Networking / AV-IT
PTP — IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol
01 — Definition
The protocol that brings every clock on the network into agreement, down to sub-microsecond accuracy. Dante, AES67 and AVB use it to run a common audio sample clock: one device is elected PTP grandmaster and all the others lock to it. It is highly sensitive to network jitter, so it wants the hardware timestamping of managed switches to perform properly.
02 — In the field
Dante devices clicking intermittently on an otherwise clean network? Look at PTP synchronisation: a device losing then re-acquiring lock produces a click. Identify the PTP grandmaster and make sure it is a stable, dedicated clock source rather than a computer that can sleep or drop into power saving.