................................................................... 56 

Implementation Results of an IEEE 1588 Boundary Clock- Dirk Mohl, Hirschmann Electronics ....................................... 65 

PHYs and Symmetrical Propagation Delay- Thomas Müller, Alexander Ockert, Hans Weibel, 

Zurich University of Applied Sciences and Hilscher ......................................................................................................... 78 

STANDARDS AND BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Report of the IEEE 1588 Task Force on User Requirements- Silvana Rodrigues, Steve Zuponcic, 

 Zarlink Semiconductor and Rockwell Automation ........................................................................................................... 85 

Report of the IEEE 1588 Task Force on Technical Extension- John C. Eidson, Agilent ...................................................... 90 

Report of the Conformance Task Group- Oyvind Holmeide, OnTime Networks AS............................................................ 95 

A Proposal to Open a PAR Based on the Work of the IEEE 1588 Task GroupsJohn C. Eidson, Agilent.................................................................................................................................................... 102 

A Proposal to Create a Trade Association to Promote IEEE 1588 Technology- John Eidson, Agilent............................... 108 

Plug Fest Report- Anatoly Moldovansky, Rockwell Automation........................................................................................ 113 

TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS- SESSION III 

IEEE 1588 over IEEE 802.11b for Synchronization of Wireless Local Area Network NodesAfshaneh Pakdaman, Todor Cooklev, John Eidson, San Francisco University and Agilent............................................ 116 

High Accuracy Clock Synchronization Using IEEE 1588- 

Pritam Baruah, Jeff Burch, Pruthvi Chaudhari, Paul Corredoura, John Eidson, Andrew Fernandez 

 Bruce Hamilton, John Stratton, Dieter Vook, Agilent..................................................................................................... 128 

Primary Timing Reference Sources for IEEE 1588 Systems– Paul Myers, Spectracom ..................................................... 137 

TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS- SESSION IV 

DeviceNet Adaptation of IEEE 1588- Ron Holl, Dave VanGompel, Rockwell Automation .............................................. 149 

Hardware Assisted IEEE 1588* Implementation in a Next Generation Intel Network ProcessorPuneet Sharma, Intel Corporation .................................................................................................................................... 157 

Interfacing Mil Standard Equipment to an IEEE 1588 Enabled Ethernet NetworkJohn MacKay, Progeny Systems...................................................................................................................................... 162 

Automatic Test Systems using LAN-based Synthetic Instruments and the role of IEEE1588- 

 John Stratton, Agilent....................................................................................................................................................... 175 

IEEE 1588 in Telecommunications Applications- Dave Tonks, Semtech ........................................................................... 184 

Telecom Update to IEEE 1588 Workshop- Glenn Algie, Nortel Networks......................................................................... 190 

Final Participants List....................................................................................................................................................... 197 

 
AGENDA

Monday, September 27, 2004 

• 8:30-9:00 AM: Meeting of Plug-fest participants. This session is open only to Plug-fest participants. 

• 9:00 AM – 12:15 PM: Plug-fest integration tests. This session is open only to Plug-fest participants. 

• 10:30 AM: Morning coffee break 

• 12:15-1:15 PM: Lunch at NIST cafeteria (not included in registration fee) 

• 1:15-5:00 PM: Plug-fest integration tests. This session is open only to Plug-fest participants. 

• 12:30-1:15 PM: Tutorial participants registration 

• 1:15-5:00 PM: IEEE 1588 Tutorial: John C. Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

• 3:00 PM: Afternoon refreshment break 

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

• 8:00 AM: Bus leaves conference hotel for NIST facility 

• 8:30-9:00 AM: Continental breakfast, meet other attendees, pick up conference badges and material. (Allow 30 

minutes from arrival at the main gate due to security and parking) 

• 9:00-9:15 AM: Conference Opening

Moderator: Kang Lee, NIST 

o Welcome from Dr. Hratch G. Semerjian - Acting Director of NIST 

o Administrative details 

• 9:15 AM to 10:30 AM: Technical Paper Presentations Session I

Moderator: Oyvind Holmeide, OnTime Networks AS 

o 9:15-9:40 AM: A Flexible and Scalable Network Simulation Environment for Clock Synchronization:

Roland Hoeller, Georg Gaderer, Hannes Muhr, Nikolaus Kero, Vienna University of Technology and 

Oregano Systems 

o 9:40-10:05 AM: Implementation Design and Performance Issues: Hans Weibel, Dominic Béchaz, 

Zurich University of Applied Science 

o 10:05-10:30 AM: Industrial Automation Requires Synchronization of Line Topology: Antonius 

Boller, Siemens 

 

• 10:30 - 10:50 AM: Morning coffee break 

 

• 10:50 AM-12:30 PM: Technical Paper Presentations Session II

Moderator: John C. Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

o 10:50-11:15 AM: IEEE 1588 Ethernet Switch Transparency: Sven Nylund, Oyvind Holmeide, OnTime

Networks AS 

o 11:15-11:40 AM: Bridging Networks with PTP: Karl Weber, Siemens, Jürgen Jasperneite, Phoenix 

Contact GmbH

o 11:40 AM-12:05 PM: Implementation Results of an IEEE 1588 Boundary Clock: Dirk S. Mohl, 

Hirschmann Electronics 

o 12:05-12:30 PM: PHYs and Symmetrical Propagation Delay: Thomas Müller, Zurich University of 

Applied Science, Alexander Ockert, Hilscher, Hans Weibel, Zurich University of Applied Science 

