Patent ID: 7773606

Claim:
A network element to distribute timing information between slave interfaces and master interfaces for multiple independent timing domains, the network element comprising: a first and second timing domain including a first and second slave interface respectively and a first and second set of one or more master interfaces respectively, wherein the first timing domain is independent from the second timing domain; a local clock to synchronously distribute a local time reference to the first and second slave interfaces and to the first and second set of master interfaces, wherein the local clock is free-running; the first and second slave interfaces to receive an external first and second master clock synchronization event respectively and determine a first and second timing information based on a value of the local time reference when the first and second master clock synchronization event is received and the first and second master clock synchronization event respectively, the first and second slave interfaces further to asynchronously distribute the first and second timing information to the first and second set of master interfaces respectively, wherein the local clock is not synchronized with the first or second master clock synchronization event; and the first and second set of master interfaces to determine a first and second adjusted synchronization event based on the first and second timing information respectively and a value of the local time reference when the first and second timing information is received respectively to adjust for latency, the first and second set of master interfaces further to transmit the first and second adjusted synchronization event to an external first and second slave interfaces respectively.