Patent ID: 8806063

Claim:
A method comprising: sending, with a time server, a synchronization start message to a time client device to set a current time of day on the time client device, wherein the synchronization start message includes a local time of the time server indicating when the time server sent the synchronization start message; receiving, with the time server, a synchronization response message from the time client device indicating that the time client device received the synchronization start message and performed an operation of setting the current time of day of the time client device based on the local time of the time server as included within the synchronization start message, wherein the synchronization response message includes a local time of the time client device indicating when the synchronization response message was sent by the time client device after setting the current time of day at the time client device, wherein the local time of the time client device indicating when the synchronization response message was sent by the time client device is different than a time at which the time client device received the synchronization start message; determining, with the time server, a local time of the time server indicating when the time server received the synchronization response message; receiving, with the time server, a primary reference time, wherein the local time of the time server indicating when the time server sent the synchronization start message and the local time of the time server indicating when the time server received the synchronization response message are based on the primary reference time; phase shifting, with a clock generator of the time server, at least one of a rising or falling edge of a clock signal of the time server based on the primary reference time such that the at least one of the rising or falling edge occurs at a time subsequent to the primary reference time; determining, with the time server, the time difference between the local time of the time server indicating when the time server received the synchronization response message and the local time of the time client device as set based on the local time of the time server as included in the synchronization response message indicating when the synchronization response message was sent by the time client device; and when the time server determines that the time difference is less than a threshold amount of time, sending, with the time server, a synchronization success message to the time client device indicating that the time client device has correctly set its current time of day.