SyncServer GNSS Test

A few advanced models of SyncServer for e.g., SyncServer S600/S650 includes built-in hardware features enabled through software license keys. A few of those license options are listed below:

  • Security Protocol License Option: SyncServer can be seriously hardened from both an NTP perspective and an authentication perspective through this option. This license option includes the following.

    • NTP Reflector

    • High capacity and accuracy

    • Per port packet monitoring and limiting

  • FlexPort Timing License Option: The FlexPort technology option enables the six output BNCs (J3–J8) to output any supported signal (time codes, sine waves, programmable rates, and so on), all configurable in real time through the secure web interface. The two input BNCs (J1–J2) can support a wide variety of input signal types.

  • GNSS License Option: This option enables the SyncServer S600/S650 to use Galileo, GLONASS, SBAS, QZSS, and BeiDou signals, in addition to the standard GPS signal support.

  • PTP Server Output License Option: This option enables PTP default profile, PTP Enterprise profile and PTP Telecom-2008 profile server functionality.

  • PTP Client License: This option enables PTP client operations to be configured on an Ethernet port.

  • 1 PPS TI Measurement License: This license enables 1 PPS measurements to be made on the J1 port of a timing card.

  • Programmable Pulse Option: This license enables the time-triggered programmable pulse feature on J7 of selected timing cards.

  • BlueSky GPS Spoofing Detection Option: This license enables the BlueSky jamming and spoofing detection, protection, and analysis features.

SyncServer S6X0’s ship with GNSS hardware ready to be enabled with a software license. To connect a GNSS signal to SyncServer S6x0, a GPS antenna is installed and the antenna connections for SyncServer S6x0 are made at the BNC female connector labeled GNSS. This BNC connector receives input from GNSS navigation satellites to provide a frequency and time reference. to the SyncServer.

With more satellites in view, timing performance can be improved in challenging environments, such as urban canyons. The 72 channel GNSS receiver, coupled with Microsemi’s patented Active Thermal Compensation Technology, provides best-in-class time accuracy of <15ns RMS to UTC. If the GPS antenna is not fixed in the right position to receive signals from the GNSS satellites or if the GNSS receiver fails to track the satellites, then, the time accuracy of the SyncServer may falter and in turn synchronization issues may be noticed between the SyncServer and other network devices in the target environment. To avoid such synchronization issues, it is necessary to keep track on the GPS antenna and the GNSS Receiver connected to the target SyncServer. The SyncServer GNSS test helps administrators in this regard!

This test report the current state of the GNSS Receiver and the current position state of the GPS antenna connected to the target SyncServer.

Target of the test : SyncServer

Agent deploying the test : An external agent

Outputs of the test : One set of the results for the target SyncServer that is being monitored

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter Description

Test period

How often should the test be executed

Host

The IP address of the host for which this test is to be configured.

SNMPPort

The port at which the monitored target exposes its SNMP MIB; the default is 161.

SNMPVersion

By default, the eG agent supports SNMP version 1. Accordingly, the default selection in the SNMPversion list is v1. However, if a different SNMP framework is in use in your environment, say SNMP v2 or v3, then select the corresponding option from this list.

SNMPCommunity

The SNMP community name that the test uses to communicate with the firewall. This parameter is specific to SNMP v1 and v2 only. Therefore, if the SNMPVersion chosen is v3, then this parameter will not appear.

Username

This parameter appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPversion. SNMP version 3 (SNMPv3) is an extensible SNMP Framework which supplements the SNMPv2 Framework, by additionally supporting message security, access control, and remote SNMP configuration capabilities. To extract performance statistics from the MIB using the highly secure SNMP v3 protocol, the eG agent has to be configured with the required access privileges – in other words, the eG agent should connect to the MIB using the credentials of a user with access permissions to be MIB. Therefore, specify the name of such a user against this parameter. 

