Patent ID: 6898211

Claim:
A method for synchronizing a local clock generating circuit for a first of a plurality of components of a distributed system, the method comprising: maintaining a locked state when a predefined number of local clock cycles generated by the local clock generating circuit is observed between successive occurrences of a global synchronization signal provided to each of the plurality of components of the distributed system; entering a short state from the locked state when one less than the predefined number of local clock cycles is observed between successive occurrences of the global synchronization signal; entering the locked state from the short state when one more than the predefined number of local clock cycles is observed between successive occurrences of the global synchronization signal; entering an alarm state from the short state when one less than the predefined number of local clock cycles is observed between successive occurrences of the global synchronization signal; entering a long state from the locked state when one more than the predefined number of local clock cycles is observed between successive occurrences of the global synchronization signal; entering the locked state from the long state when one less than the predefined number of local clock cycles is observed between successive occurrences of the global synchronization signal; and entering the alarm state from the long state when one more than the predefined number of local clock cycles is observed between successive occurrences of the global synchronization signal.