-A development of the unified national synchronous information system (UNSIS) of Ukraine aims at solving the problem of a full-scale frequency and time provision of consumers at the state level. The UNSIS should function as a main source of the synchronous information generated and distributed through the objects. A transportation of synchronization signals to consumers from the national standards, which are intended to reproduce and preserve physical quantities like time and frequency, requires high accuracy. There are different mechanisms to distribute synchronous information throughout the country. Transmission of synchronization signal by means of modern telecommunication technologies is a promising direction, providing the necessary accuracy and reliability, information security, and quality of services. Taking into account an active development of asynchronous telecommunication networks (IP networks), it is effective to transmit synchronous information through these networks based on the PTP protocol of precision time, which allows to distribute the time scale with up to hundreds of nanoseconds accuracy. The paper presents the results of scientific research confirming a possibility to distribute signals of accurate time throughout the country using the existing IP networks and domestic equipment. A development of the UNSIS will allow to provide both the objects of uniformed services and consumers in many sectors of the Ukrainian economy with a high-quality synchronous information. It meets the requirements of the increased information security due to the development of a modern autonomous system independent from the foreign sources and services.
Modern infocommunication technologies are
characterized by intensive use of the reference values of time
and frequency scale to ensure synchronous operation of
hightech systems in telecommunications, metrology, defense,
cybersecurity, and in many sectors of the economy [
The existence of its own system of high-quality and
efficient synchronization and information support of
economic sectors is, to a certain extent, a sign of a high level
of the state development. Despite the fact that currently the
state service of State Service of Uniform Time and Standard
Frequencies [
II.
INFORMATION
The State Service of Uniform Time and Standard Frequencies, including the State Enterprise "Ukrmetrteststandard", only partially transmits the reference time and frequency signals to the consumers and performs the function of time scale.
Technical means of the Service do not form a unified
system and cannot meet the requirements of all consumers,
that induces them to use synchronization information of the
other states (for example, from the satellite navigation
systems GNSS), which poses a threat to national security and
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increases the risks of losing the unity of time and frequency
measurements within the state. It is known that the main
disadvantages of such satellite systems are the dependence of
signal quality on non-stationary characteristics of the open
medium of radio signal propagation, absence of protection
against intentional distortion of synchronization information,
etc. [
Effective transfer of information about uniform precise
time, reference frequencies, precise timestamps
(synchronization information) to the objects in need is
possible through the creation of a unified national
synchronous information system (UNSIS) [
Implementation of the proposed idea will create the conditions for information security of the critical infrastructure of the country, as well as the applied results of a dual use will be received for the state institutions, such as the Armed Forces of Ukraine, State Enterprise Derzhspetszviazok (The State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine), and State Enterprise "Ukrmetrteststandard".
In general, a set of large systems or their subsystems and separate dedicated objects, primarily high-tech government information systems, can be the consumers of synchronization information. The national facilities requiring synchronization information are telecommunication networks, digital television, integrated electric power systems, metrology, billing, air and railway transport, oil and gas pipelines, agricultural, environmental and other sectors of the economy. Also, it should be noted the importance of obtaining reference signals of the precise time by special services, which solve the problems of the national cybersecurity of the state and the need to introduce a unified (Kyiv) accounting and reporting time.
There are different distribution mechanisms and protocols which are used to transfer synchronization information to the consumers from the state frequency and time standards or precise time service that support the coordinated national scale. The protocols intended for remote transmission of timestamps in digital code are the protocol of IRIG family and the Network Time Protocol (NTP), which is developed for a widespread use in the computer networks with IP protocol. Additionally, the ToD (Time of Day) protocol has found its application in metrology. To implement the ToD protocol, an asynchronous interface of RS-232 type is used that transmits NMEA messages with a time scale information supplemented by an analog pulse signal with a frequency of 1 Hz (or 1 PPS), which accurately records the timing of scale transition through a zero value of seconds. Also, a modern protocol has been developed for transmitting a timestamp over existing IP networks. This protocol is defined in the IEEE-1588 international standard as the Precision Time Protocol (PTP). The analysis results of technical characteristics and application features of these protocols are given in Table 1. ToD 0.1 - 10 µs yes Atuapdtiost1a0ncme of
NTP 1 - 100 ms none(tUwDorPk/)IP Denpeetnwdosrokn a P1T58P8(-I2E0E0E8)- 0.1 - 10 µs nnoEett(whUeoDrrnkPe/to)IrP dneDepotewensodrnokont*a
* for a network that supports PTP in accordance with the requirements of the standard
Based on the data given above, we can conclude that the
PTP protocol is the only one that can provide a microsecond
accuracy and does not require a development of a dedicated
network. Experimental studies and the global practice of
implementing PTP protocol on existing networks in different
industries led to the intensification of its standardization in
various sectors of the economy [
An important problem of creating the UNSIS of Ukraine
is the justification of the technical means chosen to organize
the transmition of synchronization information, that is, the
means of telecommunication [
In order to reduce the costs of developing the UNSIS of
Ukraine, as one of the stages, it can be proposed to develop
separate but interconnected synchronization networks of
telecommunication operators of different departments and
sectors of the economy of Ukraine, or individual large
synchronization facilities. A large number of industry-specific
synchronization networks with different types of primary
sources and synchronization devices from the technical side
can significantly reduce the quality of synchronization
information and they are not economically feasible, so the
number of such networks should be limited. In essence, a
developemnt of other, separate but interconnected
synchronization networks, such as regional, departmental, or
private ones, is an alternative to the project concept of the
UNSIS of Ukraine. Such establishment may have the
following disadvantages. Firstly, the UNSIS of Ukraine will
have a status of the national one, and not just
telecommunication and other operators. In addition, today a
number of synchronization facilities, not only in the field of
telecommunications and informatization, require
synchronization information as a comprehensive product [
The UNSIS should become a queueing system for domestic consumers of synchronization information with further involvement of partners from other countries and continents.
