[ntp:questions] NTP architecture recommendation

cray74 dietmar.baur at gmail.com
Thu Aug 16 13:05:48 UTC 2007


Hi,

I need to update the current NTP infrastructure of our company, to
have more accurate server internal timing (allowable offset during 24
hours: < 3 ms). I would appreciate comments on my proposed solution:

Topology:
HQ localted in central Europe, plus 3 datacenters spread over the
world (US, Asia).

Current setup:
two timeservers in the HQ, which sync to public NTP-servers on the
Inet.

Problem:
the offset between ALL servers needs to be < 3 ms; can't put GPS-
clocks in the datacenters (no GPS-signal); using free public NTP
servers is not good enough (low accuracy, high jitter because of a
number of different Inet-lines with changing latency)

My proposal:
1. set up two reference clocks in two separate locations in Europe
(where we got offices), each setup consisting of:
a) Meinberg Lantime M300 GPS with OCX LQ or even MQ in the office (ie.
where I can get the GPS signal)
b) Meinberg Lantime M300 MRS (no GPS antenna, just a precise internal
clock) in the server room (this one syncs to the first one)
2. the datacenters in the US/Asia will each contain one Meinberg
Lantime M300 MRS, syncing to the main 2 stratum 1 servers

Question:
1. Will this setup guarantee me the required accuracy?
2. Can the same be achieved with less investment?

Thanks for your feedback!

Cheers
db




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