Accurate and secure clock synchronization in data packet networks

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This research and development project is being carried out in collaboration with Ericsson Canada, continuing on a successful prior collaboration with both Nortel Networks and Ericsson Canada. Our research collaboration analyzes and models the nature of time synchronization across a large and complex network of interconnected computers and wireless base stations. The long term objective is to develop methods to securely synchronize a large network of computers and wireless base stations to a high degree of accuracy. The importance of clock synchronization is so that the system can achieve very high data rates. To achieve accurate synchronization one must account for small differences in local clock frequency, clock bias and varying transmission delays. These frequency differences manifest themselves as clock drift. Therefore, we need to continuously estimate individual clock drift and bias and account for these discrepancies. There will also be a number of connections to GPS receivers that will measure GPS clock time. As the number of connected clocks and GPS enabled base stations increase, we will be able to improve the clock synchronization. The long range goal will be to quantify the synchronization of the network as a function of the network topology. Network topology will affect transmission delays across the network. We will use various methods of system identification and learning algorithms to integrate all the time stamp measurements across the network to achieve a high degree of accuracy in synchronization.