This work describes a new methodology for the purpose of remote testing, debugging and maintenance of networked electronic and mechatronic systems which makes use of the IEEE 1588 high-precision clock synchronization protocol. After the underlying concepts of IEEE 1588 are briefly sketched, the paper describes how functionalities like testing, debugging and maintenance can benefit from a network-wide notion of time as provided by the IEEE 1588 standard. An implementation of the IEEE 1588 protocol with support for test, debug and maintenance as well as links to the integration of the proposed concept into existing tools are presented. Further, the proposed approach is discussed under consideration of recent standardization efforts. Finally, a case study from the area of automotive electronics is described.
PulseSync: An Efficient and Scalable Clock Synchronization Protocol