Systems and methods for synchronizing time stamps

TLDR: In this paper, a master box is connected with at least one slave box and the ports on the connected boxes are logically grouped in domains, and the master box generates a clock signal that is adjusted and distributed to the slave boxes.

Abstract: Systems and methods for synchronizing time stamp counters of ports in a domain and for starting, stopping and triggering the ports in the domain at substantially the same time. A master box is connected with at least one slave box and the ports on the connected boxes are logically grouped in domains. The master box generates a clock signal that is adjusted and distributed to the slave boxes. The clock signal thus received by the slave boxes drives a clock multiplier that in turn drives the time stamp counters of the ports in the domains across the respective boxes. The time stamps of ports within a domain are synchronized because they are driven by the clock signal from the master box. The ports in a particular domain can be started, stopped and triggered using control signals that are similarly distributed from the master box to the slave boxes.