diff --git a/src/ca/access.cpp b/src/ca/access.cpp
index dae79addd..b882fac60 100644
--- a/src/ca/access.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/access.cpp
@@ -762,16 +762,21 @@ extern "C" epicsShareFunc unsigned epicsShareAPI ca_write_access (chid pChan)
 /*
  * ca_name ()
  */
-extern "C" epicsShareFunc const char * epicsShareAPI ca_name (chid pChan)
+extern "C" epicsShareFunc const char * epicsShareAPI ca_name ( chid pChan )
 {
     return pChan->pName ();
 }
 
-extern "C" epicsShareFunc unsigned epicsShareAPI ca_search_attempts (chid pChan)
+extern "C" epicsShareFunc unsigned epicsShareAPI ca_search_attempts ( chid pChan )
 {
     return pChan->searchAttempts ();
 }
 
+extern "C" epicsShareFunc double epicsShareAPI ca_beacon_period ( chid pChan )
+{
+    return pChan->beaconPeriod ();
+}
+
 /*
  * ca_get_ioc_connection_count()
  *
diff --git a/src/ca/bhe.cpp b/src/ca/bhe.cpp
index 8b2bffe44..584c902a5 100644
--- a/src/ca/bhe.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/bhe.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 
 #include "iocinf.h"
 #include "bhe_IL.h"
+#include "tcpiiu_IL.h"
 
 tsFreeList < class bhe, 1024 > bhe::freeList;
 
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ bhe::~bhe ()
  *
  * updates beacon period, and looks for beacon anomalies
  */
-bool bhe::updateBeaconPeriod ( osiTime programBeginTime )
+bool bhe::updatePeriod ( osiTime programBeginTime )
 {
     double currentPeriod;
     bool netChange = false;
@@ -167,3 +168,9 @@ void bhe::destroy ()
     delete this;
 }
 
+double bhe::period () const
+{
+    return this->averagePeriod;
+}
+
+
diff --git a/src/ca/cacChannel.cpp b/src/ca/cacChannel.cpp
index 6663c2139..234f8de59 100644
--- a/src/ca/cacChannel.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/cacChannel.cpp
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@
  *	505 665 1831
  */
 
+#include <float.h>
+
 #include "iocinf.h"
 
 cacChannel::cacChannel () : pChannelIO (0) 
@@ -197,6 +199,17 @@ unsigned cacChannel::searchAttempts () const
     }
 }
 
+double cacChannel::beaconPeriod () const
+{
+    cacChannelIO *pIO = this->pChannelIO;
+    if ( pIO ) {
+        return pIO->beaconPeriod ();
+    }
+    else {
+        return - DBL_MAX;
+    }
+}
+
 bool cacChannel::ca_v42_ok () const
 {
     cacChannelIO *pIO = this->pChannelIO;
diff --git a/src/ca/cacChannelIO.cpp b/src/ca/cacChannelIO.cpp
index 9d6823312..9df75bd07 100644
--- a/src/ca/cacChannelIO.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/cacChannelIO.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
  *  Author: Jeff Hill
  */
 
+#include <float.h>
+
 #include "iocinf.h"
 
 cacChannelIO::cacChannelIO ( cacChannel &chanIn ) :
@@ -74,6 +76,11 @@ unsigned cacChannelIO::searchAttempts () const
     return 0u;
 }
 
+double cacChannelIO::beaconPeriod () const 
+{
+    return - DBL_MAX;
+}
+
 bool cacChannelIO::ca_v42_ok () const 
 {
     return true;
diff --git a/src/ca/cacIO.h b/src/ca/cacIO.h
index 0d5b1597f..71a4be32e 100644
--- a/src/ca/cacIO.h
+++ b/src/ca/cacIO.h
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ public:
     bool writeAccess () const;
     const char *pName () const;
     unsigned searchAttempts () const;
+    double beaconPeriod () const;
     bool ca_v42_ok () const;
     bool connected () const;
     caar accessRights () const;
@@ -130,6 +131,7 @@ private:
     virtual channel_state state () const; // defaults to always connected
     virtual caar accessRights () const; // defaults to unrestricted access
     virtual unsigned searchAttempts () const; // defaults to zero
+    virtual double beaconPeriod () const; // defaults to negative DBL_MAX
     virtual bool ca_v42_ok () const; // defaults to true
     virtual bool connected () const; // defaults to true
     virtual unsigned readSequence () const; // defaults to always zero
diff --git a/src/ca/cadef.h b/src/ca/cadef.h
index f03876f81..513dae70b 100644
--- a/src/ca/cadef.h
+++ b/src/ca/cadef.h
@@ -931,7 +931,7 @@ epicsShareFunc int epicsShareAPI ca_replace_printf_handler (
  */
 epicsShareFunc unsigned epicsShareAPI ca_get_ioc_connection_count (void);
 epicsShareFunc unsigned epicsShareAPI ca_search_attempts (chid chan);
-
+epicsShareFunc double epicsShareAPI ca_beacon_period (chid chan);
 
 /*
  * used when an auxillary thread needs to join a CA client context started
diff --git a/src/ca/casw.cpp b/src/ca/casw.cpp
index 7a8d2f7a7..39ae04920 100644
--- a/src/ca/casw.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/casw.cpp
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ int main ( int argc, char **argv )
                  */
                 bhe *pBHE = beaconTable.lookup ( ina );
                 if ( pBHE ) {
-                    netChange = pBHE->updateBeaconPeriod ( programBeginTime );
+                    netChange = pBHE->updatePeriod ( programBeginTime );
                 }
                 else {
                     /*
diff --git a/src/ca/nciu.cpp b/src/ca/nciu.cpp
index aa9508703..d53d4931f 100644
--- a/src/ca/nciu.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/nciu.cpp
@@ -484,6 +484,11 @@ unsigned nciu::searchAttempts () const
     return this->retry;
 }
 
+double nciu::beaconPeriod () const
+{
+    return this->piiu->beaconPeriod ();
+}
+
 int nciu::createChannelRequest ()
 {
     int status = this->piiu->createChannelRequest ( *this );
diff --git a/src/ca/netiiu.cpp b/src/ca/netiiu.cpp
index 2dcb16b5d..9c64a6ca0 100644
--- a/src/ca/netiiu.cpp
+++ b/src/ca/netiiu.cpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <limits.h>
+#include <float.h>
 
 #include "iocinf.h"
 #include "netiiu_IL.h"
@@ -263,4 +264,9 @@ void netiiu::uninstallIO ( baseNMIU &io )
 {
     epicsAutoMutex autoMutex ( this->mutex );
     io.channel ().tcpiiuPrivateListOfIO::eventq.remove ( io );
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+double netiiu::beaconPeriod () const
+{
+    return - DBL_MAX;
+}