I. Core Requirements and Challenges of Time-Frequency Synchronization in the Financial Industry

(1) Core Business Requirements

The core business functions of the financial industry—such as trade execution, funds settlement, risk management, and compliance auditing—place stringent demands on time synchronization. Accurate Sexuality, safety, reliability The requirements are extremely stringent; the specific needs include:

1. Nanosecond-level timing accuracy : High-frequency trading and cross-border transaction scenarios require high-precision time synchronization. ≤10ns , ensuring accurate transaction sequencing and fair order matching, while minimizing trade slippage.
2. End-to-end security and controllability : The timing source, transmission links, and time servers must be domestically produced and independently controllable to prevent time tampering and signal‑spoofing attacks, thereby meeting the requirements of the “Guideline for Domestic Substitution in Financial Information Systems.”
3. 7×24 High reliability per hour : The trading system operates continuously throughout the year, and the time‑frequency synchronization system must support redundant backup and self‑healing capabilities to ensure uninterrupted time dissemination. MTBF≥100000 Hour.
4. Compliant and traceable : Time synchronization logs must be fully recorded (and retained) ≥1 Year), supporting time‑bias auditing and fault‑root‑cause analysis, thereby meeting the compliance requirements of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the China Securities Regulatory Commission.
5. Multi-scenario compatibility : Covers the core transaction system, counter terminals, ATM Across all scenarios—including ATMs, mobile banking, and data centers—network-wide time synchronization is achieved.

(II) Core Challenges of the Industry

1. Balancing high precision with low latency High-frequency trading is latency-sensitive; time synchronization must achieve nanosecond-level precision while controlling transmission latency. ≤1μs , to avoid affecting transaction speed.
2. Interference in Complex Network Environments : Financial networks span multiple regions and network segments, and network jitter and latency fluctuations can affect synchronization accuracy; they must also be resilient to electromagnetic interference and cyberattacks.
3. Transition to domestic substitution : Some legacy systems rely on imported time‑frequency equipment, necessitating a seamless transition to domestically produced alternatives to ensure uninterrupted business operations.
4. Multi-system compatibility The financial system encompasses mainframes, servers, terminals, and third-party interfaces, requiring compatibility with equipment from various vendors and diverse operating systems to achieve unified time synchronization.

II. Comprehensive Time-Frequency Synchronization Solution for the Financial Industry

(1) Architecture Design Principles

Adopt “ Baseline layer - Transport Layer - Terminal Layer - Monitoring Layer ” A four-tier architecture enables high-precision, highly secure, and highly reliable time synchronization across the entire link.

(II) Core Configurations at Each Level

1. Reference Layer: Domestic Dual-Redundant Time Reference
   • Deployment 2 Taiwan-made domestically developed IT innovation time server (China New Innovation) DNTS-9HG ), based on Haiguang / Phytium chip, supports single‑constellation Beidou timing ( 100% Domestic production), with timing accuracy reaching 2.8ns。
   • Built-in rubidium atomic clock, timekeeping accuracy 0.1 μs/h , can maintain accurate timekeeping independently when satellite signals are lost 72 Hours; the two servers serve as primary and standby, with automatic failover to prevent single-point failures.
   • Configuration of a generative satellite security isolation device ( DNSIS-612A ), autonomously generates secure timing signals, thereby blocking the attack path of the original satellite signals.

1. Transport Layer: Low-Latency Secure Transmission Network
   • The core trading network employs PTPv2 Agreement ( IEEE 1588-2008 ), through domestication PTP Switch forwarding, hardware timestamp capture, transmission latency ≤1μs 。
   • The office network and the terminal network adopt NTPv4 The protocol transmits data through an encrypted tunnel and integrates Chinese national cryptographic algorithms ( SM2/SM3 ), to prevent time tampering during transmission.
   • Cross-regional branches employ BeiDou two-way time synchronization to mitigate precision degradation caused by long-distance network transmission.

