Select, cluster, combine
07The system process compares candidate time intervals, removes inconsistent sources, and combines survivors.
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DIAGRAM§ 11.2 ↗
RFC 5905 · § 11.2EXAMPLE
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Combine the remaining estimates.
The output carries an offset and jitter estimate for clock discipline.
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Read the updated RFC section ↗
Agreement and uncertainty matter together.
- Selection seeks a consistent intersection among candidate correctness intervals and can fail when no suitable group exists.
- Clustering prunes statistical outliers while respecting survivor limits.
- Combining weights surviving offsets by reciprocal root synchronization distance.
More sources can improve resilience only if their failures are sufficiently independent. The algorithm does not magically turn a common wrong upstream source into trustworthy time.
Read the RFC section ↗Diagrams simplify the RFC. Read the linked sections for complete requirements.
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