Chassis Component Time Synchronization via Shared Profiles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Chassis components often have different timing configurations, leading to communication failures, firmware update issues, inventorying problems, job scheduling difficulties, and security vulnerabilities due to lack of time synchronization.
Innovation Solution
A platform and method for collecting and analyzing time configuration data from chassis components, generating a time configuration profile, and propagating it to synchronize time settings across components, using a DGCE engine for communication and a CTS module to ensure identical time configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If each chassis component uses independent time configuration, then each component can operate autonomously, but time synchronization between components deteriorates leading to communication failures and security vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies equipotentiality by establishing a common time reference level across all chassis components. The management service module acts as a time synchronization coordinator that distributes standardized time configuration parameters to all components, ensuring they operate at the same time reference potential. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining autonomous operation while achieving time synchronization through a unified time baseline.
Solution Approach 2:
The management service module serves as an intermediary between the external time source and individual chassis components. It collects time configuration data from components, analyzes discrepancies, generates standardized time profiles, and propagates corrections back to components. This intermediary mechanism enables autonomous components to achieve synchronized time without direct peer-to-peer coordination.
2Reliability
If time configuration is standardized across all chassis components, then time synchronization improves, but system complexity increases due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The management service module performs multiple functions within a single component: it collects time data from all chassis components, analyzes time configuration discrepancies, generates standardized time profiles, and propagates corrections. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating coordination tasks into one universal time synchronization manager rather than requiring separate mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system manages complexity by focusing on changing specific time configuration parameters (time zone, NTP server settings, daylight savings parameters) rather than reconfiguring entire component systems. The management service module generates time profiles containing standardized parameter values that are propagated to components, achieving synchronization through targeted parameter changes rather than comprehensive system reconfiguration.
3Measurement precision
If time configuration data is collected and analyzed from all components, then time synchronization accuracy improves, but processing time and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The management service module applies partial action by focusing time synchronization efforts on components that actually require correction. Rather than forcing reconfiguration on all components, it identifies components with time discrepancies through analysis and applies corrections only where needed. This reduces overall processing time while maintaining synchronization accuracy for the components that require it.
Data Source
AI summary
A method comprises collecting time configuration data from respective ones of a plurality of components of a chassis, analyzing the time configuration data to determine whether at least two components of the plurality of components have different time configurations from each other, and generating a time configuration profile in response to determining that the at least two components have different time configurations from each other. The time configuration profile is propagated to the plurality of components, wherein the plurality of components are configured to respectively apply the time configuration profile to synchronize time settings between the plurality of components.