• 12:30-1:30 PM: Lunch at NIST cafeteria 

 
• 1:30-3:10 PM: Standards And Business Related Activities

 Moderator: Kang Lee, NIST 

o 1:30-1:50 PM: Report of the User Requirements Task Group: Silvana Rodrigues, Zarlink 

Semiconductor, Steve Zuponcic, Rockwell Automation 

o 1:50-2:10 PM: Report of the Technical Extensions Task Group: John C. Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

o 2:10-2:30 PM: Report of the Conformance Task Group: Oyvind Holmeide, OnTime Networks AS 

o 2:30-2:50 PM: Presentation of Draft PAR: John C. Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

o 2:50-3:10 PM: Proposal for IEEE 1588 Trade Association: John C. Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

 

• 3:10-3:30 PM: Plug-fest Introduction: Objectives, Participants, and Results

 Moderator: Anatoly Moldovansky, Rockwell Automation 

 

• 3:30-3:45 PM: Afternoon refreshment break 

• 3:30-5:00 PM: Attendees view and discuss Plug-fest in Lecture Room B 

 

• 5:15 PM: Bus leaves NIST for conference hotel 

• 6:30-9:00 PM: Conference Reception And Dinner 

Bus leave conference hotel restaurant 

o 6:45- 7:15 PM: No-host cash bar 

o 7:15 PM: Conference Dinner 

o 9:00 PM: Bus leave restaurant for conference hotel 

Wednesday, September 29, 2004 

• 8:00 AM: Bus leaves conference hotel for NIST facility 

• 8:30-9:00 AM: Continental breakfast 

• 9:00 AM to 10:15 AM: Technical Paper Presentations Session III

 Moderator: John D. McKay, Progeny Systems 

o 9:00-9:25 AM: IEEE 1588 over IEEE 802.11b for Synchronization of Wireless Local Area Network

Nodes: Afshaneh Pakdaman, Todor Cooklev, San Francisco State University; John Eidson, Agilent 

Technologies 

o 9:25-9:50 AM: High Accuracy Clock Synchronization Using IEEE 1588: Pritam Baruah, Pruthvi 

Chaudhari, Paul Corredoura, John C. Eidson, Andrew Fernandez, Bruce Hamilton, John Stratton, Dieter 

Vook, Agilent Technologies 

o 9:50-10:15 AM: Primary Timing Reference Sources for IEEE-1588 Systems: Paul Myers, Spectracom 

 

• 10:15 - 10:35 AM: Morning coffee break 

 

• 10:35 AM to 12:15 PM: Technical Paper Presentations Session IV

 Moderator: Anatoly Moldovansky, Rockwell Automation 

o 10:35-11:00 AM: DeviceNet Adaptation of IEEE 1588: Ron Holl, Dave VanGompel: Rockwell 

Automation 

o 11:00-11:25 AM: Hardware Assisted IEEE1588 Implementation in a Next Generation Intel Network

Processor: Puneet Sharma, Intel Corporation 

o 11:25-11:50 AM: Interfacing Mil Standard Equipment to an IEEE 1588 Enabled Ethernet Network:

John D. MacKay, Progeny Systems 

o 11:50 AM-12:15 PM: Automatic Test Systems using LAN-based Synthetic Instruments and the Role 

of IEEE 1588: John Stratton, John Swanstrom, Agilent Technologies 

 
 

• 12:15-1:15 PM: Lunch at NIST cafeteria

• 1:15 to 2:05 PM: Technical Paper Presentations Session V

 Moderator: John C. Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

o 1:15-1:40 PM: IEEE 1588 in Telecommunication Applications: Dave Tonks, Semtech 

o 1:40-2:05 PM: IEEE 1588 Telecom Use Cases and L2 Ethernet Multicast: Glenn Algie, Nortel 

Networks 

• 2:05-3:50 PM: Discussion Session

 Moderator: Kang Lee, NIST & John Eidson, Agilent Technologies 

o 2:05-2:30 PM: Discussion & Attendee Feedback on IEEE 1588 PAR

o 2:30-3:00 PM: Discussion & Attendee Feedback on IEEE 1588 Trade Association

• 3:00-3:20 PM: Afternoon refreshment break & networking 

o 3:20-3:50 PM: Open Discussion on Other Issues 

• 3:50-4:00 PM: Closing Comments

o Kang Lee & John Eidson 

• 4:00 PM: Conference adjournment 

• 4:30 PM: Bus leaves NIST for conference hotel 

 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FROM THE CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS

The conference was hosted by NIST on September 27-29, 2004 and was cosponsored by the Institute of Electrical and 

Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Instrumentation and Measurement Society. Acting Director of the National Institute of 

Standards and Technology (NIST), Dr. Hratch Semerjian, opened the conference with a warm welcome. Dr. Semerjian 

spoke of the importance of standards on components and system interoperability and his assertion of interoperability’s 

role in the expansion of the PC market to its grand scale today. Dr. Semerjian described how standards are basic to the 

culture of NIST. Pursuing device and system interoperability based on standards is one of NIST’s goals. More than 

seventy attendees participated in the conference, coming from diverse areas such as instrumentation and measurement, 

industrial automation, aerospace, power generation, semiconductor manufacturing, and telecommunication. 

