Communications of timing messages over network paths

A first intermediate network device comprising:

• a hardware processor;
• and
• a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the hardware processor to:
• receive, over a first network link, a first timing message multicast by a clock source to initiate a time synchronization process to synchronize a clock sink to the clock source, wherein the clock sink is connected to a clock sink network device;
• forward, from the first intermediate network device, the first timing message over a second network link to the clock sink network device, wherein a first network path comprises the first network link and the second network link;
• receive, at the first intermediate network device that is part of the first network path, a first join message from a clock source network device that comprises the clock source, wherein the first join message is part of a plurality of join messages sent by the clock source network device to a plurality of intermediate network devices comprising the first intermediate network device between the clock source and the clock sink, wherein the plurality of join messages are responsive to a register message from the clock sink for indicating transmission of a second timing message to be sent by the clock sink;
• forward, from the first intermediate network device, the first join message to the clock sink network device;
• receive, at the first intermediate network device over the second network link from the clock sink network device, the second timing message multicast by the clock sink;
• and
• forward the second timing message over the first network link from the first intermediate network device to the clock source network device.

A method of a first network device comprising a clock source, comprising:

• sending, from the first network device over a first network path, a synchronization message of a time synchronization process to synchronize the clock source and a clock sink that is connected to a second network device;
• receiving, at the first network device, a register message associated with a timing message of the time synchronization process, the timing message responsive to the synchronization message and to be sent from the clock sink;
• based on receiving the register message, sending, from the first network device, a first join message to a first intermediate network device that is part of the first network path, and a second join message to a second intermediate network device that is part of a second network path different from the first network path, wherein the first join message is to cause building of forwarding information in the first intermediate network device and the second network device;
• and
• receiving, at the first network device over the first network path, the timing message sent by the clock sink, the timing message communicated over the first network path based on the forwarding information built in the first intermediate network device and the second network device.