Synchronization over Packet Networks

Jeremy Lewis
Product Line Marketing Manager
Zarlink Semiconductor
Agenda

Why Synchronization over PSN

Applicable Standards
“In-Band” & “Out-of-Band”
Adaptive Clock Recovery
Differential Clock Recovery
Combination Solution
Why Synchronization Over PSN

What is this technology?

• Encode server clock frequency/phase information
• Transmit server clock information over the PSN
• Recover an accurate clock at the client nodes

Benefits of Synchronization over PSN

• Replaces the need for GPS receivers at client nodes
• Replaces the need for synchronization cables between
nodes
• Replaces the need for high stability oscillators
• Eliminates the need for routine calibration of high
stability oscillators
 Standards for Synchronization

E1 Standards (2.048 Mbps) T1 Standards (1.544 Mbps)

Traffic interface Traffic interface
(G.823, Table 2) (T1.403, section 6.3.1.2)
• 18 µs over 1000s • 8.4 µs over 900s
• 18 µs over 24 hours

Central Remote Customer

Office Terminal Premises
PRS
T1/E1 T1/E1 TDM
PSTN IWF PSN IWF Equipment

PSN induced wander < 18 µs

Max. end-to-end wander (traffic interface) 18 µs

 Standards for Synchronization

E1 Standards (2.048 Mbps) T1 Standards (1.544 Mbps)

PDH synchronization
interface (G.823 - Table
12)
• 2 µs over 2000s
• 5.33 µs over 100,000s
Reference interface
(T1.101, section 7.2.1)
• 1 µs over 2000s
• 2 µs over 100,000s

Central Remote
Network PBx
Office Terminal
PRS
T1/E1 T1/E1 TDM
PSTN IWF PSN IWF Equipment

PSN induced wander < 2 µs

Max. end-to-end wander (synchronization interface) 2 µs

In-Band & Out-of-Band

In-Band Synchronization over Packet

• Uses information included in the standard CESoP data
stream
• Each T1/E1 has its own associated clock
• No timing traffic overhead
• Data and timing are closely coupled
Out-of-Band Synchronization over Packet
• Uses dedicated timing packets
• Examples: NTP, IEEE 1588
• Adds some timing traffic overhead
• Can be “always on”
• Configurable to network conditions
 In-Band Timing Recovery

Timing recovery for CESoPSN/TDM-over-IP

• Clock & data use the same packet connection
Data – Payload
Clock – Header

Encoded
Customer Clock
Customer
Premises or Premises
Central Office

CESoP
Carrier PSN CESoP
IWF IWF

Single T1 Recovered T1
Clock and Data Clock and Data
Multiple Streams possible Encoded
Data
 Out-of-Band Timing Recovery

Timing recovery for all applications

• Clock & data use separate packet connections
Servers Clients
TDM PBX
Primary VoIP
Source Gateway
BITS
SSU

V.90 MODEM

GSM / UMTS
Basestation

Base
Station

Secondary
Source
BITS
Base
SSU Station
In-Band V’s Out-Of-Band

In-band clock recovery advantages

• No bandwidth overhead
• High packet rate, equal to the CBR traffic rate
• Uses already defined standards (e.g. CESoP)
Out-of-band clock recovery advantages
• Separation of clock recovery from the data allows for
greater flexibility (e.g. always “on” operation)
• Configurable for network conditions (e.g. packet rate
<1pps to >1,000pps)
• Far less susceptible to poor network conditions
 Adaptive Clock Recovery

Reference clock, only available at the server

• ƒ Service is frequency & phase encoded
• Accurate time stamp applied & packets sent via in-band or out-of-band
• Filtering of the of the arriving packets provides ƒ Service at the Client
node
Central Customer
Office Carrier PSN Premises
TDM Server Node Client Node TDM
Equipment In-Band Equipment

T1/E1
T1/E1 TDM to Time Packet
Queue
Packet Stamp to TDM

Primary Time
Reference Out-of-Band Stamp
Source

Clock
Encode Filter
ƒ Service ƒ Service
fReference
Adaptive Clock Recovery

No common reference required

Good jitter and wander performance is achievable
• ~2µS MTIE
• <15µS Frequency accuracy
Can work in conjunction with QoS mechanism
L2 networks offer the potential for better performance
BUT more susceptible to network conditions
• PDV
 Differential Clock Recovery

Reference clock available at server & client

• Only the difference between ƒ Service & ƒ Reference is transferred across
the PSN

Central Customer
Office Carrier PSN Premises
TDM Server Node Client Node TDM
Equipment In-Band Equipment

T1/E1
T1/E1 TDM to Time Packet
Queue
Packet Stamp to TDM
Time
Stamp
Out-of-Band Difference

Timing
Difference Add

ƒ Service Primary
ƒ Service
Reference
Source

fReference
fService is asynchronous to fReference
Differential Clock Recovery

Good jitter and wander performance

Largely unaffected by network delay, delay variation
and packet loss
• <1µS MTIE is achievable
• <15µS frequency accuracy
But requires a common reference clock at either end of
the packet network
Possible means of distributing a reference clock:
• Central Office clock
(if equipment is located in the CO)
• SONET clock
(e.g. if network uses Packet or Ethernet over SONET)
• GPS clock
 Combination Clock Recovery

Reference clock, only available at the server

• ƒ Service is encoded using adaptive technique & sent separate to
CESoP traffic
• Only the difference between the T1/E1 clocks & ƒ Service transferred
across the PSN
Central Customer
Office Carrier PSN Premises
TDM Server Node Client Node TDM
Equipment Equipment

T1/E1
T1/E1 TDM to Time Packet
Queue
Packet Stamp to TDM

Primary In-Band Time

Reference Timing
Difference Stamp
Source Difference

Add

fReference ƒ Service ƒ Service

Out-of-Band Filter

Clock Time
Encode Stamp
Key Performance Factors

PDV
• The nature of the PDV needs to be understood
Network loading
• Average network node loading
Packet Rate
• Increased rate of timing packet generally increases
performance
Complexity of the network
• Number of nodes, L2/L3
Drift Rate of the local oscillator
• OCXO, TCXO …
Further Performance Factors

Network disturbances
• Packet loss
• Network congestion/modulation/bursts
• Network outage
• Routing changes
• Night & day low frequency effects
Network models/characterization
• Performance models
• Test bench