The three-day event began with a tutorial on the IEEE 1588 standard. The tutorial was unexpectedly well attended by 

more than sixty percent of the attendees. The main conference started on the second day. The interoperability of 

components and devices was demonstrated by seven companies and a university in an afternoon session informally 

dubbed the “Plug-fest.” The devices were built to IEEE 1588 specifications, and showed that they could be synchronized 

to a master clock to sub-microsecond accuracy. The interoperability demo was led by Anatoly Moldovansky of 

Rockwell Automation, with participation from Agilent Technologies, Hirschmann Electronics, OnTime Networks AS, 

Rockwell Automation, Semtech Corp, Siemens, and Zurich University of Applied Sciences. 

Participants were impressed with the smoothness and outcome of the interoperability demonstrations. Some components 

and systems were able to achieve clock synchronization to within +/- 40 nanoseconds based on a master clock signal 

from a global positioning system (GPS) antenna located on the lawn outside the conference facility. This illustrated the 

effectiveness of the 1588 standard and the ease with which devices can be built to its specifications. 

The technical sessions covered subjects such as: primary timing reference sources for IEEE 1588 systems; high accuracy 

clock synchronization down to a nanosecond for precision measurements; network simulation environment for clock 

synchronization; device and microchip requirements; and adaptation, implementation, and application of IEEE 1588 in 

industrial automation, military, and telecommunications. A presentation by a graduate student on the application of IEEE 

1588 for the synchronization of wireless local area network nodes based on 802.11b created quite a discussion. The field 

of wireless communications is of great interest to the attendees, who expressed a wish to see more detailed results in this 

area at the next conference. 

As a result of the 2003 IEEE 1588 Workshop, three task groups were formed to address the issues of user requirements, 

technical extensions, and conformance of the IEEE 1588 Standard. The results of these three task groups were presented 

at the conference. These results were reflected in the presentation of a potential draft project authorization request (PAR) 

to IEEE and the possibility of forming an IEEE 1588 user group or trade association. An open forum was held on the last 

day of the conference to further discuss the issues of creating a PAR to revise the IEEE Std 1588-2002 Standard and the 

formation of a user or trade group to promote the standard and facilitate interoperability tests, and of enhancing the 

standard to expand its coverage from the instrumentation and measurement to other industries such as industrial 

automation and telecommunications. 

Based on the feedbacks of the attendees, there was overwhelming consensus to reopen the IEEE 1588 standard to 

include: 

1. Resolution of known errors, 

2. Conformance enhancements, 

3. Enhancements for increased resolution and accuracy, 

4. Improvements to system management capability, 

5. Mapping to DeviceNet, 

6. Modifications for variable Ethernet headers (Annex D), 

7. Prevention of error accumulation in cascaded topologies, 

8. Mapping to Ethernet layer-2 small frame, shorter sync_interval, 

9. Extensions to enable implementation of redundant systems, and 

10. Improvements to extension mechanism.

If the standard is reopened some attendees suggested that the following additional items be considered as part of the 

scope: 

 
 Alignment of IEEE 1588 and NTP stratum,

 Clock ID (identification) alignment with telecom T1.101 G.812, 

 Security considerations- currently it is possible to take over the GR Role, e.g. with preferred master” or to 

manipulate sync packets, security IPv6 should be considered for backward compatibility, and there is a need to 

scope the problem and begin to get around it, 

 Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) Authentication - any IPv6 issues beyond Ethernet header size, 

 Authentification for network security, IPv6 is essential or we will development a proprietary protocol version by 

necessity, or layer-2 mapping, 

 Backward compatibility with current standard as its defined today, 

 IEEE 1451 TEDS (transducer electronic data sheets)-like information on clock parameters. Better ID of stratum

and source, 

 Main point is authentication security. Other protocols do this at layer-3. However, authentification signature is 

large and it grows over time. Further, modification of packets violates authentication signatures or they need to 

be recalculated. At layer-3 IEEE 1588 should not do its own security. This is redundant and risky. 

 Metadata format to allow description of oscillator and time source-ups receiver, vendor extensions for 

management information (MIB) for the simple network management protocol (SNMP), vendor extensions for 

metadata, 

 Shouter frames and variable sync internal with unicort option will be vital to wireless sensor nets, 

 Best master group, 

 Some goals may be harder to achieve than others. Consider formulating more than one PAR, 

 Inclusion of sync or management messages that permit a grand master to discover the time error of each slave. 

A message that can be decoded to produce a hardware interrupt to allow a MC (master clock) in a computer 

without a real-time OS (operating system) to execute an emergency operation in real time. 

 Mapping to the control area network (CAN) open, and 

 SNMP as a requirement for system management. 

Conference Proceedings 

The proceedings for the conference will be published as a NISTIR (internal report) before distribution. They will be 

posted in the IEEE 1588 website at http://ieee1588.nist.gov as soon as it is approved for publication by NIST.

Future Workshop 

There was brief discussion on the plan for a future IEEE 1588 conference. Most attendees wanted to have another one. 

Location will be either at NIST or in Europe, which is to be determined. More detailed plans for the next workshop will 

be presented in the spring of 2005. 

 
ABSTRACTS

Authors Company

Ron Holl, 

Dave VanGompel 

Rockwell 

Automation 

DeviceNet Adaptation of IEEE-1588 

DeviceNet is an extremely popular device level industrial network and is ideal 

for many applications requiring synchronized time, yet there is no current 

mechanism to accomplish this. This paper describes how DeviceNet will 

provide this function by adapting it to IEEE-1588 as a standardized PTP 

network technology. The adaptation includes selection of a message timestamp

point, specification of the UUID, definition of both the PTP message format and 

PTP addressing on the subnet, and integration into the DeviceNet architecture. 