Context

This parameter appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPVERSION. An SNMP context is a collection of management information accessible by an SNMP entity. An item of management information may exist in more than one context and an SNMP entity potentially has access to many contexts. A context is identified by the SNMPEngineID value of the entity hosting the management information (also called a contextEngineID) and a context name that identifies the specific context (also called a contextName). If the Username provided is associated with a context name, then the eG agent will be able to poll the MIB and collect metrics only if it is configured with the context name as well. In such cases therefore, specify the context name of the Username in the Context text box.  By default, this parameter is set to none.

AuthPass

Specify the password that corresponds to the above-mentioned Username. This parameter once again appears only if the SNMPversion selected is v3.

Confirm Password

Confirm the AuthPass by retyping it here.

AuthType

This parameter too appears only if v3 is selected as the SNMPversion. From the AuthType list box, choose the authentication algorithm using which SNMP v3 converts the specified username and password into a 32-bit format to ensure security of SNMP transactions. You can choose between the following options:

  • MD5 - Message Digest Algorithm
  • SHA - Secure Hash Algorithm
  • SHA224 - Secure Hash Algorithm 224 bit
  • SHA256 - Secure Hash Algorithm 256 bit
  • SHA384 - Secure Hash Algorithm 384 bit
  • SHA512 - Secure Hash Algorithm 512 bit

EncryptFlag

This flag appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPversion. By default, the eG agent does not encrypt SNMP requests. Accordingly, the this flag is set to No by default. To ensure that SNMP requests sent by the eG agent are encrypted, select the Yes option. 

EncryptType

If the EncryptFlag is set to Yes, then you will have to mention the encryption type by selecting an option from the EncryptType list. SNMP v3 supports the following encryption types:

  • DES - Data Encryption Standard
  • 3DES - Triple Data Encryption Standard
  • AES - Advanced Encryption Standard
  • AES128 - Advanced Encryption Standard 128 bit
  • AES192 - Advanced Encryption Standard 192 bit
  • AES256 - Advanced Encryption Standard 256 bit

EncryptPassword

Specify the encryption password here.

Confirm Password

Confirm the encryption password by retyping it here.

Timeout

Specify the duration (in seconds) within which the SNMP query executed by this test should time out in this text box. The default is 10 seconds.

EngineID

This parameter appears only when v3 is selected as the SNMPVersion. Sometimes, the test may not report metrics when AES192 or AES256 is chosen as the Encryption type. To ensure that the test report metrics consistently, administrators need to set this flag to Yes. By default, this parameter is set to No.

Data Over TCP

By default, in an IT environment, all data transmission occurs over UDP. Some environments however, may be specifically configured to offload a fraction of the data traffic – for instance, certain types of data traffic or traffic pertaining to specific components – to other protocols like TCP, so as to prevent UDP overloads. In such environments, you can instruct the eG agent to conduct the SNMP data traffic related to the monitored target over TCP (and not UDP). For this, set this flag to Yes. By default, this flag is set to No.
Measurements made by the test
Measurement Description Measurement Unit Interpretation

Receiver status

Indicates the current status of the GNSS Receiver.

 

The table below indicates the values that this measure can report and their corresponding numeric equivalents:

Measure value Numeric Value
Invalid 0
Not available 1
Tracking no UTC 2
Tracking 3

Note:

By default, this measure reports the above-mentioned Measure Values while indicating the current status of the GNSS Receiver. However, in the graph of this measure, the status of the GNSS Receiver will be represented using the corresponding numeric equivalents only i.e., 0 to 3.

Position status

Indicates the current position status of the GNSS antenna connected to the target SyncServer.

 

The table below indicates the values that this measure can report and their corresponding numeric equivalents:

Measure value Numeric Value
No data 0
Not available 1
Survey 2D 2
Survey 3
Position fix 4

Note:

By default, this measure reports the above-mentioned Measure Values while indicating the current position status of the GNSS antenna . However, in the graph of this measure, the current position status of the GNSS antenna will be represented using the corresponding numeric equivalents only i.e., 0 to 4.