Microchip has released firmware version 2.4 of the TimeProvider 4100 master clock

     Critical infrastructure such as utilities, transportation, and mobile networks rely on time to synchronize their networks. The main source of time is national timing systems such as the Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS), but GPS signals are vulnerable to interference and spoofing attacks. To continue providing secure timing solutions for critical infrastructure operators, Microchip Technology has released TimeProvider 4100 Master Clock V2.4 firmware with embedded BlueSky™ firewall capabilities. Detect potential threats and verify GNSS before using the signal as a time benchmark.

     "Security is of Paramount importance to operators," said Randy Brudzinski, vice president of Microchip's Frequency and Time Systems business unit. It is essential to ensure that the time reference used by the master clock is a valid signal and trustworthy. The TimeProvider 4100 master clock, with its built-in BlueSky GPS firewall, provides our customers with a cost-effective solution to protect against spoofing, jamming and other threats that can compromise the effectiveness of GNSS signals."

     Version 2.4 TimeProvider 4100 master clock adds IEEE 1588 power profile to enable gateway function between PTP telecom and power profile. With this device, utilities can connect communications and substation networks to support the convergence of information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) networks and continue to advance operator modernization.

     The number of new private networks continues to grow in places as diverse as factories, stadiums and mines. Version 2.4 of the TimeProvider 4100 Series comes with a time Sensitive Network (TSN) profile 802.1.AS that synchronizes these private networks. This feature provides private networks with a more accurate, autonomous time system for coordinating private network Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

     Depending on their unique deployment requirements, operators need the master clock to scale from supporting a small number of clients to supporting a large number of clients. Version 2.4 TP4100 can serve up to 2,000 Precise Time Protocol (PTP) clients, eliminating the need to deploy multiple master clocks to provide accurate time synchronization for a large number of base stations.

     As existing legacy communication signal equipment ages, they need to be migrated to a modern modular architecture. Version 2.4 of the TimeProvider 4100 master clock provides new modes of operation, including filtering traditional input signals, and provides the ability to act as a synchronous supply unit (SSU), enabling large SSU environments to migrate to the TimeProvider server architecture. This combines new protocols such as PTP, NTP, and SyncE with traditional signals on a large scale, enabling operators to retain traditional services while providing modern synchronous signals to support newer network architectures.

     Resilience is essential for a synchronous solution serving critical infrastructure. Failures can result in a decline or complete loss of service quality, which can affect customer satisfaction. Software redundancy helps improve the resilience of the TimeProvider 4100 Series master clock because it synchronizes two master clock devices in active/standby mode, and the standby device can provide services to network customers if the active device fails. Another important and valuable feature of the TimeProvider 4100 master clock in version 2.4 is the addition of a redundant mode that allows two devices to operate in active/active mode, providing flexibility based on customer preference. Customers in "active/active" mode benefit from having both master clock devices running at all times, while an "active/standby" configuration has one device not in use and in standby mode.