Redundancy is essential for infrastructure providers to guarantee uninterrupted service. Infrastructures deployed to date have relied on hardware redundancy to prevent service disruptions, despite the high cost of modular architectures. Microchip's TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 Grandmaster offers redundancy through software implementation, enabling flexible deployment and lower hardware costs without reducing the number of ports.
Furthermore, TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 Grandmaster enhances resilience by supporting a new multi-band, multi-constellation GNSS receiver, providing protection against delays caused by space weather, solar phenomena, and other disturbances that can affect critical infrastructure services. Multi-band GNSS is especially important for achieving maximum accuracy levels, such as 40 ns PRTC-B (Primary Reference Time Clock Class B) and 30 ns ePRTC (Enhanced Primary Reference Time Clock).
Microchip dedicates special attention within its technological catalog to security solutions, hence the new TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 Grandmaster is also compatible with RADIUS and TACACS+, as well as with new protection measures against interference and false identities.
“Resilient, redundant, and secure timing and synchronization solutions are essential to mitigate risks to the security of critical infrastructure,” said Randy Brudzinski, vice president and general manager of Microchip’s Frequency and Timing business unit. “This new version offers innovative software redundancy for continuous technology availability, as well as multi-band GNSS to eliminate errors caused by ionospheric delays. It provides enhanced key security and protection against interference and identity spoofing, ensuring that only authorized and authenticated personnel can access critical infrastructure services.”.
TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 Grandmaster also optionally features an OCXO (Oven Controlled Crystal Oscillator) super oscillator to increase the chances of maintaining a connection if the GNSS system fails.
TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 Grandmaster is a product family of hardware expansion modules for older or Ethernet equipment, and they are also compatible with 10 Gigabit Ethernet. They can be configured in specific operating modes to function as a gateway clock, a high-performance peripheral clock, or an ePRTC.
TimeProvider 4100 Release 2.2 Grandmaster incorporates other Microchip technologies, such as its OCXO, super OCXO, rubidium atomic clock, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), Ethernet switch, synthesizers, and cleaning oscillators.
Virtual Primary Reference Time Clock product portfolio , which offers comprehensive end-to-end precise timing and synchronization solutions. These solutions include cesium atomic clocks for frequency and time delivery, the BlueSky™ security firewall for GNSS, the high-performance TimeProvider 4100 peripheral clock, TimeProvider 4100 gateway clocks, and the TimePictra software suite, which manages the precise end-to-end timing architecture across all Microchip timing products.
service and support
offers several options for software and hardware support, including installation, synchronization audits, network engineering, and uninterrupted worldwide support.
