Hardware assisted COTS IEEE 1588 solution for x86 Linux and its performance evaluation

There exist large number of professional IEEE 1588 compatible components on the embedded system market from various suppliers. However, it is an open question if it is possible to build sub 1 microsecond precision, low cost IEEE 1588v2 compatible master clock and client solution using commercial off-the shelf (COTS) components, like standard x86 architecture PCs, regular network interface cards, and GPS receivers. In the paper we present our COTS solution using such hardware components. The software running on the COTS hardware is based on standard, non real-time Linux, the linuxptp IEEE 1588 implementation, and some other software developed for the project by us. We also present the performance evaluation of the developed solution, in which we compare the performance of the solution to professional equipment. The outcome of the evaluation shows that the developed solution is capable of providing sub 1 microsecond precision from the reference clock to the client.