OpenShift on ARM Developer Preview Now Available for AWS

At Red Hat, new hardware is exciting! It enables us to present compelling, new choices to our customers. In 2018, we introduced Red Hat Enterprise Linux for ARM on Amazon EC2 A1 instances. This was special because it allowed us to unlock the benefits of cost-efficient ARM processors in hybrid cloud-based workloads.

The next step in that vision came when the AWS EC2 6th generation Graviton instances were announced with support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. We are now excited to continue down this path, by taking our multiple architecture approach even further with AWS.

To this end, we are making available a developer preview offering of OpenShift on ARM. For the first time, you’ll be able to try out your Kubernetes workflows with the same great experience you’ve come to expect from Red Hat OpenShift in AWS, backed by the latest cost-effective ARM instances. You can experience how easy it is to get started by checking out the instructions below.

Within minutes, you will be able to stand up your very own OpenShift on ARM cluster!  With your help, we can help shape the future OpenShift on ARM to ensure the best possible end-user experience.

Ready to get started? Here’s what you’ll need.

• A configured AWS account (instructions)
• A Red Hat account (available for no cost at https://developers.redhat.com/)

Now that you have your account, it’s time to start deploying!

1. If you haven’t finished setting up your AWS account yet, follow these setup instructions to configure your user credentials, routes, and limits.
2. Once you have your AWS account set up, you can download the client and installer binaries from cloud.redhat.com.
3. You will also need to download your pull secret from cloud.redhat.com.
4. With all of the files downloaded, you can run the openshift-installer binary to walk you step-by-step through making a configuration file for your new cluster. 

   $ ./openshift-install create install-config

5. Optional but recommended - now that you have an install-config.yaml, we recommend that you change the network.networkType from OpenShiftSDN to OVNKubernetes.
6. Finally - it’s time to start the deployment! This should take about 45 minutes.

   $ ./openshift-install create cluster

7. Congratulations - you should now be able to enjoy your new OpenShift cluster!

Since this is a brand new offering, here are some things you should consider.

• This preview is based on a nightly build of OpenShift 4.9, and therefore is neither feature nor bug complete.
• ARM instances are available in most, but not all, AWS regions.
• Only Red Hat CoreOS (RHCOS) nodes are available on ARM.
• Heterogeneous clusters (in other words, with a mix of x86_64 and ARM nodes) are not supported.
• The OperatorHub will be empty, as optional operators are not available on ARM at this time.
• For more detailed information and a full list of known issues, check out our README and our OpenShift-on-ARM issue tracker.

As this is a developer preview, we aren’t ready to provide support at this early stage. That said, our team hopes that those of you who share our enthusiasm will help us by trying this out and bringing your feedback to our OpenShift-on-ARM issue tracker! Thanks for joining us as we work to provide you with multiple different architectures to support you in your hybrid-cloud journey.