Packet Network Synchronisation

Introduction and Rakon Solutions

Networks are transitioning from circuit switched to packet switched to become more ecient, exible and cost eective. With time
critical services such as audio and real time video being transported through the inherently asynchronous Packet Networks, Timing
over Packet technologies such as IEEE1588 is used to support synchronization and is becoming prominent. The requirements of
Synchronization designs posing challenges to traditional methods.
Rakon has characterised various types of oscillators under changing environmental conditions for the loop time periods relevant
to IEEE 1588v2. Rakon presents a wide range of oscillators that economically t a wide range of application requirements in the
IEEE 1588 space.

Medium Term Stability Challenges for Oscillators Used in IEEE 1588v2

The local synchronised oscillator is moving from a physical layer
based, phase or frequency locked loop, to a time locked system
via secondary layer protocols. The non stochastic nature of the
Packet Delay Variations (PDV) force the loop to have smaller
bandwidths and thus longer time constants.
Oscillators present themselves as high pass lters in the control
loop, thus smaller loop bandwidths can mean that the medium
term stability performance of an oscillator is important to the
overall system performance. Eectively the oscillators stability
performance is now dominated by environmental changes
during the extended time periods.
The oscillator stability over the medium term (minutes to hours)
is either poorly characterised or not been accounted for at all,
since the stability under these conditions is covered indirectly
by other oscillator/system specications.

Historically there have been only two oscillator / lock

bandwidth combinations, namely Stratum 3 and Stratum 3E.
For Stratum 3 oscillators, the eect of variable temperature on
TDEV and MTIE was likely to be minimal since the oscillator has
a lock bandwidth in the 0.1 to 10 Hz range (time constants of
1.6s to 0.02s) and any slow changes in frequency due to, for
example, temperature uctuations were ltered out.
Conversely, with the Stratum 3E oscillator, because of the very
high stability required for the variable temperature stability
requirement (5 ppb), small changes in temperature would not
aect the TDEV and MTIE even with a 1 millihertz (mHz) lock
bandwidth (time constants of 160s.

Packet Based Synchronization

Rakon Devices

Stability

Slope

Aging

t * = 1s

t * = 3s

t * = 7s

Band Width

ROX5242T2
(10 MHz)

0.2 ppb
-20 to 70C

Positive

0.07
ppb/day

3 hours

12 hours

36 hours

0.1 mHz

ROX3827T3
(10MHz)

1 ppb
-20 to 70C

Positive

0.1
ppb/day

1 hour

6 hours

12 hours

0.3 mHz

ROX2522S4
(10MHz)

5 ppb
-20 to 70C

0.5
ppb/C

0.5
ppb/day

30 minutes

2 hours

4 hours

1 mHz

RMO1490B

10 ppb
-40 to 85C

2
ppb/C

1
ppb/day

20 minutes

35 minutes

55 minutes

0.05 mHz

RFPO45 G.8263

20 ppb
-40 to 85C

2
ppb/C

1
ppb/day

20 minutes

35 minutes

55 minutes

0.05 ~ 3 mHz

* t: Time to reach phase error limit with 20C temperature variation (T) at 10C/hour

www.rakon.com
Rakon Limited
(Corporate Head Ofce)

Rakon Europe Limited

(Europe, Middle East, Africa)

Rakon Taiwan
Representative Ofce (Asia)

Rakon Limited Shenzhen

Representative Ofce (China)

Rakon America LLC

(Americas)

Phone: +64 (9) 573 5554

Fax: +64 (9) 573 5559
Email: sales@rakon.com

Phone: +44 (1522) 883500

Fax: +44 (1522) 883524
Email: info@rakon.com

Phone: +886 (2) 2759 0259

Fax: +886 (2) 2759 2668
Email: sales@rakon.com

Phone: +86 (755) 8283 5991

Fax: +86 (755) 8283 5990
Email: sales@rakon.com

Phone: +1 (847) 930 5100

Fax: +1 (847) 844 3236
Email: sales@rakon.com

Packet Network Synchronisation

Right oscillator for right application
At Rakon we have the expertise to help determine the best oscillator solution for our customers systems requirements. Oscillator
solutions require knowledge of the dierential in frequency versus the dierential in temperature. Full characterisation is determined
by dening the temperature ramp and measurement rate and a detailed analysis over the characterisation time period.

MercuryTM and Conventional OCXO

Rakons RFPO45 G.8263, RMO1490B and ROX2522S4 OCXO are designed for bandwidths of 3 ~ 1 mHz and below and for very tight
holdover performance, these products are designed for the most stringent system requirements.
For systems that does not require holdover, oscillators that are compliant to G.8263 specications may still provide the wander
ltering necessary to meet the TDEV / MTIE requirements. The challenge for the system designer is to assess which oscillator will
work at which lock bandwidth and still meet the implied TDEV/MTIE requirements in locked conditions and assess what oscillators
may be required to provide adequate holdover for specied duration of time required by the application. This is where Rakon can
help.
RFPO45 - 40/85oC (10oC/hour) 3 mHz loop lter

ROX2522S4 - 40/85oC (10oC/hour) 1 mHz loop lter

G.8263 OP1 MTIE
G.8263 OP2 MTIE

G.8263 OP1 MTIE

High-end Telecom OCXO

Rakons ROX5242T2 and ROX3627T3 have the best stability performance. They are designed
for bandwidths of 0.3 ~ 0.1 mHz and below and for very tight holdover performance, these
products are designed for systems that require frequency and time holdover will require
Stratum 3E or higher temperature stability performance.
The non - stationary nature of the PDVs impose new requirements for the local oscillator. Loops operate with lock bandwidths in the
10 mHz to 0.1 mHz (time constant 1600s) region to lter the wander introduced by PDV. System specications of frequency stability,
holdover requirements for frequency and if required phase will determine the requirements for Oscillators.

Rkon Contribution to ITU-T

Rakon proposed a Thermal Prole
to represent a more realistic usage
environment and most chipset vendors
and OEMs suppported thie contribution.
E.g.: The limit is 20C movement at
(0.5C/min or t 1C/min as required)
be taken to cover both the external
environmental eects.
www.rakon.com
Rakon Limited
(Corporate Head Ofce)

Rakon Europe Limited

(Europe, Middle East, Africa)

Rakon Taiwan
Representative Ofce (Asia)

Rakon Limited Shenzhen

Representative Ofce (China)

Rakon America LLC

(Americas)

Phone: +64 (9) 573 5554

Fax: +64 (9) 573 5559
Email: sales@rakon.com

Phone: +44 (1522) 883500

Fax: +44 (1522) 883524
Email: info@rakon.com

Phone: +886 (2) 2759 0259

Fax: +886 (2) 2759 2668
Email: sales@rakon.com

Phone: +86 (755) 8283 5991

Fax: +86 (755) 8283 5990
Email: sales@rakon.com

Phone: +1 (847) 930 5100

Fax: +1 (847) 844 3236
Email: sales@rakon.com