netdev - pressure for better clocks

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Date:   Wed, 21 Oct 2020 10:52:42 -0700
From:   rjmcmahon <rjmcmahon@...cmahon.com>
To:     netdev@...r.kernel.org
Subject: pressure for better clocks

Hi All,

Iperf 2.0.14 provides end/end latency measurements but requires sync'ed 
clocks. The lack of attention to network latency is a major deficit to 
the networking industry and impairs user experience.

I find one of the many problems with the tech industry is that cheap 
mass market stuff proliferates.  An example of this is the oscillators 
used for time keeping which run things like CPUs.  There are many ways 
to get better time without spending too much. The GPS atomic clocks are 
basically available for free over most of the planet. Cellular clocks, 
synced to GPS, are available indoors.

Here is a good article:

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2891892/why-computers-still-struggle-to-tell-the-time.html

"But computer makers often use inexpensive crystals costing only a few 
cents each, which can compromise accuracy. “If you buy server-class 
hardware, you will get cheap crystal, and time will wander if you don’t 
do something about it,” Neville-Neil said.

The average crystal ends up being about as accurate as a mechanical 
watch"

Bob McMahon