[ntp:questions] Getting PPS on a modern rack-mounted server?

Kevin Oberman oberman at es.net
Thu May 29 19:51:58 UTC 2008


> Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 15:10:35 -0400
> From: John Ioannidis <ntp at tla.org>
> Sender: questions-bounces+oberman=es.net at lists.ntp.org
> 
> 
> This may sound like an embarrassment of riches, but here is my problem: 
> I have some rack-mounted servers (IBM System x3650 to be precise) that I 
> need to synchronize with a PPS signal.  The problem is, of course, that 
> the machines have only one serial port, which I want to use as a serial 
> console, and of course they have no parallel ports.
> 
> Any suggestions?  Can I use a PCI serial card? Will that have acceptable 
> jitter?

John,

You may not need a PCI serial card.

Almost all rack-mount system with a single serial port also have a
header for the second serial port. I have many of these, though they are
SuperMicro, not IBM. The physical connector is a a bulkhead plate that
fits in the same place as a PCI card would be mounted.
-- 
R. Kevin Oberman, Network Engineer
Energy Sciences Network (ESnet)
Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)
E-mail: oberman at es.net			Phone: +1 510 486-8634
Key fingerprint:059B 2DDF 031C 9BA3 14A4  EADA 927D EBB3 987B 3751
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 224 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.ntp.org/pipermail/questions/attachments/20080529/a3441ad7/attachment.pgp>


More information about the questions mailing list