NTS-pico3 Miniature NTP Time Server for Small Networks
User Manual

Release notes

Firmware 200130
+ accuracy improvements
+ update nvram-rtc to initialize RTC time when it is too old
+ gpsd enabled and monitored by monit
+ RTC as time source as option in web interface
Firmware 191204
+ /etc/ptp4l.cfg
Firmware 191128+ enable ntpd to synchronize from RTC as a backup time source
+ select option disables synchronization to RTC but allows to monitor of corrected RTC time vs system time
+ simplified web interface (without advanced tab)
+ PTP configuration via the web interface
Firmware 190724
+ PPS OUT
+ ptp4L instead of ptpd2
+ nvram-rtc
+ memtester tool

Introduction

Safety instructions

Except for the external power supply (230VAC), this equipment contains DC (9-30VDC) voltages. Do not handle any metallic part until the 230VAC power supply has been disconnected! Do not assemble, or disassemble the set when the power reminder is switched ON. Making wiring and touching cables is strongly prohibited when power is ON. Never work alone under hazardous voltage conditions. Always check that the power cord(s), plug(s), and sockets are in good condition. Always use qualified service personnel to install permanently wired equipment and surge antenna arrestors.

What is NTS-pico3?

NTS-pico3 is a next-generation ultra-miniature time server. It delivers time directly to the network using NTP and PTP/IEEE1588 protocols. It is equipped with a single 100/10Mbps Ethernet port working with IPv4/IPv6. The unit is very small and has natural air cooling. It has been designed for small industrial networks and it can operate 24/7. It is powered in a range of 9-30VDC. It is equipped with a GNSS antenna and 30 meters coax cable (SMA ended). The Marine antenna has a built-in GPS signal amplifier (38dB gain) and TCXO holdover oscillator for GNSS-less operations.
With hardware timestamping NTS-pico3 can achieve an accuracy of < 200ns. The server has multi satellites receiver simultaneously supporting: GPS, and GLONASS. It is GALIELO, BEIDOU* ready. The server has a very fast (less than 0.5ms +/- 1ppm) Time To First Fix TTFF synchronization startup. The GNSS receiver accuracy is better than 15ns (at 2 sigmas). The server supports cryptographic authentication for NTP. Holdover mode ensures synchronization accuracy to be better than 4ms in the first hour. After 24h the max. holdover error is not bigger than 100ms on server output.

The NTS-pico3 GNSS receiver is designed for automatic operation without the need for user intervention. It can, however, be accessed via a serial port (RS232 or USB) for configuration and debug purposes. Following synchronization Ethernet protocols are supported:

• NTP Network Time Protocol (rfc5905)
• SNTP Simple NTP (RFC 4330)
• PTP Precision Time Protocol IEEE1588:2008

Referential UTC is drawn from GPS & Glonass via a built-in GNSS receiver, using the NMEA183 frame. NTS-pico3 can also act as a 1PPS frequency reference clock. It can distribute 1PPS using NTP or PTP IEE1588 protocol. It has also 1 SMA 1PPS output. 1PPS specification:
PPS- out 3.3 VDC (50Ohm)
Pulsewidth: 1ms (pulse width)
The PPS-out signal goes directly from the GNSS receiver.
Note: In the new version of NTS-pico3 there are more options to choose and PPS-output can be set to the baseline of NTP or PTP internal clocks of NTS-pico3.
The old version NTS-pico (manufactured 2016-2019) does not support the above. This version of the product cannot be hardware & software updated to the new NTS-pico3 and it is required to purchase a new one.
For those customers who want to move from NTS-pico to the new NTS-pico3, the Elproma sales offer special discounted prices.

Installation

Hardware

The NTS-pico3 box on arrival includes

1. NTS-pico3 miniature time server (pcs 1)

2. Power supply 12VDC/230VAC (pcs 1)

3. Outdoor active GNSS antenna w/ 30m coax H-155 and accessories (pcs 1)
   Options (not included in standard set):

4. Ethernet cable 1m RJ45/RJ45 (pcs 1)

5. RS232 cable 1m DB-9/RJ45 (pcs 1)

Note! Set does not include antenna mast, but antenna can be mounted directly using attached accessories: claps, bracket, nuts, etc. – they are included.