1. Terminal Layer: Synchronized Adaptation Across All Scenarios
   • Core trading server: deployed PCIe Time-keeping board card ( DNPTP-PCIE ), achieving nanosecond-level local synchronization and mitigating network latency.
   • Counter terminal, ATM Machine: Through NTP Protocol synchronization, time offset ≤10μs , supports offline timekeeping (accuracy ≤1 seconds / Day).
   • Mobile banking and online banking: via the internet NTP Synchronization, time offset ≤100ms , meeting the transaction log timestamp requirements.

1. Monitoring Layer: Intelligent, Network-Wide Time Monitoring
   • Deployment B/S Architect the enterprise-wide time monitoring system (Zhongxin Chuang intelligent monitoring software), which provides real-time monitoring of time deviations and operational statuses for reference servers, transmission links, and endpoint devices.
   • Supports hierarchical alerting (Level 1 / Level 2 / Level 3), alert notifications are delivered via SMS, email, and the operations and maintenance platform; fault response time ≤15 Minute.
   • Automatically generate compliance audit reports, log time synchronization events and deviation data, and support export and audit traceability.

III. Key Technical Highlights of the Solution

• Full-stack domesticization : From the time server, satellite isolation device, PTP From the switch to the monitoring software, 100% Domestication: Certified by the Information Technology Innovation Committee and approved in single‑Beidou terminal testing, meeting the requirements for domestic substitution in the financial sector.
• Nanosecond-level Accurate Synchronize ： PTPv2 Agreement + Hardware timestamp + PCIe Time‑synchronization board, synchronization accuracy in core trading scenarios ≤5ns , far exceeding industry standards ( ≤10ns ).
• Triple Security Protection : Single-BDS Timing (Source-Side Security) + Generative Isolation Device (Link Security) + National cryptographic encryption for secure transmission, providing all-round protection against attacks.
• Redundancy-based self-healing mechanism : Dual‑machine hot‑standby time servers, multi‑source timing redundancy, and link redundancy ensure automatic failover and seamless recovery without manual intervention.
• Compliant Design : Log Storage ≥1 In [year], it supports deviation auditing and fault root-cause analysis, thereby meeting the requirements of the CBIRC’s “Guidelines for Information Technology Risk Management of Commercial Banks” and the CSRC’s “Administrative Measures for Information Security Assurance in the Securities and Futures Industry.”

IV. Typical Application Cases and Outcomes

(1) Synchronization Project for the Core Transaction System of a State-Owned Bank

• Deployment Plan: 2 Taiwan DNTS-9HG Domestic Indigenous Innovation Time Server (Primary/Backup) + DNSIS-612A Generative Isolation Device + 500 block DNPTP-PCIE Time-keeping board card + Network-wide monitoring system.
• Application Results: The core transaction system achieves a synchronization accuracy of 2.8 ns , operates without any failures throughout the year, meeting the timing requirements of high-frequency trading; has passed domestic‑substitution acceptance testing and recorded zero compliance‑audit findings.

(II) Cross-border Transaction Synchronization Project of a Certain Securities Company

• Deployment Plan: Single BeiDou System DNTS-9-B Time server + Cross-Regional Beidou Two-Way Time Synchronization + PTP Transmission network + Terminal NTP Synchronize.
• Application Outcomes: Time Discrepancy in Cross-Border Transactions ≤5ns , meeting international trade‑matching requirements; domestic timing sources are avoided GPS Dependency risks are mitigated, and security controllability is enhanced.

V. Solution Implementation and Operations & Maintenance Recommendations

1. Phased Implementation Strategy : First pilot the core trading system, and after verifying its stability and accuracy, roll it out across the entire business system to mitigate operational risks associated with a one-time replacement.
2. Regular Calibration and Maintenance : The time server is calibrated quarterly by the National Institute of Metrology, China, and its batteries are replaced annually while redundant links are inspected to ensure optimal equipment performance.
3. Emergency drill : Conduct a failover drill every six months, simulating scenarios such as satellite signal interruptions and server failures, to enhance the operations and maintenance team’s emergency response capabilities.
4. Compliance Audit : Generate compliance reports on a monthly basis, and regularly cooperate with regulatory audits to ensure log integrity and adherence to deviation thresholds.