The branch of testing that applies to network synchronization, a critical element of network performance. The tests cover traditional synchronization protocols as well as precision time protocol (IEEE 1588v2), which synchronizes clocks throughout a computer network, and Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE), an ITU-T standard that makes it easier to transfer of clock signals over the Ethernet physical layer. Synchronization testing is required throughout the network lifecycle, from turn-up and burn-in to monitoring to troubleshooting.