Method and apparatus for optimizing packet timing transport

1. A method of optimising timing packet transport in a network node, the method comprising:

using a locally available stable frequency reference at the network node to provide a pre-determined network node transit time for timing packets in at least one direction into or out of the network node;

detecting an arrival time, t 1 , for a received timing packet;

forwarding the received timing packet to an output port of the network node at a transmission time, t 2 , the transmission time t 2 being a predetermined duration, L, after the arrival time t 1 ;

detecting a size of a data packet scheduled to be transmitted on a same output port as the timing packet; and

delaying the transmission of the data packet if the size of the data packet indicates that transmitting the data packet would delay the transmission of the timing packet at the transmission time t 2 .

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving and storing the timing packet at an output queue following processing of the timing packet by the network node.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting a highest priority output queue of the network node to transmit timing packets.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a pre-determined network node transit time for timing packets in both directions into and out of the network node.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether any one or more other data packets available for transmission on the same output port has a size small enough to be transmitted within a remaining time before the transmission time t 2 of the timing packet; and

transmitting the one or more other data packets.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locally available stable frequency reference is:

an external synchronization reference provided to the network node and operable to provide a global clock frequency; or

a stable local oscillator.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network node is in a network of nodes, wherein each network node is operable to transmit data to another network node or receive data from another network node, and wherein timing packets are transmitted from a first network node to a second network node via a path comprising hops between connected network nodes; and

wherein the pre-determined network node transit time, L, is chosen such that a time to transmit a timing packet from a first network node to the second network node is within a predetermined time budget, said time budget being dependent upon a particular application of communication within the network of nodes.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pre-determined network node transit time, L, is determined by a worst case scenario of a network node transit time for the particular network node in the path in either direction between first and second network nodes, said worst case scenario determined by a priori knowledge of the network node characteristics or during an initial communication between the first and second network nodes along a path to be used in subsequent communication between the first and second network nodes.

9. A network node comprising:

a locally available stable frequency reference;

circuitry adapted to apply a pre-determined network node transit time, L, to all timing packets transiting the network node in at least one direction into or out of a network node dependent on the locally available stable frequency reference;

input circuitry comprising at least one local timer in communication with the locally available stable frequency reference and adapted to register an input time, t 1 , for a received timing packet;

output circuitry comprising at least one local timer in communication with the locally available stable frequency reference and adapted to output the timing packet to an output port at time t 2 , determined by applying a predetermined duration, L, to the registered input time, t 1 ;

data packet size detection circuitry adapted to detect a size of a next data packet to be transmitted out of the output port to determine whether the next data packet can be transmitted in full before the predetermined period of time, L, has expired; and

a scheduler unit adapted to schedule the transmission of the data packet after the transmission of the timing packet if the data packet cannot be transmitted in full before the predetermined period of time, L, has expired.

10. The network node of claim 9 , further comprising:

an input buffer; and

wherein the output circuitry further comprises an output queue; and

wherein the input buffer and output queue are collectively arranged to store the timing packet for the predetermined duration of time, L.

11. The network node of claim 9 , wherein the data packet size detection circuitry is further adapted to detect a size of any other data packet ready for transmission from the output port to determine whether any other data packet can be transmitted in full before the predetermined period of time, L, has expired; and

wherein the scheduler unit adapted to schedule the transmission of the any other data packet before the transmission of the timing packet if the determined size of any other data packet indicates the any other data packet can be transmitted in full before the predetermined period of time, L, has expired.

12. The network node of claim 9 , further comprising:

a timing packet generator adapted to generate timing packets from the locally available stable frequency reference; and

wherein the network node comprises a master clock network node.

13. The network node of claim 9 , wherein the output queue is a highest priority output queue.

14. The network node of claim 9 , wherein the locally available stable frequency reference is:

an external synchronization reference provided to the network node and operable to provide a global clock frequency; or a stable local oscillator.

15. The network node of claim 9 , wherein the circuitry is further adapted to apply a pre-determined network node transit time in both directions into and out of the network node.