Looking for SyncServer S350 SAASM cf card image - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: cg@chilia.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 16, 2019, 09:10:45 pm
content: Hi,I saw that there are some people using old SyncServers around here.I recently obtained two SyncServer S350 SAASM equipped with Rubidium standards but somebody wiped the flash cards. I tried to boot it with an original flash card of an 250i and with a CF card created with the image that is floating around for 250s and I had some kind of luck: The unit boots, is accessible via the web interface and displays the time on the front. However, the menu buttons are not working and the unit does not recognise any of the 350 features like timing nor the Rubidium standard (it says unknown oscillator type). However, the header is recognising the 350.It would be great if anybody has an image of a S350 oder S350 SAASM cf card.Best regards and thanks for your help in advance!Christian

author: SoundTech-LG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2019, 02:31:36 pm
content: Pretty incredible it boots with S-250 FW. I wonder if that image is one I created a while back from of the S-200s that I converted to S-250s?Good luck in your search for S-350 CF Card image. Microsemi Microchip won't be of any help.

author: cg@chilia.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 18, 2019, 05:41:12 pm
content: Yes, I tried it with your imgc image as well and it bootedIt seems they are all x86 based and at least have a similiar NIC onboard. However, all of the cool features of the S350 are gone. I tried to ask Microsemi for help, but obviously no help at all. They tried to sell me new units.

author: SoundTech-LG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2019, 04:20:25 pm
content: Yes, they have perfected Corporate Greed and Customer Disservice... wonderful folks!

author: cg@chilia.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 19, 2019, 05:50:35 pm
content: That changed quite dramatically. When they were still Symmetricom I asked them for the Monitor Software for my EOL PRS-50 cesium beam tube and they even sent me the cable for free with a PostIt on it: have Fun!Anyway, it seems impossible to get a S300 or S350 Firmware image. I think there is almost no chance to use the whole server with open software, I didn‘t even manage to get Debian booting, via VGA pin header it just doesn’t show anything like a BIOS it just says „No OS found“.If there is anybody interested in fotos of the server I can post them here. Maybe they can be useful for somebody playing around with these units.

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 04, 2020, 09:18:01 am
content: Hi,I've been playing now with several of the Syncserver units and have a S350. I've enabled most all features on mine (these are not stored on the CFCARD, but in the EEPROM)pics of some features belowI want to upgrade mine to a Rubidium Oscillator and need some Hires pics of Rabidium Used and interface board/cablei'm happy to provide a CF Dump of both cards from my unit if there is still interest

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 02:14:21 am
content: Hi Sandra, I have an S350 with the Rubidium oscillator. I can shut it down, open it up, and take some pictures of the insides. In return, could you point me to directions on how to enable any additional options? My unit has PTP enabled, but you have more options listed on the "Timing" tab in the "Status" page, and more tabs in the "System" page. You also have a page on the left that I don't, called "Monitoring". Below are some screenshots from my unit's web interface. Thanks in advance for your help, -- Dean

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 02:28:00 am
content: Enabling the features is actually really easylogon and become root. if you can not let me know and I can help you hack /etc/shadow and /etc/sshd to allow itafter you aer in as rootrun /sbin/seepromyou will seeCode:root@ntp1:~# seeprom------------------------------------------------------------------------------Symmetricom, TTMSyncServer Nonvolatile StorageVersion 1.0-------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. Initialize S350 seeprom 2. Set seeprom size3. Read checksum 4. Update checksum5. Read HW rev byte 6. Set HW rev byte7. Read HW rev extension 8. Set HW rev extension9. Read Model String 10. Set Model String11. Read Serial Number 12. Set Serial Number13. Read options data 14. Set options data15. Read options ext data 16. Set options ext data17. Read reserved String 18. Set reserved String19. Read LAN1 Data 20. Set LAN1 Data21. Read LAN1 MAC 22. Set LAN1 MAC23. Read LAN2 Data 24. Set LAN2 Data25. Read LAN2 MAC 26. Set LAN2 MAC27. Read LAN3 Data 28. Set LAN3 Data29. Read LAN3 MAC 30. Set LAN3 MAC31. Read LANG Data 32. Set LANG Data33. Read LANG MAC 34. Set LANG MAC35. Read Future String 36. Set Future String37. Read Oscillator Type 38. Set Oscillator Type39. Read Options 40. Set Options41. Read Options Ext 42. Set Options Ext43. Initialize S250 Rev1 seeprom 44. Initialize S250 Rev2 seeprom45. Show SEEPROM Contents0. Exit the Program...........................................................Select Option:run options 40 and 42, basically enable everythingnote: there are some that are mutually exclusive,reboot the unit and you should have everything.there's not real protection. even the options just use the direct interface for seeprom to update those settingsSo far the Monitor page does not work. still trying to figure out whypictures of the Rubidium would be helpfull. close up near the main board connector so I can see if any components need to be changed would be helpful as well