General presentation

NTS-pico3 includes:

• 1x GNSS (SMA)
• 1x PWR (VDC)
• 1x 1PPS (SMA)

Antenna Mounting

Installing a basic system will require the following (a) mounting of the antenna and (b) optionally mounting 1 or 2 lightning arrestors (not included in the product set). The antenna supplied is of the active type, and is suitable for almost all applications. It is supplied with a pre-attached, 30-meter H-155 coax cable, terminated with a male SMA connector. Before commencing installation, check that all the items detailed in the contents list have been supplied. The antenna is supplied with mounting clamps for attachment to a mounting pole, included too. Mast antenna suspension (H=0.5m) is not included but it is available as a separate product from Elproma. The following figure shows an example of how mounting an antenna might be achieved.

Note! The most important consideration in selecting a position for the antenna is the presence of objects which obscure the sky or horizon. Where possible, there should be no obstruction to a full view of the sky.
Overhead wires and other very narrow obstructions may be considered invisible to the signals, provided that they are a few meters away. Large flat surfaces can decrease the performance of the receiver. Be especially wary about mounting the antenna directly onto the fascia of a flat roof. To overcome this situation, elevate the pole about 1 meter above the flat surface. A satellite prediction mobile phone program may usefully be employed to check a potential installation, and also to identify directions in which obstructions may be a particular source of problems.
Note! When the NTS-pico3 is operational, the GNSS antenna assembly may be disconnected for short periods (e.g. maintenance or repair) without interruption to the unit synchronization LAN output. 7

Additional lightning protection considerations

As the antenna is roof-mounted (to have a clear view of the sky) it is likely to be exposed to lightning strikes.

Protection against this is afforded by ensuring adequate grounding of the mountings as described below. There is no way to provide 100% protection for electronic equipment from direct strike damage. It is possible, however, to reduce the likelihood of damage from near strike induced fields by ensuring the installation obeys some fundamental rules.
A proprietary lightning arrestor should be installed, of a type that does not reduce GNSS signal transfer. Install the lightning arrestor near to the antenna (e.g. on the mounting pole), ensuring all connections maintain electrical and environmental protection.
After taking the precautions described previously in the antenna installation, it should be understood that a destructive residual current may still be present in the cable coming down from the antenna to the NTS-pico3 unit.
A second lightning arrestor should be installed near to the NTS-pico3 to further dissipate any remaining lightning energy. At the earth end please use multiple connection points if at all possible.
All connections should incorporate as large an area of contact as possible, which is made more probable by the use of large bolts, and substantial washers. Where there is no
access to the metal framework of the building, it is absolutely imperative to erect a suitable lightning conductor. Failure to do so is almost certain to result in the destruction of NTS-pico3 and connected to its equipment in the event of the antenna receiving a near lightning strike.

Serial port, either RS232/RS485

Serial RS232/RS485 (RJ-45 connector marked as “RS232/485”) is placed on the front panel of the router. The serial connector pinout is described in the table below.

Powering up

1. Connect GNSS antenna to SMA connector at NTS-pico3
2. Connect Ethernet LAN cable to RJ45 connector
3. Plug-in DC power supply to power input and turn the power ON. Power supply connector pinout:

Power consumption

• Typical: 1.2-1.6W
• Max. peak when active GNSS antenna is not shorted and USB not connected: <2W
• Max. possible: <8W (info for safety, when short-circuit on internal 5V)

LED operation

The device has four LEDs indicating its operation. The diode description is presented in the table below.

Basic SETUP

Go to your web browser and put IP address 192.168.1.234/255.255.255.0.
You will be asked for a username and password. By defaults are:
Username: admin
Password: 12345

IP addressing

On the LAN configuration page, you can find essential parameters needed for LAN connection. Here you can set IPv4 address, mask, and default gateway.
IMPORTANT NOTE!
For time synchronization purposes please do not use DHCP/DNS.
You will need to keep SSH communication ON for GNSS signal tracing.

