Free Clock Democratizes Atomic Accuracy

schliz writes "A new, trial network of software-based clocks could give data centers and networks the accuracy of an atomic clock for free. The so-called RADclock analyses information from multiple computers across the internet by collecting the time from each machine's internal quartz clock, the time it takes for this information to be transmitted across the network, and comparing all the information collected to determine a time that is most likely to be accurate, so machines are calibrated across the network with up to microsecond accuracy — as good as that provided by a $50,000 atomic clock, researchers say."

Comments

Re:Computer Clock resolution?

[vlm]

if a computer's clock only has microsecond resolution, then it stands to reason that you can only synch the computer to within 1 microsecond of accuracy, no?

No. You can sync up to fractions of a clock cycle fairly easily. On average you can only report the time at any instant with around 0.5 uS accuracy, but you can set the edge where it cuts over from one uS to the next as accurately as you want, given enough time to sync...

Slashdot car analogy is I change my oil 4 times a year, so you're saying I can't tell you when I change my oil with any accuracy higher than a whopping 3 months. Yet I assure you, if sufficiently motivated, I can "sync up" such that I change the oil precisely at midnight on the 1st of every third month, with a reportable accuracy of like an hour or so.