An OpenStack contingent has set up an ARM-based cloud as a zone in TryStack.org, the free five-month-old sandbox, for trying and testing the OpenStack IaaS platform that’s been limited to just an x86 zone running industry-standard hardware up until now.
It’s believed to be the first ARM-based cloud or at least the first OpenStack cloud on ARM. It’s not meant for production use.
The widgetry consists of HP Redstone servers fitted with Calxeda’s ECX-1000 ARM chips running Essex, the latest version of OpenStack, and Canonical’s Ubuntu Server 12.04 LTS hosted by Texas service provider Core NAP.