Secondly, a fragmentation and refinement of synchronization networks, even specific local telecommunication networks, to the "personal business" of the operators/owners, which is currently observed in the industry, will complicate a number of interaction procedures. In the future, this situation can not only cause deterioration in performance of synchronization infrastructures, their failure or partial loss of synchronization, but it can also lead to a complete failure of synchronization of all or some telecommunication networks in the country and, as a result, to emergency situations.
Separate, but interconnected synchronization networks of
telecommunication operators can be considered as separate
components of the UNSIS of Ukraine. The choice of
synchronization method of the national digital
communication network is a responsibility of the national
administrations. Right now, the UNSIS of Ukraine, which
would overtake all synchronization facilities of Ukraine
(railway transport, oil and gas pipelines, electric power
industry, space and defense facilities, etc.), can be developed
only under the state programs of Ukraine. Here we can
distinguish three strategies for implementing the UNSIS
project of Ukraine [
Ukraine; • to offer a digital transport network (primary) and partially a network of synchronization information services (secondary) of the Derzhspetszviazok (The State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine) as a set of innovative means. The indicated synchronization networks need to be reconstructed and expanded, and there need to be developed a dedicated network of the UNSIS of Ukraine in order to provide consumers of all sectors of the economy of Ukraine with the necessary synchronization signals. First of all, it is necessary to ensure the transmission of information about the precise time, and then move on to the transmission of synchronization signals of the unified Kyiv accounting and reporting time to consumers throughout Ukraine and update the existing synchronization equipment, including the one of the domestic manufacturers, which is much cheaper than the imported.
PRECISE TIMESTAMPS TRANSMISSION
OVER THE IP NETWORKS
Let us analyze the research results of PTP protocol on the
possibility of its implementation in the intelligent power
systems [
Experimental studies of the information system for
transmitting the precise timestamps over the existing IP
networks were carried out using a set of US-1588 equipment
of domestic production (“Information Service Technologies
Ltd”, Kyiv) and a laboratory sample of a quality control
device for generating synchronization signals, which includes
a blocks of primary transducers (BPT) "TIMETER" [
The experimental studies of the information system for
transmitting the precise timestamps, which consists of the
digital information transmission system based on the
US1588M and US-1588S equipment that provides digital
transmission of synchronization information over the
corporate IP network of the NUBiP of Ukraine. The measured
parameters are characteristics of the TIE synchronization
signals determined in accordance with the International
Recommendations ITU-TG.810 and G.8262 [
Fig. 1 shows the measurement results of the TIE of output signal of information system of the precise timestamps transmission over the corporate IP-network of the NUBiP of Ukraine. Taking into account the measurement results, it can be stated that the maximum deviation does not exceed one microsecond.
Implementation of the proposed idea as a set of innovative means that will work as part of the unified national synchronous information system of Ukraine from the national standard source, is a great alternative to foreign satellite navigation systems. The system will allow to ensure information survivability and increase reliability diversifying digital transmission of synchronization signals.
The solution of this problem at the state level will create the conditions, firstly, to increase information security of the users, and, secondly, to increase competitiveness in the market through the cost-effective integrated service delivery to both government agencies and corporate consumers.
It is important that the implementation of the proposed idea will create conditions for information security of critical infrastructure of the country. Also, we will receive the applied results of a dual use for the state institutions, such as the Armed Forces of Ukraine, State Enterprise Derzhspetszviazok (The State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine), State Enterprise “Ukrmetrteststandard”, etc. The proposed set of innovative means will not only provide high-quality reference signals of the uniform time, but also create the conditions for effective synchronous information support of other infrastructure facilities of the country with the lowest costs, and will have the applied dual-use results for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, due to thedevelopment of a unified national synchronous information system of Ukraine, that is a modern autonomous ground-based system, independent of foreign time and frequency services.