Pushing the Limits of Time Synchronization on Linux: A 500ns Accuracy Challenge
2025-08-26
This post details an author's month-long quest to achieve high-precision time synchronization across multiple Linux systems on a local network. The goal was sub-microsecond accuracy for distributed tracing. Despite using GPS and Chrony, the author found achieving ideal precision challenging. GPS receiver jitter, network latency, and asymmetry introduced hundreds of nanoseconds of error. Ultimately, around 500ns synchronization accuracy was achieved on most systems—not quite the target, but sufficient for distributed tracing.
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