Roland Hoeller, 

Georg Gaderer, 

Hannes Muhr; 

Nikolaus Kero 

Vienna 

University of 

Technology 

Oregano 

Systems 

A Flexible and Scalable Network Simulation Environment 

for Clock Synchronization 

The problem of synchronization of clocks in distributed systems has received 

much scientific attention throughout the last decades. A variety of algorithms

has been published and issues like fault tolerance or achievable accuracy have 

been addressed. Nevertheless most applications found themselves sufficiently 

wellsynchronized by using means like the Network Time Protocol (NTP) or the 

Global Positioning System (GPS). Not only the recent interest in using Ethernet 

for industrial automation or even in sensor networks, but also the advent of the 

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineer's (IEEE) Standard for a 

Precision Clock Synchronization Protocol for Networked Measurement and 

Control Systems (IEEE 1588) let high accuracy clock synchronization be a new 

discussed under the light of new applications and technical constraints. 

This paper presents a flexible and scalable network simulation environment, 

which allows for detailed and fast investigation of the major parameters of clock 

synchronization for any given network technology or topology. The simulation

environment's architecture will be presented and simulation results together 

with their possible influences on existing technology or standards will be 

discussed. 

Pritam Baruah, 

Pruthvi Chaudhari, 

Paul Corredoura, John 

C. Eidson, Andrew 

Fernandez, 

Bruce Hamilton, John 

Stratton, 

Dieter Vook

Agilent 

Technologies 

High Accuracy Clock Synchronization using IEEE 1588 

There exist applications in the field of measurement instrumentation, military 

systems, and telecommunications with synchronization accuracy specifications 

extending to the nanosecond or sub-nanosecond range. This paper discusses the 

practical difficulties in achieving this level of synchronization and proposes 

extensions to IEEE 1588 to make this possible. Experimental results on 

prototype implementations will be discussed. 

 
Afshaneh Pakdaman, 

Todor Cooklev; 

 John Eidson 

San Francisco 

State University 

Agilent 

Technologies 

IEEE 1588 over IEEE 802.11b for synchronization of 

wireless local area network nodes 

IEEE 1588 is a new standard to synchronize independent clocks running on 

separate nodes of a distributed measurement and control system to high degree 

of accuracy. It used a precision-time protocol (PTP). In this paper it is advanced

a method to implement clock synchronization over IEEE 802.11b Wireless 

LAN (WLAN). Practical experiments are presented. One conclusion is that 

IEEE 1588 can be implemented over 802.11b with an accuracy of 400ns. 

Puneet Sharma Intel 

Corporation 

Hardware Assisted IEEE1588 Implementation in a Next 

Generation Intel Network Processor 

This paper will describe the hardware-assisted IEEE1588 implementation in a 

future planned Intel® network processor. A brief overview of the IEEE1588 

standard is provided, with particular emphasis on Ethernet applications. The 

general pros and cons of purely hardware vs. software-oriented IEEE1588 

implementations are also discussed and applied to Intel's co-hardware and 

software IEEE1588 implementation. A detailed description of the IEEE 1588 

hardware logic and the Intel XScale® core-based software programming model 

is included. Finally, some examples of targeted industrial applications for 

IEEE1588 are described. 

Note regarding the 20-minute paper presentation at the Conference:

The 20-minute presentation will NOT include a brief overview of the IEEE1588 

standard as attendees should be familiar with the standard. 

Hans Weibel Zurich 

University of 

Applied Science 

Implementation design and performance issues 

There exist applications where independence of specialized hardware is more 

important than accuracy. The Zurich University of Applied Sciences has 

evaluated the performance of software based time stamping methods. The test 

setup consists of an IEEE 1588 implementation which is capable to deliver three 

time stamps per transmission/reception of time critical messages 

simultaneously: The first time stamp is taken by hardware at the MII, the second 

at the entry point of the network interface driver's interrupt service routine and 

the third one is delivered by PCAP. A comparison of the time stamps allowsthe 

performance of different methods to be evaluated. The PTP protocol engine is 

able to select one of the three available time stamps as the source to calculate 

offset and delay. The synchronization behaviors and accuracy of different 

configurations can be analyzed. An interesting configuration is a hardware 

based master clock (e.g. a boundary clock located in a switch) combined with 

purely software based slave clocks. 

Antonius Boller Siemens Industrial automation requires synchronization of line 

topology

The high data transfer rate attainable through the Ethernet's physical properties 

opens new dimensions for real-time applications. 

A future-oriented concept must have at its core a wide, generally accepted basis, 

and must be expandable. Seen from this point of view, there is no alternative to 

switching technology. The advantages of higher data transfer rates, full-duplex 

communication and collision-free access, however, are bought at the expense of 

 
an unsymmetrical communication. Due to the fact that frames are buffered in 

the switch and the length of time they remain there depends on the network load 

this may even lead to frame loss in critical situations. This is a most unfortunate

peculiarity in the case of real-time applications and the reason why it is not 

possible to fulfil the requirements of the switched-Ethernet-based motion 

control applications with the existing IEEE 1588 method. Especially in the 

industrial automation a basic requirement of the network is the ability for line 

topology. Hence a cascade of switches has to be synchronized. With today’s 

IEEE 1588-method the required accuracy for a line of switches causes 

problems. 

The presentation shows the need for real time Ethernet in the industrial 

automation and the problems when using IEEE 1588 for synchronization issues 

in this area. Furthermore it shows a method which solves these problems. 

