Technical Summary
Clock synchronization protocols are very widely used in IP-based
networks. The Network Time Protocol (NTP) has been commonly deployed
for many years, and the last few years have seen an increasingly
rapid deployment of the Precision Time Protocol (PTP). As time-
sensitive applications evolve, clock accuracy requirements are
becoming increasingly stringent, requiring the time synchronization
protocols to provide high accuracy. Slave Diversity is a recently
introduced approach, where the master and slave clocks (also known as
server and client) are connected through multiple network paths, and
the slave combines the information received through all paths to
obtain a higher clock accuracy compared to the conventional one-path
approach. This document describes a multi-path approach to PTP and
NTP over IP networks, allowing the protocols to run concurrently over
multiple communication paths between the master and slave clocks.
Working Group Summary
The document has clear working group consensus for publication, and has
been reviewed by several WG participants since its initial adoption as a
working group item.
Document Quality
There have been multiple reviews of this document within the WG and it
has been revised to address those reviews.
Personnel
Karen O'Donoghue is the document shepherd. Suresh Krishnan is the
responsible Area Director.