Impact of network component temperature variation on long haul White Rabbit links

This paper shows an analysis of the time offset error introduced into a highly accurate packet-based time synchronization link by the most frequently deployed long distance network components. Translating the sub-nanosecond accuracy of a White Rabbit timing link into long distance fiber communication networks is a very demanding task. With the increased distance the need for devices that keep the integrity of the signal and maintain its power across hundreds of kilometers is beyond question. Some of these devices might suffer from large disparities in their environmental conditions due to being placed in distant locations from each other, potentially varying their behavior. The results demonstrate that moderate temperature disparities can lead to timing offset errors of several nanoseconds. This outcome can be seen as the foundation laid for a series of compensation techniques to be developed in future work.