Monitoring GNSS satellite signals ON-LINE

Your SSH communication must be switched on first. Please execute from window terminal the following commands:
ssh root@192.168.1.234 -p 65535
root@192.168.1.139’s password: 12345
[root@rbmtx ~]# TERM=vt220
[root@rbmtx ~]# gpsmon

This screen is the tool to monitor GNSS (GPS & Glonass) satellite signal performance. You should be able to receive signals from at least not less than 4 satellites. Well done installation mostly let view 10-20 GNSS satellites in view. It takes approx. 5-10 minutes since power on to get minimum #sats in view.
Recommendation!
For Linux/Unix and Mac OSX please use BASH std. terminal.
For Microsoft Windows, there are various of 3rd party SSH software suppliers. One of the most popular ones is free available putty.exe

Running NTP (Network Time Protocol)

Configuring NTP

NTS-pico3 firmware starts the NTP server and synchronizes to UTC time received from GPS by default. You can add backup NTP servers in NTP Peer 1…3 fields.

Monitoring NTP on-line

Your SSH communication must be switched on first. Please execute from the window terminal the following commands:
ssh root@192.168.1.234 -p 65535
root@192.168.1.139’s password: 12345
[root@rbmtx ~]# ntpq
You can use a full spectrum of std. NTP monitoring tools incl. ntpq and ntpdc to trace and monitor Network Time Protocol. For more information please ref. to www.ntp.org

Synchronizing Microsoft Windows clock

You simply synchronize any version of Microsoft Windows by simply selecting “Time from the Internet” and providing NTS-pico3 IPv4. Below there is an example for Windows 10.

Synchronizing Linux & Mac OSX clock

Both Linux and OSX included built-in NTP protocols. You can simply manually modify the ntp.com file by providing your NTS-pico3 IPv4 address, however, we recommend using similar Microsoft Windows high-level OS Time & Date operations.

Running PTP (Precision Time Protocol)

Switching on PTP enables the PTP grandmaster daemon.

PTP options:

Transport layer

L2 (Ethernet): PTP packets are encapsulated directly in Ethernet frames (IEEE 802.3 network transport)
L4 (UDP): PTP packets are exchanged over UDP/IPv4

IP mode

The option is available for the L4 (UDP) transport layer only.
● multicast (default)
● unicast
● hybrid mode
Multicast for SYNC and announce packets, unicast for delay request and response packets.

Delay mechanism

E2E (default)
Delay is measured end-to-end. Delay is calculated for the whole path: grandmaster/master/boundary clock – transparent clocks – slave ordinary clock (GM/MC/BC – TC – OC/SC).
P2P
Delay is measured peer-to-peer. If transparent clocks are present in a network they need to support a peer-delay mechanism (and be configured to enable it).
SYNC interval (default 1)
SYNC packet interval value must be in the range -7….7 (recommended limits are -3…3).
-4: 62.5ms (1/16 s)
-3: 125ms (1/8 s)
-2: 250ms (1/4 s)
-1: 0.5s (1/2 s)
0: 1 second (typical interval)
1: 2 seconds (default)
2: 4 seconds
3: 8 seconds
4: 16 seconds

PTP client implementation on Windows 10 and Server 2019:

Requirements

PTP client is supported on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019. At least 1809 updates the version must be installed on the system

Implementation procedure

First, add the PtPClient registry key to your Windows register. The already prepared file can be downloaded from the below link:
https://cloudnew.elpromaelectronics.com/index.php/s/SVGD4n5oDIpyYpK
Change the registry keys to configure PTP and disable other client providers (NTP, VMIC, etc.). Please modify the below root keys manually:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\PtpClient

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\NtpClient

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\TimeProviders\VMICTimeProvider

Then restart the Windows Time Service. You can do this by pressing Win + R keys, typing services.msc, and right-click on W32tm (Windows Time) service -> Restart.
After W32tm restarting, create the rules in the firewall to allow the PTP Client to communicate with the time server (UDP protocol):

Verify if PTP Time Provider is enabled using the w32tm /query /configuration command.
Then verify that the system is synchronizing with PTP Source Server using the w32tm /query /status /verbose command. The output should be as below: ReferenceId: 0x4D505450 indicates that the PTP provider is in use.

