GPS Time Server Specialists Expand into Russia

Following success of their recent expansion into Europe, Galleon Systems have expanded their market presence with a new website in Russian. The time synchronisation and NTP server and GPS time specialist have also employed Russian speaking sales and technical support.

Despite the massive economic downturn, Galleon Systems are a continual success story that have recently employed native speakers in Polish, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English have now added Russian to their team of multilingual employees.

The company’s new ntp server website  is now up and running and the first Russian orders have started to come in.  Managing Director Mark Neal said: “Many companies will sell products globally without offering the relevant support. Many clients rely on our products to keep their networks and businesses running smoothly, which is why we feel it is important to offer the relevant technical support along with the actual hardware itself.

“For this reason we have ensured that any potential customers from Russia and its satellite countries will be able to communicate effectively with members of our staff.”

Atomic Clocks and the GPS Time Server

Atomic clocks have been around since the 1950’s when NPL (National Physical Laboratory) in the UK developed the first reliable caesium based clock. Before atomic clocks, electronic clocks were the most accurate method of keeping track of time but while an electrical clock may lose a second in every week or so, a modern atomic clock will not lose a single second in hundreds of millions of years.

Atomic clocks are not just used to keep track of time. The atomic clock is an integral part of the GPS system (Global Positioning System) as each GPS satellite has its own onboard atomic clock that generates a time signal that is picked up by GPS receivers who can calculate their position by using the precise signal from three or more satellites.

Atomic clocks need to be used as the signal s from the satellites travel at the speed of light and as light travels nearly 300,000 km each second any slight inaccuracy could put navigation out by miles.

A GPS time server is a network time server that uses the time signal from the GPS network’s satellites to synchronise the time on computer networks. A GPS time server often uses NTP (Network Time Protocol) as a method of distributing time which is why these devices are often referred to as NTP GPS time servers.

Computer networks that are synchronised using a dedicated time server are normally synchronised to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and while the GPS signal is not UTC, GPS time, like UTC, is based on International Atomic Time (TAI) and is easily converted by NTP.

GPS Time Server – Accuracy from space

The GPS network (Global Positioning System), is commonly known as a satellite navigation system. It however, actually relays a ultra-precise time signal from an onboard atomic clock.

It is this information that is received by satellite navigation devices that can then triangulate the position of the receiver by working out how long the signal has taken to arrive from various satellites.

These time signals, like all radio transmissions travel at the speed of light (which is close to 300,000km a second). It is therefore highly important that these devices are not just accurate to a second but to a millionth of a second otherwise the navigation system would be useless.

It is this timing information that can be utilized by a GPS time server as a base for network time. Although this timing information is not in a UTC format (Coordinated Universal Time), the World’s global timescale, it easily converted because of its origin from an atomic clock.

A GPS time server can receive the signal from a GPS aerial although this does need to have a good view of the sky as the satellites relay their transmissions via line-of-sight.
Using a dedicated GPS time server a computer network can be synchronised to within a few milliseconds of NTP (milli=1000th of a second) and provide security and authentication.

Following the increase use of GPS technology over the last few years, GPS time servers are now relatively inexpensive and are simple and straight forward systems to install.

GPS Time Server – A Revolution in Chronology

A GPS time server is often called a GPS clock although this is a misnomer. In fact a GPS time server simply relays the time from an external source around a network it doesn’t keep time itself.

The GPS time server receives its timing signal from the GPS network (Global Positioning System) and has revolutionised the way computers are able to keep track of time.

The GPS network is controlled by the US military and it was due to a military accident involving an airliner that the US government allowed the GPS network to be utilised by civilians around the globe.

The GPS system works by relaying precise time information which can be calculated by a GPS receiver to work out distances. This precise timing information is generated by an onboard atomic clock in the satellite and it is this atomic clock that a GPS time server receives the time from.

Without GPS the only other alternatives to receiving a time signal that relays UTC time (coordinated universal time) would be to use the national time and frequency radio broadcasts transmitted by several national physics laboratories, although these are not available everywhere. Alternatively the only other solution is to use the Internet which means using a device external to your firewall and also a time server that cannot be proven accurate.

GPS Time Server – Utilising Satellite Navigation as a Timing Source

Satellite navigation has been around for the last few decades courtesy of the American military controlled GPS system (Global Positioning System). The GPS network is currently the World’s only GNSS (global navigation satellite system, although Europe, Russia and China are developing their own.

