Performance evaluation of portable time synchronization method using eBPF

Abstract

SummaryThe Precision Time Protocol (PTP) is a widely used protocol for high‐precision time synchronization, but it requires hardware or driver support for network interface card. Therefore, we propose a portable time synchronization method that is independent of them. Our method uses eBPF to synchronize time by recording timestamps of PTP packets in the kernel. eBPF is provided by the kernel and is backward‐compatible, making it independent of hardware or other software. To demonstrate the portability and high‐precision time synchronization capabilities of our method, we compared the time synchronization precision in physical environment and virtual machine. We also modified server settings that could affect time synchronization precision, and clarified the effects of these changes. The experiments showed that our method can achieve the similar level of time synchronization precision as conventional methods while remaining portable and independent of other components.