Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx Hardware Timestamp (Windows OS)

Infrastructure & Networking Adapters and Cables Ethernet Adapter Cards
1

Hello,

I am attempting to utilize Hardware Timestamping on a Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx card running on a Windows system.

1. The Problem

I am observing captured packets in Wireshark (using TShark with the --time-stamp-type adapter option) and the timestamp precision is incorrect:

  • Observed Timestamp: The precision is only up to 6 decimal places (microseconds, e.g., 1.123456000), with the last three digits consistently showing 000.

  • Expected Behavior: I expect full nanosecond precision (9 decimal places, e.g., 1.123456789) from the NIC’s PHC (PTP Hardware Clock).

2. Device and Configuration Details

  • NIC Model: Mellanox ConnectX-4 Lx

  • PSID: MT_2420110034

  • Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

  • Current FW Version: 14.32.1908 (Latest version I could find)

3. Steps Already Taken

  1. I have checked the Device Manager properties, and PTP Hardware Timestamp is clearly listed and is set to Enabled.

  2. I performed a firmware write (flash) to the latest available version (14.32.1908) using flint, but the issue persists.

  3. I verified the mlxconfig output, and critical PTP configuration parameters like PTP_EN or PTP_LTS_EN are not visible in the list, indicating the default firmware profile does not expose them.

4. Core Question

Is it possible that the current general-purpose firmware profile (for PSID MT_2420110034) is not fully supporting nanosecond hardware timestamping under the Windows (WinOF-2 / Npcap) stack?

Could you please provide the exact filename for the PTP-specific firmware image (or a link to the download page) for the ConnectX-4 Lx (PSID MT_2420110034) that fully enables PTP/PHC functionality in a Windows environment?

Thank you for your assistance.

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