Hirschmann MACH 4000 Series, User Manual

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Synchronizing the System Time of the
Basic - L3P
Release 3.1 06/07
103
7 Synchronizing the System
Time of the Network
The real meaning of the term real time depends on the time requirements of
the application.
The Switch provides two options with different levels of accuracy for
synchronizing the time in your network.
If you only require accuracies in the order of milliseconds, the Simple Net-
work Time Protocol (SNTP) offers a low-cost solution. Accuracy depends on
signal running time.
Areas of application of this protocol are:
– log entries,
– time stamping of production data,
– production control, etc.
The Precision Time Protocol (PTP), which is described in the IEEE 1588
standard, achieves accuracies in the order of fractions of microseconds.
This superior method is suitable for process control, for example.
Choose the protocol which best meets your requirements. When using both
protocols at the same time, bear in mind that they interact.