Clock Synchronization in Industrial Automation Networks - Comparison of Different Syntonization Methods

Synchronization of distributed clocks is a critical task in many real time applications over Ethernet. The Ethernet protocol, due to its non-deterministic nature, is not suitable for real-time applications with very strict synchronicity requirements. However, the limit is continuously being pushed outwards by current research. The Precision Time Protocol (PTP), delivered by the IEEE 1588 standard, provides high synchronization accuracy and has been adopted in many real time applications in the areas of industrial automation, measurement & control, communications etc. This paper will discuss several issues aimed at improving the synchronization performance.

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