GNSS systems like GPS are based on the same principle. A constellation of satellites orbiting the Earth each have onboard an atomic clock. These clocks are accurate to within a few microseconds and it is this time-telling accuracy that allows satellite navigation possible.

The GPS satellite continually transmits its location along with the time told by its atomic clock. It is this information that is received by a satellite navigation unit that works out how long the message took to arrive from the satellite and therefore the distance away from it. By using four or more satellites a GPS receiver can triangulate its exact position.

Atomic clocks have to be used onboard the satellites as even tiny inaccuracies in time could cause huge errors in navigation. The signals from the satellites travel at the speed of light which can manage 300,000 km every second so even a millisecond out would make the satellite navigation inaccurate by hundreds of kilometres.

Because of its accuracy, this timing signal broadcast from the onboard atomic clocks can be utilised as a source of UTC time by a GPS time server. A GPS antenna connected to a dedicated time server can synchronise a computer network to within a few milliseconds of UTC time.

GPS Time Server Troubleshooting Tips

A GPS time server is probably the most secure, accurate and reliable method of receiving a UTC time signal (Coordinated Universal Time). However, some problems do occur but fortunately the solutions are relatively straightforward.

One of the most common causes for problems with a GPS time server is in failure to receive a signal. While the GPS transmission is extremely impervious to weather interference and as most GPS time servers can receive a signal from between one and twelve different satellites, the transmission is very robust. If a signal is not being received then the first point of call is the antenna.

A GPS time server antenna needs to have a clear view of the sky this is because the signal from the satellites works by direct line-of-sight. While the signal is robust avoid placing the transmitter near to a satellite dish or other broadcast aerial as this could interfere with the signal. Also be aware of foliage which can creep over the antenna and block the signal. Some GPS antennas can work through a window, however the window must not have any coating on the glass such as E-glass and there must still be a direct line of sight from the window to the satellite.

The cable connecting the antenna can also cause problems. Ensure there are no breaks and that the cable is not too long for the specifications of the antenna. Too much cable and the signal may not have enough strength to make the distance.

A much rarer problem for a GPS time server would be trouble with the receiver. Fortunately most dedicated GPS time servers have a reset and test mode. If you are confident that the antenna is in fully working and operational order then reset the receiver and run the test mode.

If all the above fails it is possible that the unit is faulty and should be returned to your manufacture or supplier.

Why a GPS Time Server

Just as your computer is only as good as the software it is running (and in most cases the operator too), a time server is only as useful as the timing source it uses.

Accuracy is of course the fundamental feature in time servers and Network Time Protocol (NTP) has been designed to ensure the highest accuracy possible is always obtainable.

Unfortunately many administrators opt to use an Internet timing source to run their time server with. Unfortunately several studies of Internet timing references discovered that nearly two thirds were inaccurate by over several seconds (almost an eternity in the world of NTP) and those that weren’t were often too far away from a client to provide reliable accuracy.

Probably the most accurate and widely used method of retrieving a reliable time reference is to use a dedicated GPS Time Server.

The Global Positioning System is ideal to provide an accurate timing reference as each global positioning satellite contains an atomic clock that beams timing information directly to Earth. As these satellites are in a relatively low and known orbit the distance the signal travels can be compensated for by the GPS time server ensuring a high level of accuracy.

Another benefit is that a GPS time server will always be able to receive a signal no matter where in the world it is situated as long as the GPS antenna can have a clear view of the sky, enabling it to communicate with a satellite.

A GPS time server are also relatively inexpensive and advances in GPS technology means the costs are perennially falling. There is a downside to a GPS server in that to ensure the antenna can spot a satellite it needs to be situated  on certain buildings this can be expensive, impractical or even impossible as the maximum cable length should never exceed 100 metres.

The NTP Choice – GPS Time Server or Radio Receiver

NTP (Network Time Protocol) has been around for a long time now. First conceived in the early eighties it has been providing synchronisation for over 25 years.

Many people assume that because they are running NTP then their networks are perfectly synchronised and running accurate UTC time (UTC – Coordinated Universal Time – the world’s standard timescale).

However, NTP is a protocol designed for synchronisation and does just that it synchronises. NTP can synchronise time from an atomic clock that doesn’t lose more than a second every million years or so or to a cheap plastic wrist watch that runs a minutes slow each week. A time server is therefore only as good as the timing reference that it uses to synchronise to.

