Simgenet GNSS Server

Simgenet GNSS Server

The Simgenet GNSS Server is a device that provides your entire network with a single accurate and reliable source of time. It takes highly precise time from satellites (GNSS) and distributes it to the servers, network devices and recording systems on your network, so that every device sees the same moment. It is designed for all organizations where accurate time is critical — from power transmission and distribution to telecom networks, finance and broadcasting. It offers the widely used PTP and NTP time protocols on a single platform and distributes reliable, nanosecond-level time across the network.

GM and BC Modes: One Software, Two Roles

The same device and the same software can operate in two different roles. In Grandmaster (T-GM) mode, the device disciplines the time it receives from the GNSS receiver, becomes the primary time source of the network and distributes time downstream; in this mode the device sits at the top of the timing hierarchy and operates in the ITU-T G.8272 PRTC-A primary reference time clock class. In Boundary Clock (T-BC) mode, the device receives time from an upstream grandmaster over a PTP uplink port, regenerates it and distributes it to downstream devices, thereby extending the timing chain across the network while recovering accuracy at each hop.

The role is selected through the device's per-port configuration matrix: assigning a port as an uplink in a domain automatically switches that domain to Boundary Clock mode and locks it to the upstream grandmaster, while with no uplink selected the device operates as a GNSS-locked grandmaster in that domain. These transitions happen without rebooting the device, and different domains can run on different ports simultaneously (multi-domain). Each Ethernet port on the device can be assigned to a separate domain, profile and role (master or slave).

Timing Accuracy and Standards

The device uses hardware-level timestamping on its data ports and operates at ITU-T G.8273.2 Class-A node accuracy. In grandmaster mode it produces time in the G.8272 PRTC-A class (≤100 ns); the field-measured GNSS RMS is approximately 19–21 nanoseconds and the filtered maximum time error (maxTE) is approximately 38 nanoseconds. When the GNSS signal is lost, the device continues to hold time within a defined budget thanks to its high-stability holdover oscillator.

PTP Profiles, NTP and Monitoring

The device distributes IEEE 1588v2 PTP over the telecom profiles ITU-T G.8275.1 (Layer 2, end-to-end, domains 24–43) and G.8275.2 (Layer 3/UDP-IPv4, domains 44–63), as well as the power-utility profile IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3 (peer-to-peer). It also operates as a GNSS-disciplined Stratum-1 NTP server. All connected PTP clients are monitored via in-band IEEE 1588 management without requiring a separate management network; PRTC metrics (constant time error cTE, filtered maximum time error maxTE, dynamic time error dTE) are continuously tracked and all events are recorded in a black box.

Management and Security

The management interface is comprehensive yet simple and user-friendly. The entire time infrastructure is managed from a single panel through the BC Overview, PTP, Port Monitor, NTP, Events, Statistics, Upstream-GM/Uplink, System Health and Configuration sections; port-to-domain mappings are configured easily on an Excel-like matrix table. On the security side, the device provides HTTPS-enforced management, role-based access, central authentication (RADIUS, LDAP, TACACS+).