Trusted or attested packet timestamping

Abstract

Various embodiments of apparatuses and methods for trusted and/or attested packet timestamping are described. In some embodiments, the disclosed system and methods include a reference timekeeper providing a reference clock to host computing devices. The host computing devices host compute instances using a first set of computing resources, and also contain isolated timing hardware utilizing a different set of computing resources. The isolated timing hardware sets a hardware clock based on a signal corresponding to the reference clock from the reference timekeeper. The isolated timing hardware then receives a packet from a particular compute instance, creates a timestamp for the packet based at least in part on the hardware clock, where the timestamp is outside the control of the compute instances, and sends the packet and the timestamp through a data network to transmit to a packet destination.