Troubleshooting

To troubleshoot NTS-pico3 you need first to log into the device console using a serial cable or SSH.

How to check if PTP is working?

From the NTS-pico3 console, you can check if ptp process is running. If everything is fine, you shall get 1 in return: If there is no ptp process you will get 0 (make sure, that you have enabled PTP in the web panel):

How to check if NTS-pico3 sends PTP messages?

To check if NTS-pico3 is actually sending PTP IEEE1588 messages over your LAN network you use tcpdump utility and see if PTP frames are going out of the device:

1. PTP L2 (Ethernet)
   To see only PTP (0x88F7) Ethernet packets:

2. PTP L4 (UDP)
   To capture PTP UDP transmission we need to dump tcp packets going to ports 319 and 320:

APPENDIX

Technical Specification

GPS, GLONASS
sync PROTOCOL| NTP, PTP IEEE1588| extra GNSS| GALILLEO BEIDOU
NTP| RFC5905 RFC1305 RFC5906
RFC5907 RFC5908 RFC5909| #SBAS| EGNOS. WAAS. GAGAN
SNTP| RFC4330. RFC2030 RFC1769| FREQ tn.| 1575.42MHz (L1 GPS)
PTP| IEEE1588: 2008| FREQ#2| 1598.06-1605.38MHz GLONASS
1pps OUTPUT| lx SMA•| #CHANNELS| 32
Time/DAYTIME| [RFC(867-8)](http://tools.ietf.org/html/RFC867)| antenna DISTANCE| 30m coax H155

LAN| 1| interface RS232| ix R.I45

speed LAN| 100/10Mbps (R.145)| interface USB 2.0| lx Micro-USB
TCP/IP| IPv4, IPv6, TCP, UDP| weight NETTO| 0.3kG (3kG BRUTTO)
MANAGEMENT| HTTP, HTTPS, SSH, TELNET| operating TEMP| -20C+70C
SECURITY| Autokey, DSA, SSL, MDS, RSA| storage TEMP| -40C+85C
SYSLOG| yes| %HUMIDITY| up to 95%
---|---|---|---
hardware STAMPING| accuracy < 200ns| POWER| 9-30VDC
software STAMPING| accuracy < 800us| –| * extra feature

CONTACT

Address:
Elproma Elektronika Sp. z o.o.
Duńska 2A
05-152 Czosnów
e-mail: office@elpromaelectronics.com
phone: +48 22 751 76 80

References

• BeiDou - Wikipedia
• European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service - Wikipedia
• Galileo (satellite navigation) - Wikipedia
• GLONASS - Wikipedia
• GPS signals - Wikipedia
• Wide Area Augmentation System - Wikipedia
• RFC 1305 - Network Time Protocol (Version 3) Specification, Implementation and Analysis
• RFC 1769 - Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP)
• RFC 2030 - Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) Version 4 for IPv4, IPv6 and OSI
• RFC 4330 - Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) Version 4 for IPv4, IPv6 and OSI
• RFC 5905 - Network Time Protocol Version 4: Protocol and Algorithms Specification
• RFC 5906 - Network Time Protocol Version 4: Autokey Specification
• RFC 5907 - Definitions of Managed Objects for Network Time Protocol Version 4 (NTPv4)
• RFC 5908 - Network Time Protocol (NTP) Server Option for DHCPv6
• RFC 5909 - Securing Neighbor Discovery Proxy: Problem Statement
• RFC 867 - Daytime Protocol
• Welcome to the home of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) Project.
• Welcome to the home of the Network Time Protocol (NTP) Project.
• Global Positioning System - Wikipedia
• GLONASS - Wikipedia
• PTPd - Wikipedia
• GAGAN - Navipedia

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