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 08:41:29 am
content: Hi, thanks for your reply. Does this earlier post from you contain the instructions I should follow to enable root?https://www.eevblog.com/forum/metrology/symmetricom-s200-teardownupgrade-to-s250/msg2952418/#msg2952418

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 09:45:28 am
content: Okay, I followed the instructions in your earlier post and...success! Thank you!Now I just need to figure out how to set up a T1/E1 input, because I hate seeing red on the Timing status tab below.But first, I'll shut down my unit, open it up, and get some photos for you. Thanks again, -- Dean

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 03:25:56 pm
content: Hi Sandra, here are some pictures of the inside of my S350-Rb. It may take quite a few posts to get them all uploaded!I'll keep the SyncServer disconnected a while longer, so please let me know if you want any additional photos. Thanks, -- Dean

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 03:26:44 pm
content: Next photos

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 03:27:42 pm
content: More pics

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 03:29:05 pm
content: More than half uploaded now...

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 03:29:56 pm
content: Next pics

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 03:32:27 pm
content: Last photos here!Again, please let me know if you want any more, thanks. -- Dean

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 10:38:12 pm
content: Thank you very much for the pics, this confirms it is a SA.22 Rubidium they used which I have.is there any chance you could get a pick of the underside of the little PCB plugged into the SA.22 Rubidium?I know it might be more disassembly than you want to do so understand if you can'tSandra

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 10:48:41 pm
content: Quote from: drdmr on April 08, 2020, 09:45:28 amYes, That was me, and thats what I would have refered you too, glad it worked for youI take it you don't have a T1/E1 board on your s350 either?that would be be the next project, to find one or reverse engineer one

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2020, 11:06:38 pm
content: one more request if possible.I've worked out the following pinout so far from your pics and mineBlue: FACMOS (10Mhz Out)Black: GNDYellow: FREQ CTRL (DAC)Orange: VIN (5V or 15V)?White: RX???Gray: TX?Red: VDD (5V or 15V)The white and gray should be the serial connection I would thinkCould you check the voltages on the Orange and Red leads and let me know whats there.for ReferenceMicrosemi_SA_22c_User_Guide_097-16313-201D.pdf(1620.67 kB - downloaded 200 times.)

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2020, 02:21:05 am
content: Okay, I measured the voltages on the P3 connector on the main board. (FWIW, this was shortly after applying power, and without the GPS antenna connected.) Starting from pin 1 near the edge of the main board, I got the following:Pins 1-3 (blue, black, yellow): 0VPin 4 (orange): 15.3VPin 5 (white): 5.1VPin 6 (gray): 0VPin 7 (red): 5.1VI also did some disassembly and got the photos you wanted, but I need a bit more time to process and post them -- will try to do that tomorrow.

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2020, 02:27:55 am
content: FYI, I measured those voltages without the mating connector attached. It just occurred to me you may want/need the voltages with the wires connected? If so, just let me know and I can do that tomorrow also.

author: notfaded1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2020, 05:23:12 pm
content: The security on these 200 and 300 series leave at LOT to be desired.Pretty disappointing if I paid as much as they ask for these. Luckily I got mine pretty cheap. Maybe that's why they hide all their docs and software now since becoming Microsemi and being busted on their security while still Symmetricom. You can find many mentions on various vulnerability databases for these. They are pretty ntp appliances though... I like the VFD time display on the front. You can read it from a ways away when you select the big digit mode. I've been experimenting with watching for the drift while on the Rb during standby. Not exactly scientific right now but I unplugged the antenna and am letting it run on the Rb for a few weeks in my lab. All in good fun.Bill

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2020, 11:25:10 pm
content: Bill, yes, though flip side of the security holes can be a benefit to folks like us who bought these units as discontinued, surplus devices. With full root access, would it be possible to update the ntp software to something more modern? If so, has anyone successfully done that?Then there's the WNRO issue, which I believe will affect these units relatively soon (2021-2022?). I saw an earlier thread where some of you were discussing that, but has anyone found a patch? I guess we still have a bit more time.Sandra, I had a bit of the workday from hell today,so I haven't had a chance to get back to my S350-Rb pictures and voltage measurements yet, but I will.Dean

