System and method for synchronizing time across a computer cluster
US6199169A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 15, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F1/14
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system for time synchronization in a computer cluster is provided. For the system of the present invention a master node sends a SYNC message including a first time stamp to a slave node. The slave node adds a second time stamp and returns the SYNC message to the master node. The master node then adds a third time stamp to the SYNC message. Using the three time stamps, the master node determines if the time clock within the slave node leads or follows the time clock in the master node. The calculation does not depend on the assumption that transmission delays to the slave node are the same as the transmission delays from the node. If the time clocks do not match, the master node sends an INFO message to the slave node informing the slave node of the correct time for clocks within the computer cluster.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.