Routing Equipment Clock Signal Component Failing

[d-chord]

There is a story going around about various routers (and some other equipment) that is being hit by an issue with a clock component which degrades over a period of about 18 months:

http://www.networkworld.com/article/3170065/router/juniper-facing-fatal-clock-flaw-that-impacts-cisco-routers-switches.html

I've had to RMA several router cards which haven't been confirmed to be this issue, but I'm guessing may be.  What I'm wondering is what sort of component failure could result in a situation like this?  A bad run of crystals with leaky cases?  My curiosity is piqued.

-David

[calmtron]

It's the Intel Atom C2000 SOC LPC bus clock output that stops working after a while, see Intels errata AVR54:

https://www-ssl.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/specification-updates/atom-c2000-family-spec-update.pdf

[d-chord]

I see now.  That's mentioned in the article, but I wasn't getting that it was an actual component on those routers.

Thanks!

-David

[madires]

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/dying-intel-atom-c2000-processors-take-out-network-equipment/