Reducing hardware precision time measurement inaccuracy

1. An upstream device comprising:

an input/output port to:

receive a precision time measurement (PTM) request message from an output port of a downstream device;

transmit a plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on receiving the PIM request message; and

transmit a PIM response message to the received message to the downstream device; and

controller logic to:

monitor a link quality of a link between the upstream device and the downstream device;

set a register bit to identify a number of acknowledgement messages based on the link quality of the link between the upstream device and the downstream device; and

transmit the number of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on successful reception of a message from the downstream device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PTM response message comprises a PTM response message with data.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PTM request message received and the PTM response message are part of a precision time measurement (PTM) dialog.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of acknowledgement (ACK) messages comprise two or more ACK data link layer packets (DLLPs).

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the PTM response message comprises a timestamp for one or both of a time that the request was received by the upstream device or a time difference between reception of a request and transmission of a response for a previous dialog between the downstream device and the upstream device.

6. The upstream device of claim 1 , wherein the number of acknowledgement messages comprises the plurality of acknowledgement message to the downstream device, and wherein the successful reception of the message comprises a successful reception of the PTM request message received from the downstream device.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a precision time measurement (PTM) request message from an output port of a downstream device;

transmitting a plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on receiving the PTM request message;

transmitting a PTM response message to the PTM request message to the downstream device;

monitoring a link quality of a link between the upstream device and the downstream device;

setting a register bit to identify a number of acknowledgement messages based on the link quality of the link between the upstream device and the downstream device; and

transmitting the number of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on successful reception of the PTM request message from the downstream device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the PTM response message comprises a timestamp for one or both of a time that the request was received by the upstream device or a time difference between reception of a request and transmission of a response for a previous dialog between the downstream device and the upstream device.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein transmitting the PTM response message comprises transmitting the PTM response message to the downstream device within a predetermined time period, the predetermined time period defining a retransmission window for the downstream device to retransmit the PTM request message.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein transmitting the plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device comprises transmitting the plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device within the predetermined time period and during a time period preceding the transmittal of the PTM response message.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein transmitting the number of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device comprises transmitting a plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device.

12. At least one machine accessible storage medium having code stored thereon, the code when executed on a machine, causes the machine to:

receive a message from an output port of a downstream device;

transmit a plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device;

transmit a response message to the received message to the downstream device;

monitor a link quality of a link between the upstream device and the downstream device;

set a register bit to identify a number of acknowledgement messages based on the link quality of the link between the upstream device and the downstream device; and

transmit the number of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on successful reception of a message from the downstream device.

13. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the received message comprises a precision time measurement (PTM) request message.

14. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the response message to the PTM request message comprises a PTM response message.

15. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the PTM response message comprises a PTM response message with data.

16. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the message received and the response message are part of a precision time measurement (PTM) dialog.

17. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of acknowledgement (ACK) messages comprise two or more ACK data link layer packets (DLLPs).

18. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the response message comprises a timestamp for one or both of a time that the request was received by the upstream device or a time difference between reception of a request and transmission of a response for a previous dialog between the downstream device and the upstream device.

19. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 12 , wherein transmitting the PTM response message comprises transmitting the PTM response message to the downstream device within a predetermined time period, the predetermined time period defining a retransmission window for the downstream device to retransmit the PTM request message; and

wherein transmitting the plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device comprises transmitting the plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device within the predetermined time period and during a time period preceding the transmittal of the PIM response message.

20. The at least one machine accessible storage medium of claim 12 , wherein transmitting the number of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on successful reception of a message from the downstream device comprises transmitting the plurality of acknowledgement messages to the downstream device based on successful reception of the PTM message from the downstream device.