John D. MacKay Progeny Systems Interfacing Mil Standard Equipment to an IEEE 1588 

Enabled Ethernet Network 

This paper will discuss the unique requirements for interfacing a number of 

military standard devices to a 1588 network. The current trend for signal 

processing on military platforms is to maximize the usage of Commercial Off 

the Shelf (COTS) products rather than developing full mil-grade equipment. 

This approach provides a great deal of advantage to the system developer, 

because it provides access to a variety of low cost high performance devices 

that have a great deal of field experience and customer support. The drawbacks 

to this approach occur at the edges of the system, where these COTS devices 

must interface either with very specialized sensor and transducer equipment, or

with ‘legacy’ standard busses and protocols. 

A COTS system with Ethernet as the core network can be subject to this issue, 

but this can be compounded by the need to provide highly accurate timestamp

information via 1588. Typically the legacy devices are clocked by their own 

internal timing, and drive the system time via COTS interface cards. 

Timestamps therefore occurred at the ‘front end’ of the process string, and 

became embedded in the data stream. While the insertion of timestamp data in a

1588-enabled system would likely be the same, the source of time would need 

to be either a 1588 network device or a legacy device modified to be 1588-

enabled. There are issues with both of these solutions. 

These options will be discussed for this use case as well as others. A use case 

that would require the 1588 protocol to be implemented on a mil-standard 

asynchronous bus will also be discussed. 

Dirk S. Mohl Hirschmann 

Electronics 

Implementation Results of an IEEE 1588 Boundary Clock 

Boundary clocks are necessary to distribute the precise time over network 

components like switches and routers. To build such a boundary clock inside an 

Ethernet switch beside the standard functionality several additional points have 

to be taken into account. 

 

Ethernet Switches typically use SNMP as management protocol, so relevant 

parts of the IEEE1588 managed objects have to be accessible through SNMP. 

Also a switch often gets or provides time over SNTP. The question now is how 

to combine these two protocols and not to loose IEEE1588 precision. The more 

IEEE 1588 Switches are used the network the more the issue of cascading 

Boundary Clocks and its effect on precision and system startup has to be 

analyzed. 

 
The necessity of cascading boundary clocks often is imposed from the network 

topology of the application. One aspect of using IEEE1588 is derived from

Industrial Automation Technology. There IAONA, the independent platform

organization for Industrial Ethernet may give ideas about usage, applications 

and topologies of the network. 

Sven Nylund 

Oyvind Holmeide 

OnTime 

Networks AS 

IEEE 1588 Ethernet switch transparencyNo need for Boundary Clocks! 

One of the main IEEE1588 properties is related to the handling of variable 

network latency between the Grand Master clock and the Slave clocks. I.e. the 

network load dependable latency through the network elements (e.g. Ethernet 

switches). This is handled if IEEE1588 Boundary clocks are used on the 

network path between Grand Master and the Slave clocks. However, this 

means that each network element in the network must support full Master, Slave 

and the Best Master Algorithm with increased complexity and cost as the result. 

A simpler and cheaper approach is based on using network elements with 

IEEE1588 transparency and still achieves the same level of timing accuracy on 

the Slave clocks and being compliant with the IEEE1588 standard. This paper 

describes the principles of a network element with IEEE1588 transparency. 

Karl Weber Siemens Bridging Networks with PTP 

Discuss influence of switches in networking today and how it correlates to 

1588. General procedures running at switches and infrastructure of such 

switches. Discuss need for time synchronization in switches Propose 

Architecture for "PTP Bridges" that enhance accuracy and reduce resource 

utilization in switches. Criteria for a PTP Bridge protocol that will be accepted 

by most switch manufacturer 

Thomas Müller Zurich 

University, 

Winterthur 

PHYs and Symmetrical Propagation Delay 

PTP requires a symmetrical propagation delay or at least a system with known 

differences between a pair of links. Ethernet Physical Layer 

transmitter/receiver are not symmetrical. The same can be found in cable 

specification. 

Some parameter may not known and are not specified in the related standards 

nor by some device specifications. Measurement show a high accuracy but also 

some significant difference especially in case of auto-negotiation and autocrossover. 

A criteria list for transmitter/receiver is set up to achievable high precision time

synchronization. I will do this together with other colleagues. 

Dave Tonks 

 

Semtech 

Advanced 

Communications 

Division, 

Southampton 

UK 

IEEE 1588 in Telecommunication Applications 

IEEE 1588 is being considered for various applications within 

telecommunication networks, including delivering a common time base across a 

network for billing purposes and for synchronizing service points which have 

become isolated by use of a packet network. This paper investigates a few of 

these applications and discusses a number of issues, including expected 

limitations on network topology, and known or likely performance goals, and, 

most importantly, probable barriers to adoption. The paper goes on to discuss 

 
how these issues could be tackled, and in particular how the current IEEE 1588 

standard could be adapted to simplify its adoption in telecommunication 

applications. 

The migration of telecommunication networks away from their traditional 

circuit-based architecture and towards an all-encompassing packet network has

begun. The principal drivers behind this are significant cost-reductions in both 

capex and opex, and simpler roll-out of new services. When completed, it will 

be seen to have been a massive overhaul of networking technology, covering all 

aspects of the network, from switching and transmission to operational, 

administration and maintenance activities. However, many of the services 

which have been enjoyed for many years will continue to exist and these are not

well served by packet networks. They have critical time dependencies which, if

not satisfied, will cause the service to fail to maintain the high levels of 

customer satisfaction they enjoy today. The problem, then, isin finding waysto

satisfy the critical time dependencies in a packet network. IEEE 1588 offers a 

cost-effective way to deliver timing in packet networks, providing certain 

limitations can be overcome. 