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 01:00:10 am
content: Hi Sandra, I measured voltages again, this time at the wire ends/crimps inside the P3 connectorwhen plugged into the board(duh). I also used a somewhat better meter. Here's what I got -- a bit more interesting than before:Blue (wire at pin 1): 2.44VBlack (2): 0.0VYellow (3): 2.50VOrange (4): 15.3VWhite (5): 5.04V initially, then dropped to 1.18V after a minute or twoGray(6): 0.10VRed (7): 5.14VDoes that help answer your questions on the function of each wire?I still owe you those photos of the board underneath the Rb oscillator -- will post as soon as I get a bit more time. -- Dean

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 03:27:05 am
content: Hi Dean,Yes, that does, It pretty much confirms this pinout (just a swap of Rx/Tx from my initial guess)Blue: FACMOS (10Mhz Out)Black: GNDYellow: FREQ CTRL (DAC)Orange: VIN 15VWhite: Tx (xmit from oscillator)Gray: RxRed: VDD 5VI'll have to come up with a PCB to interface the SA.22Quote from: drdmr on April 10, 2020, 01:00:10 am

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 04:22:17 am
content: Hi Sandra, I'm glad the voltage measurements were helpful. And now, I have more photos! These JPG files aren't as big as the earlier ones, but it may still take more than one post to upload them all.

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 04:29:43 am
content: Here are the rest of the photos -- all in only two posts this time!The PCB looks pretty simple, but I'll be curious to know what software, raw material, machine, and/or vendor you use to design and fabricate or source your own version of the board.Dean

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 04:51:11 am
content: Just wondering... If you use a similarly thick aluminum heat-sink, would you have room for a custom wire harness that creates the right connections -- including that one resistor, of course? It wouldn't look as nice as a PCB, but if it works, so what?Quote from: drdmr on April 10, 2020, 04:29:43 am

author: Marck
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2020, 05:56:56 am
content: Hello. I am an absolute beginner with anything time related. But I have been able to lay my hands on a retired s300. Well it’s a retired spare so let’s call it new old stock. I powered it up today and have updated the firmware to 2.80.1. It seems to fail when I try to take it to the last available version 2.83.2. Seeing that the firmware files are the same for the s300 and s350 I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem.The reason I grabbed this one was to have a cool clock in my rack (I know it’s probably a waste) but is there anything else that can be done with them that is a little more useful or interesting ?ThanksM

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2020, 02:12:09 pm
content: Quote from: Marck on April 10, 2020, 05:56:56 amI did not have any issues in upgrading mine to the latest versionWhat was the actual error you go during the upgrade?

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2020, 03:31:05 pm
content: You are awesome, thank you.Those pics are far more than I had hoped for.I will design and have the board fab'd by OHSPARK most likely. international shipping is a pain right now otherwise I'd use JCLPCB or PCBWAY.The aluminum heatsink/spacer I will fab in my home shop..And here's the pinout of the board, I was off on a few thingsP11) FACMOS (10M)2) VSS (GND)3) FREQ CTRL (DAC)4) VDD (15V)5) SERVICE6) LOCK7) VCC (5V)P31) DIN (Rx)2) DOUT (Tx)3) VSS (GND)Here's my image of my working out the pinoutQuote from: drdmr on April 10, 2020, 04:29:43 am

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2020, 03:54:50 pm
content: I do not see why it would not work. just make sure exposed wires are insulated is allQuote from: drdmr on April 10, 2020, 04:51:11 am

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2020, 04:33:08 pm
content: Hi Sandra, I'm glad I could help!It was easy after your earlier posts helped me understand what you needed. And what kind of Mechanical Engineer would I be if I couldn't remove, separate, and reassemble the Rubidium oscillator and PCB?I've broken some things mechanically in my life, but I've probably ruined more things with electrical or software mistakes.Right now, I have a Spectracom SecureSync that lost its mind because I flashed the wrong EEPROM image to it. I hope to fix it someday, if possible.Thanks for the information on PCB fabricators. I haven't used such services before, but I might in the future. For now, I look forward to a future post about your S350 running with the Rubidium oscillator!DeanQuote from: smgvbest on April 11, 2020, 03:31:05 pm

