Clock Source Selection Using Sync Offset Recovery States
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Network elements in 5G networks face inefficiencies in operation and maintenance due to the inability to automatically select a clock source with higher quality after a failure, requiring manual intervention by personnel.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for a network device to automatically select a higher-quality clock source by monitoring synchronization offset data and adjusting clock settings based on recovered ports, using tag information to manage clock synchronization states and reduce resource occupation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the network element automatically monitors synchronization offset data and selects clock sources based on recovery status, then operation and maintenance efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional monitoring and determination mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The network element pre-establishes port attribute information including tag information that marks the synchronization status (normal or failed state) before actual clock source selection is needed. This preliminary preparation allows the element to quickly determine whether a port can be referenced during clock source selection without complex real-time analysis, thereby improving operational efficiency while managing device complexity through advance setup.
2Reliability
If the network element continuously monitors all ports for clock source selection, then the reliability of clock synchronization is improved, but the use of energy increases due to continuous monitoring operations
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuously monitoring all ports equally, the network element performs partial monitoring by only actively evaluating ports that are marked as being in a normal synchronization state (based on pre-stored port attribute information). The element references only those ports whose tag information indicates normal status, avoiding energy-intensive continuous monitoring of ports in failed states, thus reducing energy consumption while maintaining synchronization reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the network element uses tag information to manage port states, then the ease of operation is improved, but the loss of information increases due to additional data management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The network element extracts only the essential synchronization status information (normal or failed state) into compact tag information associated with each port's attribute data. This extraction approach simplifies operation by providing clear status indicators for clock source selection while minimizing information loss, as only the critical state designation is stored rather than complete port performance histories or detailed operational parameters.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
This application discloses a method and an apparatus for selecting a clock source and belongs to the field of communication. The method includes: A first network device obtains synchronization offset data between the first network device and a second network device through a first port in a clock synchronization failed state. The first network device determines, based on the synchronization offset data, whether to refer to, during clock source selection, clock information received by the first port. In this application, a clock source with higher quality can be automatically selected, to improve operation and maintenance efficiency.