 

Packet networks differ considerably from traditional circuit-switched networks. 

The possibility of departing from the ‘fixed’ route per call, and the use of 

service level agreements in which it is necessary to know not only just how 

much traffic of each particular type was delivered, but also how much of it met 

the delay targets, means that network operations such as traffic-counting have to

be moved to the edge of the network. This demands that accurate time be made 

available right at the edge of the network. IEEE 1588 can provide that time. 

Carrying time-dependent services in a packet network is often done using a 

circuit-emulation technique. But this is best done when a common clock is 

available at both ends of the connection. Traditional networks inherently 

provide this clock but packet networks cannot. Adaptive clocking techniques 

are available but suffer from network behaviors and can only offer a lower 

performance. Customer complaints could be common. Alternatively, IEEE 1588 

can provide the common clock at the ends of the connection and so help 

maintain quality of delivery. This paper explores these, and other, applications. 

 

John Stratton, 

John Swanstrom, 

Agilent 

Technologies 

Automatic Test Systems using LAN-based Synthetic 

Instruments and the Role of IEEE 1588 

With the current trend to drive down the total cost of ownership of Automatic 

Test Systems (ATS), industry standard open architectures have been seen as 

both a way of driving down the cost of test (for design and manufacturing) and 

reducing the size of the ATS platforms (eliminate the redundant hardware). 

A LAN-based synthetic instrument architecture offers an alternative to the 

traditional approach that allows systems integrators and manufacturers to 

minimize the total cost of ownership from digital to the highest performance 

millimeter wave applications. IEEE 1588 is proposed as the long-term solution 

for synchronization is the LAN environment. 

This paper will analyze the current trends in computer architectures and how it 

is used in synthetic instrument based ATSs. It will show how future trends in 

component technologies will drive how synthetic instruments might be 

designed. And finally, it will show how customers and instrument providers can 

quickly implement current capability and next generation test technology. 

 
Paul Myers Spectracom 

Corporation 

Primary Timing Reference Sources for IEEE-1588 Systems 

This presentation reviews and compares Primary Time Reference sources for 

IEEE 1588 systems. Primary Time Reference sources such as GPS, Loran and 

cellular GSM/CDMA are reviewed. The technical merits, characteristics, 

performance differences, costs applications and availability are contrasted. The 

use of these primary time references in the design of a grand master clock and 

resulting predicted precision of 1PPS outputs is examined. The application of 

various oscillator types to IEEE-1588 systems is compared in light of primary 

timing reference selection, and holdover performance. 

 
FINAL PARTICIPANTS LIST

Mr. Glenn Algie 

Nortel Networks 

3500 Carling Ave 

Ottawa, K2H 8E9 

CANADA 

613-765-3425 

algie@nortelnetworks.com

Anthony Ander 

Agilent Technologies 

Penang, 10460 

MALAYSIA 

604-680-7231 

604-645-6604 

Galina Antonova 

8525 Baxter Pl., Ste 100 

Burnaby, BC V5A 4V7 

CANADA 

604-421-8629 

604-421-8707 

galina.antonova@ge.com

Dr. Douglas Arnold 

Symmetricom

3750 Westwind Blvd 

Santa Rosa, CA 95403 

USA 

707-636-1929, Fax: 707-527-6640 

darnold@symmetricom.com

A. Baller 

Siemens AG 

Gleiwitzer Str 555 

GERMANY 

Mr. Nick Barendt 

VXI Technology, Inc. 

5425 Warner Rd, Ste 13 

Valley View, OH 44125 

USA 

216-447-4059, fax: 216-447-8951 

nbarendt@vxitech.com

Mr. Dominic Bechaz

Zurich Univ. of Applied Sciences 

Technikumstrasse 9 

Postfach 805, Winterthur 

CH-8401 

SWITZERLAND 

+41 52 2677148 

dominic.bechaz@zhwin.ch 

Mr. Gary Bernhardt 

VXI Technology Inc. 

5425 Warner Rd, Ste 13 

Valley View, OH 44125 

USA 

216-233-3799 

garyb@vxitech.com

Mr. Antonius Boller 

Siemens AG, A&D PT 2 M 

P.O. Box 4848 

Nuremberg, 90327 

GERMANY 

+49 (911) 895-5071 

+49 (911) 895-4845 

antonius.boller@siemens.com

Mr. Tan Boon Keat 

Agilent Technologies 

Bayan Lepas, 11900 

MALAYSIA 

604-680-5744 

gilbert-bk_tan@agilent.com

Bruce Boyes 

Systronix Inc 

555 S 300 East 

Salt Lake City, UT 84111 

USA 

801-809-2658 

801-534-1019 

bboyes@systronix.com

Mr. Jim Brad 

USNO 

3450 Mass Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20392 

USA 

202-762-1452 

brad.jim@usno.navy.mil 

Seela Raj D. Rajaiah 

Agilent Technologies 

Bayan Lepsa FIZ 

Bayan Lepas 11900 

MALAYSIA 

604-680-8741 

seela-raj_raj@agilent.com

 
Dr. Patrick Diamond 

Semtech Corp 

200 Flynn Rd 

Camarillo, CA 93012 

USA 

805-469-3530 

pdiamond@semtech.com

Dr. John Eidson 

Agilent Technologies 

3500 Deer Creek Rd, MS 4-M-A 

Palo Alto, CA 94303 

USA 

650-485-4263 

650-485-3894 

john_eidson@agilent.com

Mr. Mark Elliot 

Symmetricom

3750 Westwind Blvd 

Santa Rosa, CA 95403 

USA 

707-636-1932 

707-527-6640 

melliot@symmetricom.com

Tom W. Farley 

Symmetricom

100 Michael Angelo Way 

Bldg E, Ste 900 

Austin, TX 78728-1257 

USA 

512-721-4058 

512- 721-4603 

tfarley@symmetricom.com

Mr. John Fischer 

Spectracom Corp. 