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 13, 2020, 10:19:01 pm
content: Here's a little bit of progress. getting the board lined up with the mounting holes and connect.I modeled everything up in fusion360 then imported the pcb and test fit.I also 3d printed the board and verified the fit with a real SA22I have to finish the actual PCB nowI am adding leds for the 1PPSOUT, LOCK and SERVICE indicator and MMCX connecors for the FACMOS, 1PPSIN and 1PPSOUT signals.

author: cg@chilia.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 18, 2020, 04:55:56 pm
content: Dear Sandra,sorry for the very late answer! As mentioned, I have two S350 SAASM but it took me some weeks to get them from the office, since we are under lock-down.Yes, I would love to get a copy of the CF card to get mine running againAs there are already a lot of pictures of the internals let me know if you need more!Best,Christian

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 19, 2020, 08:31:17 pm
content: here's links to the 2 CFCARDS in the S350CF1 is the main boot cardhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/17je_pVXbgNyEHbuGzgPGaOMusEzYM7Iq/view?usp=sharingCF is the postgress data cardhttps://drive.google.com/file/d/12jmjFg6OLldDHe0OP9ZgYA3CM0YDHAL_/view?usp=sharingThis is pre-hacked, admin password is the default and Root is the same password.to enable all features, run the seeprom and do the option setup to turn everthing on. for SAASM just turn it on instead of GPS which I believe it will do anyway

author: cg@chilia.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 21, 2020, 07:29:05 pm
content: Perfekt, Sandra thanks so much!The image burned perfectly to my CF cards but I wasn't able to boot the S350 that I have here. Really strange: I tried many different CF cards e.g. the original ones, 1GB, 4GB, 2GB of different brands and no luck. Seems this unit is broken.I can try the other units soon, so I'll keep you posted. BTW, did anyone ever observer the strange "0" or "G" letter in the Display after it gets stuck at "Loading OS . . . "?Best,Christian

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2020, 02:01:48 am
content: I dumped from a live system and given the screen I think its possible that it may be stuck in a fsck.if you have a CF Reader and access to a linux system you can run fsck /dev/sd? where ? is the letter assigned to the CFCARDother than that if you can plug into the front RS232 interface and get a root prompt you might be able to run it that way but not sureQuote from: cg@chilia.com on April 21, 2020, 07:29:05 pm

author: cg@chilia.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 22, 2020, 11:01:34 am
content: Initially I wasn't able to get the serial console working because my unit was communicating at 4800 instead of 9600 baud - for whatever reason.You were perfectly right, that did the trick! Whenever I burned the images there were some errors on the filesystem on both cards and it got stuck with "unable to mount root". Repairing that with fsck -y /dev/sdX{1,2,5,6,7} on a linux system worked like a charm.Looking forward hooking up my Caesium source to the 10MHz input and to see if it outperforms my self-made Rubidium NTP serverP.S.: I think the root password is not set in the image, at least I couldn't find it in the shadows file.

author: notfaded1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2020, 05:52:51 pm
content: I have two 200 series units one with an x72 Rb in it. I just scored a 350 unit that's hanging on the boot just like the other did here. I'm sure it's got fsck issues too. I'm interested in your PCB to add higher speed Sr.22 Rb to this one too.On another note I have another Ublox LEA-8T GNSS disciplined Spectratime SRO-100 Rb I'm going to review and test just like I did with the LEA-6T disciplined SRS SR620 Rb recently. I'm thinking it's going to be really nice as well. I'm considering buying the updated FSA3011 DMTD stability analyzer for testing phase noise. I'd like a phasestation but that's not practical.

author: notfaded1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2020, 05:56:05 pm
content: Quote from: smgvbest on April 19, 2020, 08:31:17 pmI'm going to try this with my new 350! Oh I used to live in OH btw. I lived in northern suburbs of Cincinnati Montgomery/Loveland area. Then I went to OSU and lived in Columbus for a while. I live in the desert of Arizona in Scottdale now... I don't miss the snow and rain much! Love it out here. My whole family moved out here now.I'll order the board from OSHpark if you set it up there.Bill

