Wrong PTP (IEEE-1588v2) behavior with I218-V NIC

JosephMatan · ‎06-20-2021

Hi,

This question is relevant for those who are familiar with the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) or IEEE-1588v2.

I have a simple PTP setup:

[Master] <--- [2 meters cable] ---> [Slave]

There are no devices or switches between master and slave - only an ethernet cable.

The Master is a NUC PC with I218-V NIC (which supports PTP and HW timestamping).

The Slave is a device that has been tested against other Masterssuch as Intel NIC I210 and Intel 82574L, and it worked well.

However, with the I218-V there is an issue that few seconds after starting with heavy network load the path delay is getting smaller.

With no traffic (only PTP traffic), the path delay is about 7-8 usec.

Under heavy traffic, the path delay (after about 10-15 seconds) start decreasing till it reaches about 0.8 usec and then it stabilized there (as long as I keep on the heavy traffic load).

So the first thing I thought was that it's obviously something with EEE (Energy Efficient Ethernet) getting into action.

(if it was the flow-control in action, I would expect the delay to get bigger...)

But just to be sure, I ran:

ethtool -A eth0 autoneg off rx off tx off

ethtool -a eth0

Pause parameters for eth0:
Autonegotiate: off
RX: off
TX: off

ethtool --set-eee eth0 eee off

ethtool --show-eee eth0

EEE Settings for eth0:
EEE status: disabled
Tx LPI: 17 (us)
Supported EEE link modes: 100baseT/Full
1000baseT/Full
Advertised EEE link modes: 100baseT/Full
1000baseT/Full
Link partner advertised EEE link modes: Not reported

But there was no effect...

Any ideas what could cause this behavior ?

Thanks,

Joseph

DeividA_Intel · ‎06-22-2021

Hello JosephMatan,

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

In order to better assist you, please provide the following:

1. Run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) to gather more details about the system.

· Download the Intel® SSU and save the application on your computer: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-

· Open the application, check the "Everything" checkbox, and click "Scan" to see the system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".

· To save your scan, click Next and click Save.

2. What is de model of the NUC that you are using?

3. Are you using the device in a server environment?

Regards,

Deivid A.

Intel Customer Support Technician

JosephMatan · ‎06-23-2021

Hi Deivid,

1. The output file of the System Support Utility tool is attached (see nucpc2.txt).

2. The model of the NUC is NUC5i7RYH.

3. Not sure I understand what do mean in server environment. My NUC is running Ubuntu 18.04 Desktop. Is that answer your question ?

Please let me know if you need more details.

Thanks,

Joseph

DeividA_Intel · ‎06-23-2021

Hello JosephMatan,

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

Based on your report (as well as the reply), I noticed that this product is discontinued, Intel Customer Service no longer supports inquiries for it, but perhaps fellow community members have the knowledge to jump in and help. You may also find the Discontinued Products website helpful to address your request. Thank you for understanding.

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/discontinued-products.html

Please keep in mind that this thread will no longer be monitored by Intel.

Regards,

Deivid A.

Intel Customer Support Technician

JosephMatan · ‎06-25-2021

Hi Deivid,

I didn't find my product in the discontinued product link you've sent me.

Are you sure I'm using a discontinued product ?

Best Regards,

Joseph

JosephMatan · ‎06-26-2021

Hi Deivid,

I'm having the same issue with a different NUC (NUC8BEB) and same OS. I hope this NUC is a continued product.

The output file of the System Support Utility tool is attached (see nucpc4.txt).

Thanks,

Joseph