95 Methodist Hill Dr., Ste 500 

Rochester, NY 14623 

USA 

585-321-5800 ext. 112 

jfischer@spectracomcorp.com

Mr. Douglas Fowley 

GE Energy 

1501 Roanoke Blvd, Rm 281 

Salem, VA 24153 

USA 

540-387-8598 

540-387-8651 

Douglas.Fowley@ge.com

Mr. Michael Gerstenberger 

KUKA Development Labs 

22500 Key Dr 

Clinton Township, MI 48360 

USA 

248-844-0561 

248-844-0505 

MichaelGerstenberger@KukaDevLabs.com

Mr. James Gilsinn 

NIST 

100 Bureau Dr, MS 8230 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8230 

USA 

301-975-3865 

301-990-9688 

Mr. Tarrance Graham 

Weed Instrument Company 

707 Jeffrey Way 

Round Rock, TX 78664 

USA 

512-434-2817 

512-434-2851 

tgraham@weedinstrument.com

Dr. John Guilford 

Agilent Technologies 

1615 75th St SW

Everett, WA 98203 

USA 

425-356-6057 

Ken Harris 

Rockwell Automation 

1 Allen-Bradley Dr 

Mayfield Heights, OH 44124 

USA 

440-646-3621 

krharris@ra.rockwell.com

Mr. Oyvind Holmeide 

OnTime Networks AS 

Glads vei 20 

Oslo, 489 

NORWAY 

+4722090304 

+4722090310 

oeyvind@ontimenet.com

 
Hassan Hussain 

Agilent Technologies 

Bayan Lepas FTZ 

Penang, 11900 

MALAYSIA 

+604-6805523 

hassan_hussain@agilent.com

Dominic Iadonis 

Hirschmann 

20440 Century Blvd 

Germantown, MD 20874 

USA 

240-686-2329 

diadonisi@hirschmann-usa.com

Mr. Nikolaus Kero 

Oregano Systems Ltd. 

Phorusgasse 8 

Vienna, A-1040 

AUSTRIA 

+43 676 312 69 64 

+43 676 84 31 04-888 

keroe@oregano.at 

Mr. Robert Kroboth 

Agilent Technologies 

1900 Garden of the Gods Rd 

Colorado Springs, CO 80919 

USA 

719-531-4415 

bob_kroboth@agilent.com

Mr. Kang Lee 

NIST 

100 Bureau Dr., Stop 8220 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8220 

USA 

301-975-6604 

301-990-3851 

kang.lee@nist.gov 

Ms. Ya-Shian Li 

NIST 

100 Bureau Dr 

Bldg. 225, Room A47 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899 

USA 

301-975-5319 

301-975-8069 

ya-shian.li@nist.gov 

Mr. Mondy Lim 

Semtech 

10 Wimbledon Way 

Ottawa K2K3J2 

CANADA 

613-862-1188 mlim@semtech.com

Mr. Hung Mach 

Boeing 

P.O. Box 3707 

MS 14-ME 

Seattle, WA 98124 

USA 

206-655-9926 

206-655-7724 

hung.k.mach@boeing.com

Mr. John Mackay 

Progeny Systems 

9500 Innovation Dr 

Manassas, VA 20110 

USA 

703-368-6107 ext. 144 

703-331-5651 

john.mackay@progeny.net 

Dan Maxwell 

Tarallax Wireless Inc 

10 W 100 S, Ste 600 

Salt Lake City, UT 84101 

USA 

801-533-2727 

801-355-0289 

dmaxwell@tarallax.com

Mr. Matthew McConnell 

VXI Technology, Inc 

5425 Warner Rd, Ste 13 

Valley View, OH 44125 

USA 

216-447-4059 mattm@vxitech.com

Mr. Paul Mecklenburg 

VXI Technology, Inc 

5425 Warner Rd, Ste 13 

Valley View, OH 44125 

USA 

216-447-4059 

216-447-4059 

paulm@vxitech.com

 
Mr. Dirk Mohl 

Hirschmann Electronics 

Stuttgarter Strasse 45-51 

Neckartenzlingen, 72654 

GERMANY 

dmohl@nt.hirschmann.de 

Mr. Anatoly Moldovansky 

Rockwell Automation 

1 Allen-Bradley Dr 

Mayfield Hts., OH 44124 

USA 

440-646-5369 

440-646-3076 

amoldovansky@ra.rockwell.com

David Moyer 

Semtech Corp 

958 Spring City Rd 

Phoenixville, PA 19460 

USA 

610-792-9395 

dmoyer@semtech.com

Mr. Paul Myers 

Spectracom Corp. 

