EMPLOYING CONFIGURATION INFORMATION TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF A SERVER IN A COORDINATED TIMING NETWORK

• US 20080183897A1
• Filed: 10/22/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dahlen, Dennis J., Crabtree, Donald, Sevigny, Denise M., Carlson, Scott M., Wierbowski, Judith A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,626 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/14 Time supervision arrangements, e.g. real time clock
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0635 Clock or time synchronisation in a network timer in protocols H04L69/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0641 Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0644 External master-clock
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A stratum-1 configuration for a timing network is defined. The stratum-1 configuration includes a single active stratum-1 server usable in ensuring that the servers in the network use the same primary reference time to synchronize their clocks. The servers in the network are synchronizing to the same root primary reference time and synchronization accuracy is not dependent on the quality of an external time source or of the existence of an external time source at the stratum-1 server.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to facilitate management of a coordinated timing network, said computer readable program code logic when executing performing the following;

obtaining by a server information relating to a configuration of a coordinated timing network having a timing facility for clock synchronization, wherein said configuration is one type of configuration of a plurality of types of configurations; and

determining, by the server, based on the obtained information a role of the server within the coordinated timing network.

2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said plurality of types of configurations comprise a null configuration, a single server configuration, a dual server configuration and a triad configuration.

3. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a null configuration in which a primary active server is undefined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as an unsynchronized server.

4. The article of manufacture of claim 3, further comprising the server connecting to another server that has a non-null stratum-1 configuration, and wherein the server in response to connecting becomes synchronized within the coordinated timing network.

5. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a single server configuration in which a primary active server is defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is either as the primary active server or as a secondary server that receives timing information from the primary active server.

6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein the determining is based on information in a stratum-1 configuration information block maintained at the server.

7. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a dual server configuration in which a primary active server and an alternate server are defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as the primary active server, the alternate server or as a server that is neither the primary active or alternate server.

8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein the determining is based on information in a stratum-1 configuration information block maintained at the server.

9. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a triad configuration in which a primary active server, an alternate server and an arbiter server are defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as the primary active server, the alternate server, the arbiter server, or as a server that is not the primary active server, alternate server, or arbiter server.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the determining is based on information in a stratum-1 configuration information block maintained at the server.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 1, further comprising performing an action by the server based on its determined role in the coordinated timing network, in response to an occurrence of a condition.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein the condition is a failure of a primary active server in a dual configuration or a triad configuration, and wherein the server takes over as primary active server for the failed primary active server.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein the server is in network communications with a primary active server via a Coordinated Timing Network configured to maintain time synchronization, the server receiving Server Time Protocol messages by way of said Coordinated Timing Network.

14. A system to facilitate management of a coordinated timing network, said system comprising:

a server to obtain information relating to a configuration of a coordinated timing network having a timing facility for clock synchronization, wherein said configuration is one type of configuration of a plurality of types of configurations; and

the server to determine based on the obtained information a role of the server within the coordinated timing network.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a null configuration in which a primary active server is undefined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as an unsynchronized server.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server connects to another server that has a non-null stratum-1 configuration, and wherein the server in response to connecting becomes synchronized within the coordinated timing network.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a single server configuration in which a primary active server is defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is either as the primary active server or as a secondary server that receives timing information from the primary active server.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a dual server configuration in which a primary active server and an alternate server are defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as the primary active server, the alternate server or as a server that is neither the primary active or alternate server.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a triad configuration in which a primary active server, an alternate server and an arbiter server are defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as the primary active server, the alternate server, the arbiter server, or as a server that is not the primary active server, alternate server, or arbiter server.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the server performs an action based on its determined role in the coordinated timing network, in response to an occurrence of a condition.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the server is in network communications with a primary active server via a Coordinated Timing Network configured to maintain time synchronization, the server receiving Server Time Protocol messages by way of said Coordinated Timing Network.

15. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

27. A method to facilitate management of a coordinated timing network, said method comprising:

obtaining by a server information relating to a configuration of a coordinated timing network having a timing facility for clock synchronization, wherein said configuration is one type of configuration of a plurality of types of configurations; and

determining, by the server, based on the obtained information a role of the server within the coordinated timing network.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a null configuration in which a primary active server is undefined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as an unsynchronized server.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a single server configuration in which a primary active server is defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is either as the primary active server or as a secondary server that receives timing information from the primary active server.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a dual server configuration in which a primary active server and an alternate server are defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as the primary active server, the alternate server or as a server that is neither the primary active or alternate server.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said information indicates that the server is in a triad configuration in which a primary active server, an alternate server and an arbiter server are defined, and wherein the server determines that its role is as the primary active server, the alternate server, the arbiter server, or as a server that is not the primary active server, alternate server, or arbiter server.