IE5000 Can't start PTP

[Zagze]

Hi,

Have a IE5000 configured with GNSS. Original plan was to use the switch as NTP master. Then found out that it does not support NTP with GNSS - only PTP. My problem now is that I can't find a command to start and configure PTP?

Have configured PTP on IE4010, and that worked.

Any hint would be appreciated.

[Albert Mitchell]

Hello,

PTP is enabled by default as Transparent Mode in Default profile.   you don't need to do anything to 'start' it. 

what do you want teh IE5000 to do with PTP?   you mention GNSS,does this mean you want to use IE5000 as PTP GrandMaster Clock? 

can you share the PTP related configuration so far?   as well as output of 'show ptp clock', 'show ptp parent', 'show ptp ports', 'show ptp port counters messages|errors'

[Zagze]

Hi,

There is no command ptp? That's is my problem.

switch#sh ptp ?
% Unrecognized command

What I have is four IE5000. They are set up in two separate stacks. Each stack has GNSS configured and I would like them to be GrandMaster clock. Ideally so they can be used to set the time for all the other switches AND to be NTP time source for a Windows NTP server. For the network/switches it is fine with either ptp or ntp. (originally planned to use NTP all over, but that is not supported by the IE5000/GNSS?). Ideally I would like to have redundancy so that when one of the stacks goes down the other stack takes care of the time.

[Albert Mitchell]

PTP over IE5000 stack is relatively new feature.   are both IE5000 stacks running same SW version? According to my notes, PTP over stack starts with IOS SW version 15.2.8E.   have you looked at SW version?

[Zagze]

Hi Albert,

Yes, my version was lower than 15.2.8E. So I unstacked one of the switches and now the ptp was there.

Have not updated the switches yet. Will do that next.

Is it possible to use GNSS on the ie5000 switches in the scenario I outlined above?

Ie, can they act as grand master clock(s) and also function as NTP server(s) for Windows servers?

If not directly from the ie5000, is there a way to get the time to the Windows servers via another switch (ie4010 or C9200L)?

Regards, Zagze

[Albert Mitchell]

With GNSS,the IE5000 can operate as Grandmaster for PTP clock.  However, PTP cannot be source of time for NTP.   if you need to provide NTP time to Windows Servers, you cannot use PTP as time source.  its a limitation of the PTP implementation.  there is no workaround.

the IE500's can operate as NTP time source, but if you enable GNSS for PTP adn you enable NTP, you'll be dealing with two different time sources.  the time may be very very close, but not exact.  and not in sync (at least not in sync to the microsecond or millisecond level).

[Zagze]

Just so that I understand it correctly:

- GNSS can sync to NTP

I thought that GNSS only could update PTP?

I don't need super exact time (milli, micro or even second) and I don't need PTP. So any sync from GNSS that updates NTP would do.

[bseklecki]

The IE-5000 descendent, Catalyst IE-9300, supports "ntp refclock ptp" (to be a PTP Boundary Clock, for example) and relay that time to NTP server.

However, I'm struck by the implication that an IE-5000 cannot use its` GNSS Feed to be both an NTP master and a PTP GrandMaster? Seems implausible/improbable.   I will try it to day on 2024 firmware.

[Albert Mitchell]

GNSS cannot sync to NTP.   GNSS is for satellites and global positioning.

If you need NTP, then you need to source time from an NTP server.  GNSS cannot help with this. 

[Zagze · Accepted solution]

Hi Albert,

I see that the IE5000 don't support GNSS sourcing to NTP now. Thanks for that clarification. It is a pity though

Support for GNSS to NTP would make the device more useful. Hope that will be implemented in the future.

I do need the satellite sourced time. The site is a closed network.

Will have to look into other devices, like this one: https://timemachinescorp.com/product/gps-ntpptp-network-time-server-10mz-output-tm2500/

Or, maybe, windows/linux solutions/hacks to get PTP from the IE5000 switches.

Found out that Windows 10 and Server 2019 has PTP client support: https://github.com/microsoft/W32Time

Many thanks for your help!