Synchronizing the Linux system time to a PTP hardware clock

Abstract

As computer and embedded systems are becoming more complex and distributed, keeping accurate time throughout the whole system becomes a challenging task. The IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol was designed to achieve very accurate synchronization in distributed environments. Linux is becoming the leading operating system for embedded devices, but little attention has been paid to the issue of how to internally synchronize the Linux system clock with the PTP hardware clock. Our paper presents the current status in this area, highlights possible solutions for this problem, and describes our efforts to address this key issue.