The latest Option Card for SecureSync enhances Safran’s Navigation & Timing offerings by integrating White Rabbit capabilities, enabling ultra-precise network time distribution.

ROCHESTER, New York – May 1, 2024 – Safran Electronics & Defense announces WROX, a new option card for the SecureSync time server that incorporates White Rabbit technology and enables a new level of accuracy and precision in critical infrastructure synchronization.

The WROX Card stands out as a high-speed Ethernet Option Card boasting 1G and 10G capabilities. Equipped with four ports (Small Form-factor Pluggable Plus transceivers or SFP+), it integrates Network Time Protocol (NTPNTP, or Network Time Protocol, is a widely used networking protocol that enables computers and devices to synchronize their system clocks with a reference time source. It ensures accurate timekeeping in computer networks by allowing devices to obtain precise time information from NTP servers, which are typically synchronized to highly accurate atomic clocks. NTP is essential for various applications and services that rely on synchronized time, such as network security, authentication, and data logging.), Precision Time Protocol (PTPPrecision Time Protocol is a protocol used to synchronize clocks throughout a computer network. On a LAN network, PTP can enable the clocks on each server to be synchronized within a sub-microsecond range, thus making it suitable for demanding applications that require precise timing and control. PTP is standardized within IEEE-1588v2.), and White Rabbit features, ensuring flexible and exceptionally precise network time distribution down to the sub-nanosecond level with the highest build-in resiliency features.

As Critical Infrastructure operations evolve, the need for dependable and precise time distribution becomes paramount. Accurate timestamping of frequent events or transactions serves as a crucial facilitator for distributed processing systems, key for monitoring, security, and performance evaluation across various transaction-based operations. The quality of time and frequency synchronization significantly influences the reliability and efficiency of numerous commercial and governmental systems. Employing a combination of PTP/White Rabbit network time distribution alongside GNSSGlobal navigation satellite system (GNSS): A general term describing any satellite constellation that provides positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services on a global or regional basis. See also time proves to be an effective strategy for mitigating GNSS signal vulnerabilities, especially its susceptibility to interference.

Staying true to Safran’s SecureSync highly modular time server, the new WROX Option Cards introduces 10 Gb Ethernet interoperability for PTP and White Rabbit time distribution, while preserving the wide range of options available with SecureSync (oscillator, timing interface option cards, power supply). This first commercially available 10G Ethernet implementation for White Rabbit demonstrates continuous Safran leadership in this technology, and commitment to support performance and interoperability improvements in critical infrastructures.