Design and Analysis of a Redundant, Low-Jitter Clocking System for White Rabbit Synchronization Switches

This paper presents the design and validation of an enhanced clock architecture for White Rabbit Switches, addressing the growing need for ultra-precise synchronization in distributed systems. The White Rabbit protocol enables sub-nanosecond timing alignment and deterministic data transmission over optical fiber networks, making it a cornerstone for applications in high-energy physics, telecommunications, and industrial automation. Achieving this level of precision depends critically on the stability and integrity of the clock distribution system. To meet these requirements, the proposed architecture introduces a redundant oscillator subsystem that integrates two independent clock paths: one based on high-stability crystal oscillators and another on voltage-controlled oscillators. This dual-path design provides automatic failover capability, ensuring continuous operation under fault conditions. By directly generating the 125 MHz and 124.992 MHz signals required by the White Rabbit protocol, the system eliminates intermediate frequency synthesis stages, significantly reducing phase noise and jitter. The design process incorporates advanced signal and power integrity simulations to optimize Printed Circuit Board layout, impedance control, and power distribution network performance. These simulations confirm that the proposed architecture achieves low-jitter operation while maintaining compatibility with existing White Rabbit infrastructure. Detailed jitter analysis demonstrates substantial improvements in synchronization reliability, paving the way for robust deployment in large-scale scientific and industrial networks.