Problem with hardware timestamp on X550 (Intel Ethernet 10G 2P X550-t Adapter)

[GustavoSalge]

I have hardware that sends packets at a controlled time interval (208.33us in this case). I'm trying to measure this time between frames using a NIC (Intel Ethernet 10G 2P X550-t Adapter) that has the hardware timestamp feature. I performed the measurement through tcpdump, tshark and through a proprietary program developed based on Lipcap. The commands used in tcpdump and tshark are as follows:

1) tcpdump -i <interface-name> -j adapter_unsynced <file-name>

2) tshark -i <interface-name> --time-stamp-type adapter_unsynced -w <file-name>

I've been getting an absurd time (randomly) in the middle of the capture, representing a non-existent time interval. Apparently it is a NIC timestamp error, because when I capture using host timestamp this error does not appear. I'm currently using:

Ubuntu 18.04.06

ixgbe driver (5.1.0-k)

I've tried it on other versions of linux like Kali and got the same answers. The images below illustrate the times I have been capturing in the 3 softwares I mentioned.

Is there any configuration I should do? Is there any firmware update for the card?

Thaks in advance.

[Mike_Intel]

Hello GustavoSalge,

I hope this message finds you well. I am just sending another follow up and hoping that you are now talking with Dell regarding the issue. Since we have not heard back from you, I need to close this inquiry. 

If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Thank you and stay safe.

Best regards,

Michael L.

Intel® Customer Support