Linux PTP (https://linuxptp.sourceforge.net/) and hardware timestamping in the network card will get you in the sub 100ns range
Linux PTP (https://linuxptp.sourceforge.net/) and hardware timestamping in the network card will get you in the sub 100ns range
Chrony is also much better software than any of the PTP daemons I tested a few years ago (for an onboard autonomous vehicle system).
I'll also say PTP is superior since it syncs TAI rather than NTP's UTC. Which probably isn't going to change even with NTPv5.
The switches could also implement a proper HW-timestamping NTP server and client to provide an equivalent to a PTP boundary clock.
PTP was based on a broadcast/multicast model to reduce the message rate in order to simplify and reduce the cost of HW support. But that is no longer a concern with modern HW that can timestamp packets at very high rates, so the simpler unicast protocols like NTP and client-server PTP (CSPTP) currently developed by IEEE might be preferable to classic PTP for better security and other advantages.
For telco gear, there is PTP + SyncE.
The Linux PTP stack is great for the price, but as an open source project it's hamstrung by the fact the PTP standard (IEEE1588) is paywalled; and the fact it doesn't work on wifi or usb-ethernet converters (meaning it also doesn't work on laptop docking stations or raspberry pi 3 and earlier)
This limits people developing/using for fun. And it's the people using it for fun who actually write all the documentation, the 'serious users' at high frequency trading firms and cell phone networks aren't blogging about their exploits.
802.1AS-2020 (gPTP) includes 802.11-2016 (wifi) support.
The IEEE's gatekeeping is indeed odious.
The biggest limitation is that many ethernet MACs do not support hardware timestamping. Nor do many entry-level ethernet switches.
For what it's worth, I'm interested in TSN for fun (music, actually), and I'm prepared to buy compatible networking hardware to do it. No difference to gamers spending money on a GPU.