OMNeT++ based modeling and simulation of the IEEE 1588 PTP clock

Time synchronization has played an important role in modern measurement and control systems which require high time accuracy to maintain optimal performance in sample acquisition, signal control and safety protection. The Ethernet/IP based IEEE 1588 precise time protocol (PTP) provides us a prospective solution. By means of taking hardware timestamps, the time synchronization accuracy can be kept in the range of sub-microsecond with minimal network load and low demand on computing resources. Based on the OMNeT++ simulator, we build the PTP ordinary clock model and simulate the typical process of the PTP clock synchronization. The complete clock synchronization process and its performance are both analyzed and evaluated.