[activities] Offer of talk: GPS and precision time transfer under Linux.

["Mark Willis" <willism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

I would like to volunteer to talk about time transfer and
precision timing under Linux/Unix.

I propose to split the topic into three parts:
The first two parts are ready to go given a little notice.

1. Time distribution systems and hardware
   - choice, limitations, and installation.

   Aimed at the level of the old SLUG main general talk.

   Covers a lot of detail on the requirements & trade offs:
   a. Reasons for precision timing such as regulatory
      compliance.
   b. Options and choice of time distribution system.
   c. GPS(L1,L2C,L5) and other satellite timing systems.
      (GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou/Compass, QZSS and MSAS/WAAS)
   d  GPS receiver choices.
   e. Supporting hardware - antennas and interface boards.
   f. Connecting a receiver to your computer.
   g. Limits in computer time synchronisation

   The coverage of GPS and other satellite systems should be
   interest to any one who uses GPS for navigation.


I would very much prefer that these two talks would be
separated by at least a month. This allow people who attend
the first talk, to purchase a GPS receiver if they want to.


Tutorial Format:
2. Pulse Per Second(PPS) support with LinuxPPS and NTP.
   - including coverage of general computer timing hardware.

   Aimed at the level of the old SLUG in depth talk.

   LinuxPPS is a kernel time-stamping implementation that
   has only recently been merged into the mainline kernel.
   Even so it is still fiddly to setup and there are a few
   catches to get everything working.

   a. Why PPS signals?
   b. PPS signal formats.
   c. Hardware Time-stamping
   d. Why kernel time-stamping is both good and bad.
   e. PPS kernel configuration
   f. Userland configuration
   f. Supporting programs.
   g. Computer hardware modifications for
      precession timing.
   h. Modern time-stamp stamp counters (invariant TSC, HPET,
      ACPI, PIT and RTC)


3. Monitoring hardware, kernel and NTP performance.
   - letting the world monitor your NTP server by
     contributing to pool.ntp.org

   Lots of pretty pictures, a few timing statistics, a
   little control theory, a look at network settings and
   NTP. Comparison of the various NTP daemons (good and bad
   and the ugly).


If people are interested in these talks I would prefer it if
I have a month notice so that I can keep the final Friday free.

Regards

Mark Willis.