Many administrators select a timing source from the Internet and automatically assume that their server is running accurate UTC time. However, many Internet timing sources are wholly inaccurate and those that are not can often be too far away from a client to provide any hope of an accurate time source, not to mention the fact that Internet timing references can’t be authenticated and can leave a system open to a malicious attack.

Fortunately there are two methods that can provide both accurate and secure timing information to a time server. The first method is to use a radio referenced time server. These simple pieces of kit receive the national time and frequency transmission that many countries broadcast. This signal can be picked up usually within a 1000km of the transmitter and provides accuracy to within a few milliseconds. unfortunately places outside the transmission’s country of origin or areas with topographical features such as mountains may struggle to receive a signal.

Fortunately a GPS time server can receive a signal anywhere on Earth as long as the antenna can see a patch of blue sky. Also a GPS time server provides slightly better accuracy than a radio referenced one. They are also relatively inexpensive, however, the antenna does normally have to go to the roof which can bring with it its own costs.

Galileo – GPS Time Server Implications

In the field of high precision time keeping and frequency measurement the Global Positioning System (GPS) has had its own way for a long time.

The signals broadcast by the American Military’s Global Satellite Navigation System (GNSS) has provided timing references since the late 1990’s and is used worldwide as a timing source in hundreds of thousands of GPS time servers. Now GPS is to receive competition from not just the proposed European Galileo system but the Russians and Chinese are attempting to get into the act.

Currently the GPS is the world’s only fully functioning, global navigation satellite system, however, the European Union and European Space Agency agreed in 2002 for a European alternative called Galileo which is scheduled to be fully operational by 2012-2013.

The Russian Glonass system, which was fully operational during the height of the Cold War but had fallen into disrepair after the collapse of Soviet Union, has also been vowed to be patched up and to be fully operational again by 2010. A Chinese system called Compass is also being developed although some doubt exists as to whether it will be a stand alone system or be incorporated into Europe’s Galileo network, India have also proposed there own system.

Galileo which is expected to work alongside the GPS system providing timing references from 2013. The broadcasts will be similar to those currently received by a GPS time server and the two systems should work well together as Galileo is designed to be interoperable with GPS.

This means there will be close correspondence between the signals from the two systems, and most of the frequencies used by the Galileo satellite signals will be similar to GPS signals. This will  increase accuracy of Galileo as well as increasing the capabilities of GPS as only minor software alterations will be needed for a  current GPS time server to be able to locate Galileo satellites too. The great advantage of this is that it will be able to see around twice as many satellites providing better accuracy

Although Galileo is intended to have somewhat better positioning and timing performance than the current GPS system, the difference will be reduced or even disappear with a planned modernisation of GPS, designed to ensure the US system doesn’t lag behind the next generation.

Galileo is expected to be fully operational, by 2013, with timing and positioning signals available at the same time.

Benefits of a GPS Time Server

The American GPS system is currently revolutionising the way we navigate. Once a secretive Cold War military weapon it now adorns the dashboards of one in three cars.

But GPS is much more than a handy navigational tool. The constellation of 24 satellites each contain some of the world’s most accurate chronometers in the shape of atomic clocks. These provide such accuracy in timing that a million years could pass and not even a second would have been gained or lost

These clocks are what enable us to pinpoint our location on Earth as a GPS receiver can workout how long the timing signal took to reach it and therefore how far away from the satellite it is. Using three or four satellites means an exact location can be pin-pointed by triangulation. Atomic clocks need to be used as just one seconds inaccuracy could mean a location could be hundreds of thousands of miles out because of the vast distances radio signals can travel in that time.

These timing signals can also be utilised to provide extremely accurate synchronisation for computer networks by receiving the timing signal via a GPS antenna connected to a GPS time server. A GPS time server uses NTP (Network Time Protocol) to synchronise machines on a network.

Because of the accuracy of the atomic clocks a GPS Time Server can obtain an accuracy to within a few hundred nanoseconds of UTC time (a nano is one billionth of a second)

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is a global timescale developed after the invention of the atomic clock. It is a standardised time scale base on Greenwich Meantime but allows for the minute slowing of the Earth’s rotation (caused by the Moon’s gravity).

A GPS time server can also receive a timing signal from anywhere in the world (as long as it can get a clear view of the sky)