ks@a.cs.okstate.EDU ("Kurt F. Sauer") (10/26/87)
Readers of Telecom: Cesium-based and other atomic timekeeping standards aren't prohibitively expensive today--although synchronization and phase-shift remain serious problems. Where, physically, are the time standards for the networks kept? For example, (though I have forgotten the name of the town for the moment) AT&T Communications, Inc. maintains a time standard in central Missouri. I have pictures of it--it's unimpressive...just a fancy clock with no direct indication of the time of day (sigh). If the other carriers have their own clocks, where are they? And does AT&T maintain other (backup or auxiliary) network clocks elsewhere? Net- works aren't like power grids in their ability to sink or swim instantly based on synchronization; it's a finer art. Kurt F. Sauer Tulsa, OK