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US 12,627,391 B2Granted
Integrating terrestrial time feed with data center distribution networks for clock synchronization
AssigneeEquinix, Inc.
InventorsDenis Phillip Reilly, Vadim Shmatko, Ankur Sharma, Venkatesan Ramakrishnan
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Abstract
In general, the disclosure describes techniques and devices for integrating a terrestrial time feed with one or more computer networks also having a global positioning source (GPS)-based reference time feed to provide improved computing device clock synchronization.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- receiving, by a computing system and via a terrestrial system, a first time signal originating from a first time source of a terrestrial time provider site, wherein the first time source is geographically distant from the computing system, and wherein the terrestrial system comprises a physical fiber that transmits the first time signal as an optical signal directly between a first patch panel local to the first time source and a second patch panel of a data center site hosting the computing system;
- receiving, by the computing system and via a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a GPS receiver of the data center site, a second time signal originating from the first time source;
- comparing, by the computing system, a time obtained from the first time signal to a time obtained from the second time signal over a time period;
- performing, by the computing system and based on the comparison, an action related to one or more of the first time signal or the second time signal;
- and
- providing, by the computing system and via a software-defined interconnection configured in a cloud fabric of the data center site, a timing service to one or more client devices based on the action and one or more of the first time signal or the second time signal.
3 more elements
A time synchronization system comprising:
- a first time source of a terrestrial time provider site;
- a Global Positioning System (GPS);
- a computing system hosted by a data center site;
- and
- a terrestrial system of the terrestrial time provider site, comprising a physical fiber that transmits a first time signal as an optical signal directly between a first patch panel local to the first time source and a second patch panel of the data center site hosting the computing system,
- wherein the computing system is configured to:
- receive, via the terrestrial system, the first time signal;
- receive, via a GPS receiver of the data center site, a second time signal originating from the first time source;
- compare a time obtained from the first time signal to a time obtained from the second time signal over a time period;
- perform an action related to one or more of the first time signal or the second time signal;
- and
- provide a timing service via a software-defined interconnection configured in a cloud fabric of the data center site to one or more client devices based on the action and one or more of the first time signal or the second time signal.
9 more elements
Non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause a computing system to:
- receive, via a terrestrial system, a first time signal originating from a first time source of a terrestrial time provider site, wherein the first time source is geographically distant from the computing system, and wherein the terrestrial system comprises a physical fiber that transmits the first time signal as an optical signal directly between a first patch panel local to a second time source and a second patch panel of a data center site hosting the computing system;
- receive, via a Global Positioning System (GPS) and a GPS receiver of the data center site, a second time signal originating from the first time source;
- compare a time obtained from the first time signal to a time obtained from the second time signal over a time period;
- perform, based on the comparison, an action related to one or more of the first time signal or the second time signal;
- and
- provide, via a software-defined interconnection configured in a cloud fabric of the data center site, a timing service to one or more client devices based on the action and one or more of the first time signal or the second time signal.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.