95 Methodist Hill Dr., Ste 500 

Rochester, NY 14623 

USA 

585-321-5800 ext. 158 

pmyers@spectracomcorp.com

Dr. Lee Ng 

Agilent Technologies Inc. 

3500 Deer Creek Rd 

Palo Alto, CA 94304 

USA 

650-485-5726 

lee_ng@agilent.com

Mr. Sven Nylund 

OnTime Networks AS 

Glads vei 20 

Oslo, 489 

NORWAY 

+4722090308 

4722090310 

sven@ontimenet.com

Ms. Karen O'Donoghue 

NSWCDD 

17320 Dahlgren Rd 

Dahlgren, VA 22448 

USA 

540-653-1567 

540-653-8673 

odonoghuekf@nswc.navy.mil 

Afshaneh Pakdaman 

P.O. Box 2202 

Santa Clara , CA 95055 

USA 

afshan@sfsu.edu 

Mr. Rick Pennavaria 

Weed Instrument Co 

P.O. Box 300 

Round Rock, TX 78680 

USA 

512-434-2917 

Edward Powers 

3450 Mass Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20392 

USA 

202-762-1451 

202-762-1511 

powers.edward@usno.navy.mil 

Mrs. Silvana Rodrigues 

Zarlink Semiconductor 

400 March Rd 

Ottawa, K2K 3H4 

CANADA 

613-270-7590 

613-592-1010 

silvana.rodrigues@zarlink.com

Mr. Michael Rupert 

Zarlink Semiconductor 

400 March Rd 

Ottawa, K2K 3H4 

CANADA 

613-592-0200 ext. 7347 

michael.rupert@zarlink.com

 
Mr. Paul Rushton 

Semtech Corp. 

Units 2 & 3 Park Court 

Premier Way 

Hampshire, S051 9DN 

UNITED KINGDOM 

44 01794527600 

prushton@semtech.com

Mr. Stephan Schuler 

SIEMENS AG 

Brauckstr. 14 

Witten, 58449 

GERMANY 

+49 2302 667 2063 

 +49 2302 667 3228 

schueler.stephan@siemens.com

Mr. Puneet Sharma 

Intel Corp 

5000 W Chandler Blvd 

Chandler, AZ 85226 

USA 

puneet.sharma@intel.com

Dr. Mark Shepard 

GE Energy 

1501 Roanoke Blvd 

Salem, VA 24153 

USA 

540-387-8710 

mark.e.shepard@ge.com

Mr. Paul Skoog 

Symmetricom

3750 Westwind Blvd 

Santa Rosa, CA 95403 

USA 

707-636-1955 

pskoog@symmetricom.com

Yuyin Song 

NIST 

100 Bureau Drive, MS 8220 

Gaithersburg, MD 20899 

USA 

301-975-6542 

yuyin.song@nist.gov 

Samuel Stein 

Timing Solutions Corp 

4775 Walnut St, Ste 1B 

Boulder, CO 80301 

USA 

303-939-8481 

303-443-5152 

lfischer@timing.com

John Stratton 

Agilent Technologies 

1400 Fountaingrove Pkwy 

Bldg 3LS-V 

Santa Rosa, CA 95403 

USA 

707-577-3838 

707-577-5834 

john_stratton@agilent.com

Mr. David Tonks 

Semtech Corp 

Units 2 & 3 Park Ct 

Primier Way 

Hampshire, S051 9DN 

UNITED KINGDOM 

+ 44 1974529600 

dtonks@semtech.com

Mr. Murray Tysinger 

Agilent Technologies 

5301 Stevens Creek Blvd 

MS-51U-23 

Sants Clara,CA 95051 

USA 

408-553-2640 

408-553-6591 

butch_tysinger@agilent.com

Dr. Bradley Van Eck

Intl SEMATECH 

2706 Montopolis Dr 

Austin, TX 78741 

USA 

512-356-3981 

512-356-7848 

brad.van.eck@ismi.sematech.org 

 
Mr. Saso Vlahu 

ST Microelectronics 

1300 E Woodfield Rd, Ste 410 

Schaumburg, IL 60173 

USA 

847-585-3017 

847-517-1943 

saso.vlahu@st.com

Dr. Aljosa Vrancic 

National Instruments 

11500 N Mopac Expwy 

Austin, TX 78759 

USA 

512-683-8082 

aljosa.vrancic@ni.com

Dr. Karl Weber 

Siemens 

Wuerzburger Str. 121 

Fuerth, 90766 

GERMANY 

+49 171 230 7569 

karl.weber@siemens.com

Mr. Hans Weibel 

Zurich Univ of Applied Sciences 

Technikumstrasse 9 

Postfach 805 

Winterthur, CH-8401 

SWITZERLAND 

+41 52 2677552 

hans.weibel@zhwin.ch 

Dr. Joseph White 

U.S. Naval Research Lab 

4555 Overlook Ave SW

Code 8150 

Washington, DC 20375 

USA 

202-767-5111 

202-767-4050 

joe.white@nrl.navy.mil 

Mr. Michael Wilson 

Agilent 

14040 Pierce Rd 

Saratoga, CA 95070 

USA 

408-867-5526 

mikewilson30@comcast.net 

Steven Wissler 

1322 Marie Ave 

Ephrata, PA 17522 

USA 

717-393-3831 ext. 140 

stevew@godfrey.com

Mr. Steven Zuponcic 

Rockwell Automation 

1 Allen-Bradely Dr 

Mayfield Hts., OH 44124 

USA 

440-646-5384 

440-646-4344