APX-SYNC600 Financial Network Timing System
Product Overview
The APEX APX-SYNC600 is a financial network timing system. It provides a traceable UTC reference to trading, market data, risk and post-trade systems through PTP and NTP, and reports the state of that reference so the timestamps in a record can be defended rather than merely stored.
Financial networks are held to their timestamps. Trade records, order events, market data captures and audit trails are expected to carry a time that is traceable to a recognized reference, and the requirement applies to the systems that generate the record, not only to the clock in the data centre. Once applications depend on precise time, the difficult part is no longer accuracy at a single point: it is proving that the reference was healthy at the moment the record was created.
The APX-SYNC600 is built around that requirement. It locks to GPS and BeiDou, disciplines its internal oscillator, and serves the trading estate with PTP over Ethernet for systems that need tight time and phase and NTP or SNTP for the wider population of servers and applications. Reference source, lock state and holdover are monitored and alarmed, so an interruption appears in the operations record at the time it happens. 1PPS and 10MHz outputs are available for measurement, capture and test equipment in the same environment.
It is used in trading and colocation environments, in connectivity and market data infrastructure, in post-trade, clearing and risk systems, and in bank campus and branch networks where the same traceable reference has to reach many buildings.
Key Features
- Traceable UTC reference from a GNSS locked source
- PTP over Ethernet for trading, capture and latency sensitive systems
- NTP and SNTP for the wider server and application population
- 1PPS and 10MHz outputs for measurement, capture and test equipment
- Holdover on the internal oscillator, with the state reported and alarmed
- Reference priority with automatic switching and a second reference input
- Monitoring of reference source, lock and holdover state, so an interruption is recorded when it happens
- Antenna, low loss cable and surge protection supplied as one matched set
- Configuration recorded per site, so primary and secondary environments are set up identically
- Suitable for trading floors, colocation, post-trade and campus networks
- Optional redundant power supply
- CE and RoHS compliant, supplied with a test report and a 3 year warranty
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|
| Part Number | APX-SYNC600 |
| Product Type | Financial network timing system |
| GNSS Reference | GPS and BeiDou timing configurations |
| Packet Time | PTP over Ethernet for trading, capture and latency sensitive systems |
| Network Time | NTP and SNTP for servers, applications and management systems |
| Physical Outputs | 1PPS and 10MHz outputs for measurement, capture and test equipment |
| Holdover | Internal oscillator disciplined to the satellite reference, holdover maintained when the reference is lost |
| Reference Inputs | GNSS antenna input, external reference input for a second source |
| Monitoring | Reference source, lock and holdover state reported and alarmed |
| Network Interfaces | Multiple Gigabit Ethernet ports |
| Redundancy | Reference priority with automatic switching, redundant power option |
| Management | Web interface, SNMP and alarm reporting |
| Antenna Set | GNSS antenna, low loss cable and surge protection supplied as one matched set |
| Configuration | Interfaces and profiles set for the site before shipment, configuration recorded |
| Application | Trading and colocation, market data and connectivity, post-trade and campus networks |
| Mounting | Rack mount chassis |
| Compliance | CE, RoHS |
Applications
Trading and Colocation Environments
Gives order handling and capture systems a reference that can be pointed to when the sequence of events in a session has to be explained.
Market Data and Connectivity Infrastructure
Aligns feeds, distribution platforms and monitoring systems so that latency and gap analysis is measured against one consistent time base.
Post-Trade, Risk and Campus Networks
Extends the same traceable reference to clearing, risk and back office systems, including sites that are reached through elsewhere on the network.
Deployment and Selection Notes
Work from the record, not from the clock. Identify the systems whose timestamps end up in a trade record or an audit trail, then note which of them take PTP and which take NTP. The APX-SYNC600 is configured to that list, and the same list is used for the secondary environment so that a failover does not change the way time is served.
Then treat continuity as part of the design. A second reference input, a second clock on a separate antenna path and a defined priority order are what keep the reference available when the satellite signal is interrupted, and the monitoring record of those events is what makes the interruption explainable later. Antenna mounting and cable routing are settled together with these decisions, because the entry point is also where surge protection belongs.
Related requirements are covered by the rest of the timing range: GNSS and NTP network time servers where only network time is needed, PTP grandmaster clocks where phase has to be generated for the transport path, PTP boundary and slave clocks where time must be carried between network segments, and synchronization systems where several environments are planned as one project.
Compatibility
The APX-SYNC600 serves standard PTP equipment and NTP or SNTP clients from one unit, with discrete 1PPS and 10MHz outputs for capture and test equipment. Tell us the platforms, the client count and the redundancy arrangement you need, and we confirm interfaces, profiles and the antenna set in one document before the order is released.
Related Products
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the network use PTP or NTP?
Both, in most cases. PTP serves systems that need tight time and phase, while NTP and SNTP cover the larger population of servers and applications. The APX-SYNC600 serves both from one reference.
How is the health of the reference demonstrated?
Reference source, lock state and holdover are monitored and alarmed through the management interface, so an interruption is recorded when it happens instead of being inferred from the data afterwards.
What happens if the satellite reference is lost?
The unit moves to the next reference in the priority list, or holds over on its internal oscillator, and the change of state is reported. On recovery it returns to the primary source and the event remains visible in the alarm history.
Can one system serve several trading floors or buildings?
It can serve clients across the network it is connected to, and further environments are best served by a second unit taking an external reference input. Send us the topology and we confirm the arrangement.
Why Choose Apex
- Traceable UTC reference from a GNSS locked source, monitored and alarmed rather than assumed
- PTP and NTP served from the same unit, so tight and general time requirements share one source
- Client list, platform types and redundancy arrangement confirmed with you before the order is released
- Configuration recorded per site so the secondary environment matches the primary
- Backed by a 3 year warranty and technical support on synchronization planning and topology
