Network management system and method for synchronization of communication network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021194613-A1
Application number	US-202017120843-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 14, 2020
Priority date	Dec 18, 2019
Publication date	Jun 24, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A synchronization method of a communication network, the synchronization method comprises monitoring a connection state of second communication nodes that are synchronized using a synchronization signal provided through a first communication node to which a synchronization source is connected, determining whether the number of the connected second communication nodes exceeds a reference value according to a result of the monitoring and switching a synchronization mode of at least one second communication node when the number of the second communication nodes exceeds a reference value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A synchronization method of a communication network, the synchronization method comprising:
monitoring a connection state of second communication nodes that are synchronized using a synchronization signal provided through a first communication node to which a synchronization source is connected; determining whether the number of the connected second communication nodes exceeds a reference value according to a result of the monitoring; and switching a synchronization mode of at least one second communication node when the number of the second communication nodes exceeds a reference value.

2 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the communication network comprises:
at least any one of a headend device, an extension device, and a remote device.

3 . The synchronization method of claim 2 , wherein the first communication node to which the synchronization source is connected is the extension device or the remote device.

4 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the communication network performs synchronization according to the IEEE 1588 PTP protocol.

5 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the first communication node operates as a grand master node in synchronization of the communication network.

6 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the second communication nodes operate in a synchronization mode of a transparent clock mode, a boundary clock mode, or a slave mode of the IEEE 1588 PTP protocol.

7 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the connection state of the second communication nodes comprises:
monitoring a connection state of the second communication nodes based on a slave count change event of the IEEE 1588 PTP protocol received from the first communication node.

8 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring of the connection state of the second communication nodes comprises:
monitoring the connection state of the second communication nodes using a connection tracking function of the IEEE 1588 PTP protocol of a second communication node capable of operating in a boundary clock mode from among the second communication nodes.

9 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the switching of the synchronization mode of the at least one second communication node comprises:
selecting the at least one second communication node capable of operating in a synchronization mode of a boundary clock mode from among the second communication nodes, and switching a synchronization mode of the at least one selected second communication node.

10 . The synchronization method of claim 9 , wherein the switching of the synchronization mode of the at least one second communication node comprises:
switching a synchronization mode of a second communication node located at the uppermost based on a transmission direction of a downlink communication signal from among second communication nodes capable of operating in the synchronization mode of the boundary clock mode.

11 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the reference value is set to a value smaller than the maximum slave node capacity of the first communication node.

12 . The synchronization method of claim 1 , wherein the second communication nodes set an IP address of the first communication node as a master IP address.

13 . The synchronization method of claim 12 , wherein, when the synchronization mode of the at least one second communication node is switched, a master IP address of at least some of the second communication nodes located lower than the second communication node in which the synchronization mode has been switched, from among the second communication nodes, is changed to an IP address of the second communication node in which the synchronization mode has been switched.

14 . The synchronization method of claim 13 , wherein the at least some of the second communication nodes is a communication node excluding a second communication node located between the first communication node and the second communication node in which the synchronization mode has been switched and a second communication node located lower than the second communication node, from among the second communication nodes.

15 . A network management system comprising:
a processor configured to determine, according to a result of monitoring a connection state of second communication nodes that are synchronized using a synchronization signal provided through a first communication node to which a synchronization source is connected, whether the number of the connected second communication nodes exceeds a reference value; and a communication interface configured to transmit a setting signal for switching a synchronization mode of at least one second communication node to the at least one second communication node when the number of the second communication nodes exceeds a reference value.

Assignees

• Solid Inc

Inventors

• Kwon Donghee
• Hong Hoopyo

Classifications

• H04J3/0641 Primary

  Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master · CPC title

• H04J3/0673 Primary

  using intermediate nodes, e.g. modification of a received timestamp before further transmission to the next packet node, e.g. including internal delay time or residence time into the packet · CPC title

• H04W56/0015

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title

• H04J3/0667

  Bidirectional timestamps, e.g. NTP or PTP for compensation of clock drift and for compensation of propagation delays (arrangements for monitoring round trip delays in packet switching networks H04L43/0864) · CPC title

• H04J3/0697

  Synchronisation in a packet node · CPC title