QSync Time & Sync as a Service

For datacenters, cloud providers & bare metal service providers

An end to end comprehensive multi-tiered precise timing solution for multiple applications

Precise time is essential and mission critical for many emerging growing applications and market segments.

The opportunity is growing for data centers and cloud based service providers, as more and more compute functions migrate to leveage data centers, bare metal and cloud services.

Applications

• 5G networks
• Power smart grid infrastructure
• Financial trading
• Real time sensor / data fusion
• Industry 4.0
• Smart transport applications

Key Technologies & Capabilities

• Versatile products and software with full support of multiple profiles and applications
• Monitoring & service assurance metrics technology
• Precision wireless time distribution (WiFi & unlicensed ISM band)
• Ensembling algorithms for integrating the best timing signals
• Time and real-time data fusion platform (QFuze™)

The problem

Technologies to deploy a timing solution has remained more or less unchanged over the last two decades with minor changes.

The typical way is to use a time server to derive precision time sync from GPS / GNSS signals, and then use packet based protocols to distribute it to the end-point systems across a wired network.

This approach creates some pain points for the industry:

• Customers have no way to have assurance or monitoring of the performance at their end-point
• Installations & wiring requirements complex, capital intensive and not scalable
• Time servers require specialized knowledge to install, operate and maintain
• Increasing vulnerability from jamming devices cause concern for mission critical operations

Solution

Qulsar’s end-to-end solution is a customizable comprehensive timing solution that enables data center customers (including bare metal customers) to obtain a high precision, tiered, fault tolerant, flexible time as a service.

Micro-services layered on top of this tiered QSync TSaaS platform offer digital contextual notary and the ability to stitch real time data (especially sensor data) with precise time enabling deep insight and process automation not available today.

Service Operation

Qulsar's approach offers rapid turn-on service:

• Datacenter deploys a Qulsar end to end time service
• Customer configures their QSync™ TSaaS requirements on the configurator portal
• Customer installs a “client” timing application on systems (devices) that require precise synchronized time in their organization / network
• Time synchronization is delivered to the target systems
• The target system stays precisely time synchronized through QSync TSaaS
• Customers monitor their TSaaS 24/7/365 through a cloud based dashboard
• Customers are notified if any alerts or alarms need special attention
• Customers add additional systems or services or change the precision needed

Service tiers & delivery modes

• From QSync Cloud Cluster (simplest)
• From Cloud Cluster, using an on-premise boundary clock (plug-in NIC)
• From dedicated local edge GM with Qsync Cloud Cluster back up

PTP / NTP GMs and monitoring software can be accessed by the customer’s systems from the web.  The customer may elect to supplement this with an on-site boundary clock NIC or even a local (edge) GM device.

In addition to this high precision time synchronization platform, some unique innovative microservices are offered as options (verifiable traceability logs, digital notary and sensor data fusion are some examples).

Conclusion

The world’s systems are becoming deeply interconnected, and timing is becoming a mission critical requirement for efficient operations, process control and automation of industrial operations and systems.  The QSync TSaaS is a simple, rapid, scalable way to power up the data center’s infrastructure and bare metal servers with industry leading technology and extend its reach to add value to the end customer’s evolving computing needs.

Download PDF:

QSync TSaaS Overview

 

For further information about the QSync TSaaS solution or to discuss deployment, please contact our Business Development Team