Timing Distribution Within a Network Element While Supporting Multiple Timing Domains

A method for distributing timing information from slave interfaces to master interfaces of a network element for a plurality of independent timing domains, each timing domain including a slave interface and one or more master interfaces, each slave interface coupled with a separate external master clock and each master interface coupled with a separate external slave clocks, the method comprising:

• synchronously transmitting a local time value to the slave interfaces and the master interfaces at periodic intervals;
• and
• for each timing domain, performing the following:
• receiving a master clock synchronization event at the slave interface from the coupled external master clock, the master clock synchronization event including a time value of the external master clock,
• determining timing information based on the master clock synchronization event and the local time value when the master clock synchronization event is received,
• asynchronously distributing the timing information to the one or more master interfaces,
• each master interface determining an adjusted synchronization event, to adjust for latency, based on the timing information and the local time value when the timing information is received, and
• transmitting each adjusted synchronization event to a corresponding external slave clock.

A machine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, if executed by a processor, will cause said processor to perform operations for distributing timing information from slave interfaces to master interfaces of a network element for a plurality of independent timing domains, each timing domain including a slave interface and one or more master interfaces, each slave interface coupled with a separate external master clock and each master interface coupled with a separate external slave clocks, the operations comprising:

• synchronously transmitting a local time value to the slave interfaces and the master interfaces at periodic intervals;
• and
• for each timing domain, performing the following:
• receiving a master clock synchronization event at the slave interface from the coupled external master clock, the master clock synchronization event including a time value of the external master clock,
• determining timing information based on the master clock synchronization event and the local time value when the master clock synchronization event is received,
• asynchronously distributing the timing information to the one or more master interfaces,
• each master interface determining an adjusted synchronization event, to adjust for latency, based on the timing information and the local time value when the timing information is received, and
• transmitting each adjusted synchronization event to a corresponding external slave clock.