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2020, 02:39:43 am
content: Glad it worked. i'll see about mounting the images to my VM and run fsck on them to clean them up so it doesn't happen in the future.the password s/b set the same as the admin password but not sure i set SSH to allow root logons. which is a no-no anyways.i had set it while working on the unit to allow while I was hacking it, this I backed it out once I was doneglad it go you goingQuote from: cg@chilia.com on April 22, 2020, 11:01:34 am

author: notfaded1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2020, 12:13:08 pm
content: I wonder if I'll get the same boot error with the images? I'm going to give it a try. I've never had a 350 before only 200's. I'm not going to put this on the internet so I'm not as worried about the root password in the beginning and could always change it later. Symmetricom didn't have a reputation for really secure devices if you read the history on these anyhow. I'm interested in comparing the output of 10Mhz and PPS to my disciplined Rb's. I assume the output is from the GPS module and not from the Rb if it's installed from the outputs? (unless it's in holdover... ofc)Bill

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 25, 2020, 03:21:44 am
content: well the GPS only outputs a 1pps signal which disciplines the 10mhz so i would think that the Rb would be from the SA22 going through the FPGA and using the 1PPS to discipline would go to the output but I haven't checked. would be interesting to know for userI have a lucent GPSDO that I am feeding into my for now which normally just runs my lab.

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 04, 2020, 03:34:18 am
content: So while I wait for boards to arriveI've been playing around with loading the CFCARD into a vmware image and have partial successIt starting up but when I login I get a fpga fail and it won't logonso trying to figure out what a logon is doing trying to access the fpga so I can stop itThe idea here is once it's in a virtual machine. I can hopefully load gcc and buildtools then build ntp, apache etc so current versionsbut not until I get past this issue

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 31, 2020, 07:05:11 pm
content: Looking for some helpmy PTP function has stopped working, I believe it to be a network issue as the service is upwould someone as root issue these commands and post the resultsnetstat -lniptables --listroutelsysctl -aTIASandra

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 31, 2020, 07:48:33 pm
content: Hi Sandra, the output is too long to paste into one post, so I'm trying to attach a text file with the output from all four commands -- hope it works!FYI, my SyncServer is on 192.168.1.13, and its PTP server is on 192.168.1.27. -- Dean

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 31, 2020, 09:26:10 pm
content: Hi Dean, Thank you for posting.quick glance our iptables look different so I'll have to look closer therethe sysctl stuff is virtually identicalhopefuly I'll see something that makes me go ummmmm

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2020, 02:55:38 pm
content: Out of curiosity, what specific symptoms or failures are you seeing? Did the PTP slave stop seeing the master? Did the SyncServer stop communicating with the slave, and/or do you see anomalies in any of the web status screens? Can you ping the SyncServer's PTP port, etc.?FYI, Meinberg has a free program for monitoring PTP nodes and traffic, here:https://www.meinbergglobal.com/english/sw/ptp-track-hound.htm

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 01:04:47 am
content: ptpd is up and running but no slaves. my slaves timeout trying to connect.all the status screens say everything is finejust tried and I can not ping eth1 which in my case is 192.168.1.148eth0 is pingable at 192.168.1.147so a routing issue of some kindhummm

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 01:32:59 am
content: Interesting, I can ping both eth0 and eth1. What do you see from ifconfig? Mine shows the following:root@SyncServer:~# ifconfigeth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:A0:69:0B:61:BCinet addr:192.168.1.13 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0inet6 addr: fe80::2a0:69ff:fe0b:61bc/64 Scope:LinkUP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1RX packets:4649013 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0TX packets:485193 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000RX bytes:324196798 (309.1 MiB) TX bytes:100734424 (96.0 MiB)Interrupt:9 Base address:0x4000eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:A0:69:0B:61:BDinet addr:192.168.1.27 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0inet6 addr: fe80::2a0:69ff:fe0b:61bd/64 Scope:LinkUP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1RX packets:6155997 errors:0 dropped:2 overruns:1 frame:0TX packets:44956 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000RX bytes:580598598 (553.7 MiB) TX bytes:2149734 (2.0 MiB)Interrupt:9 Base address:0x4000lo Link encap:Local Loopbackinet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:HostUP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1RX packets:12220135 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0TX packets:12220135 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0collisions:0 txqueuelen:0RX bytes:901790250 (860.0 MiB) TX bytes:901790250 (860.0 MiB)root@SyncServer:~#

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 01:43:10 am
content: OMG, this may fall under a stupid user tricki went to my S350 and was checking things and i saw the LAN2 connection (ETH1) was not showing activity. I checked the connection and it was fine. I went to the switch and the bloody network cable had a broken tab and the cable pulled loosenow I am seeing it syncing againCode:Tue Jun 02 2020 21:41:37 Info: Wait expired after 5 minutesTue Jun 02 2020 21:41:38 Info: Summary: 1 sample (aggregate); delta is +0.0000001 seconds, latency +0.0002309Tue Jun 02 2020 21:41:38 Info: Local clock and 192.168.1.148 match to within local timer resolution; delta +0.0000001 seconds, protocol PTP, latency 0.0002309 seconds; time not changed (slewing min not met)Tue Jun 02 2020 21:41:38 Info: Next time check due in 5 minutes (sliding window)I'm sure it was one of the cats that did it. they're always causing trouble

author: texaspyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 02:04:26 am
content: Quote from: smgvbest on June 03, 2020, 01:43:10 amI have some tasty cat recipes...

