How can I synchronize a remote device’s clock with the server’s?
Solution:
DNP3
At Elipse’s DNP3 Master driver, clock synchronization is made with an I/O tag. This tag’s N2 parameter’s value must be set up as -6, which is the code responsible for synchronizing the server’s clock with the device’s. In addition, its AllowWrite property must be set up as True, so that it will synchronize whenever it is written on. The tag’s settings will be:
N1 = Slave Address
N2 = -6
N3 = 0
N4 = 0
AllowWrite = True
Therefore, any time the tag is written on, it will synchronize the server’s timestamp to the device’s timestamp.
IEC 101/104
At IEC 101/104 Master driver, clock synchronization is also made with an I/O tag. This tag’s N2 parameter’s value must be set up as 2. In addition, its AllowWrite property must be set up as True, so that it will synchronize whenever it is written on. The slave driver’s time will be synchronized to the computer’s current time via a ASDU C_CS_NA_1 (103) command. The tag’s settings will be:
N1 = Slave Address
N2 = 2
N3 = 0
N4 = 0
AllowWrite = True
IEC61850
At IEC 61850 driver, on the other hand, there is no specific command to synchronize the server and the relay. The timestamps adopted by IEC 61850 always refer to UTC (Universal Time Coordinate). With IEC 61850 driver’s Apply Local Offset to Timestamps option, you can indicate whether the driver whether the driver should apply the local offset (TIME ZONE or Daylight Savings Time) to the timestamp set by the device.
