White Rabbit Applications and Enhancements

This article provides a non-exhaustive overview of applications and enhancements to the White Rabbit (WR) extension of the IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP). Initially developed to serve accelerators at the European Or-ganization for Nuclear Research (CERN), WR has become a widely-used synchronization solution in scientific installations. This article classifies WR applications into five types, briefly explains each and describes example its installations. The article then summarizes WR enhancements that have been triggered by different applications and outlines WR’s integration into the PTP standard. Based on the presented variety of WR applications and enhancements, it concludes that WR will continue to proliferate in scientific applications and should soon find its way into industry.