Hybrid Time Feed Integration for Secure Data Center Clock Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
In hybrid cloud environments, achieving precise time synchronization across computing devices is challenging due to clock drift and the reliance on unreliable public internet connections, which can lead to accuracy issues and security vulnerabilities.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a terrestrial time feed with a GPS-based reference time feed through a cloud fabric, utilizing redundant GPS antennas and terrestrial fiber connections, and implementing a synchronization engine to provide secure, precise, and resilient time synchronization using protocols like PTP and NTP, while mitigating risks from jamming and spoofing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS-based time synchronization is used, then time synchronization accuracy is improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to jamming and spoofing threats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines GPS-based time synchronization with terrestrial time feed infrastructure to create a hybrid synchronization system. The system integrates signals from both GPS satellites and terrestrial time sources (such as NIST time distribution) to provide redundant time reference paths, thereby maintaining accuracy while reducing vulnerability to single-point failures or malicious interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary time synchronization server that receives and compares time signals from both GPS and terrestrial sources. This intermediary component processes the time data, determines the most reliable time reference, and distributes synchronized time to network devices, effectively mediating between the two time sources and protecting against malicious signals.
2Reliability
If terrestrial time feed is integrated with data center networks, then time synchronization reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal time synchronization server that handles multiple time source types (GPS and terrestrial) and serves diverse network devices within the data center. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single manageable component rather than requiring separate synchronization mechanisms for different device types.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the time synchronization server continuously monitors the quality and reliability of time signals from both GPS and terrestrial sources. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts which time source to trust more, automatically adapting to changing conditions without requiring manual reconfiguration of complex synchronization parameters.
3Stability of the object's composition
If hybrid cloud environment time synchronization is implemented, then time consistency across distributed systems is improved, but the difficulty of time synchronization increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the time synchronization function into distinct components: a time synchronization server that handles the complex coordination logic, and client devices that simply receive and apply time adjustments. This segmentation allows the complexity of managing multiple time sources and networks to be isolated in the server component, simplifying the overall system architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures accurate, scalable, and secure time synchronization across networks by leveraging the cloud fabric, enhancing precision and reducing the need for public internet synchronization, thus improving system resilience and security.
Implementation Method 1
the terrestrial system comprises a physical fiber that transmits the first time signal as an optical signal on at least a portion of a path between the first time source and the computing system
Data Source
AI summary
In general, the disclosure describes techniques and devices for integrating a terrestrial time feed with one or more computer networks also having a global positioning source (GPS)-based reference time feed to provide improved computing device clock synchronization.