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 02:08:24 am
content: Sandra,Cool -- glad it's working again! If it's okay with you, I'll take a bit of credit for leading you to check the obvious.And I've spent hours tracking down simple problems like this, so I can relate.I recognize the output from Domain Time II, which I use to keep my laptop sync'ed to NTP. It's a nice program, though I don't use PTP on the laptop because it doesn't work well over WiFi. My PTP slaves use hardware time-stamping, which typically keeps them sync'ed to within tens of nanoseconds or better. It's all used equipment, but still an expensive hobby!I'm impressed that you're getting PTP synchronization "to within local timer resolution" (100 ns?). That happened occasionally on my laptop when I used DT II with PTP and a hardwire connection. Is that a typical result for you, and if so, how do you maintain that level of synchronization accuracy?-- Dean

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 02:27:47 am
content: Yep, that got me thinking and after finding all i could think was check your power supply voltage. for network , check your cablingand yeh, that is Domain Time II. I tend to hardwire all my computers and use WiFI for phones, tablets and printersI am typically pretty close to the 100ns most the time but I'm not doing anything special. gigibit network in the home which is where this pc ismy goal here is for my observatory to use the S350. I'll move it out there when things are back up. I would like as accurate timestamps as I can get on my images when I do astroroid hunting

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 02:29:39 am
content: Quote from: texaspyro on June 03, 2020, 02:04:26 am

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 02:57:30 am
content: Quote from: smgvbest on June 03, 2020, 02:27:47 amNice! Please ignore the attached screenshot showing a PTP slave sync'ed to 1 nanosecond. You really don't need that level of accuracy.Seriously, you probably don't. As I said, it's an expensive hobby, and I'm guessing an observatory is even more expensive.Full disclosure: sometimes my PTP slaves are off by tens or occasionally (horrors!) almost 100 nanoseconds. But they're often much better, as in this screenshot.

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 11:06:51 pm
content: show offyes, the observatory is more than all the test equipment I have combined both newly purchased and repaired. Now new cost on a few pieces would be more than the observatory but I only count what I actually paid.For me once this is in the observatory I could loose my main network and maintain accuracy to more than I need. but Nasa does like accurately time stamped images I just dont think they specify what accurately meansdoes this qualify us as time nuts??

author: drdmr
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2020, 11:36:20 pm
content: Quote from: smgvbest on June 03, 2020, 11:06:51 pmGuilty as charged.Quote from: smgvbest on June 03, 2020, 11:06:51 pmSo, to get the kind of accuracy I "showed-off", you need hardware time-stamping in the PTP slave and any ethernet switches between it and the master. I added those components piecemeal over time, and then didn't know when to quit -- meaning I have more time synchronization servers, masters, slaves, and hardware time-stamping switches than I really need. It's sometimes hard not to buy when I recognize an eBay item is both an upgrade to my current equipment and a "bargain".For the observatory, do you need a switch and PTP slave, or can you somehow time-stamp directly from the S350? If you could benefit from having a switch and slave with hardware time-stamping, maybe I could sell some to you -- used, of course -- at a bargain price.Quote from: smgvbest on June 03, 2020, 11:06:51 pmThat's an interesting question. Compared to most people, I'd say you are a time nut, and I am beyond one. But since I'm on their mailing list, I know how truly nutty some of them are, with their hydrogen masers and so on. That makes me reluctant to call myself a time nut before one of them -- i.e., a certified (or certifiable?)time nut -- calls me one.

author: kash
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 01, 2025, 03:04:14 pm
content: For some reason i cant get a lock on the oscillator! any ideas? I changed my gps reciever

author: testpoint1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2025, 03:06:42 pm
content: Quote from: smgvbest on April 11, 2020, 03:31:05 pmfor another PCB with OCXO position:pin5 is lockpin6 is service