Architecture Overview

StarlingX OpenStack uses a layered architecture in which OpenStack runs as a containerized Helm application on Kubernetes, StarlingX orchestrates Kubernetes, and the entire stack runs on a hardened Debian Linux base. This design isolates each layer’s concerns while enabling unified lifecycle management from bare metal through virtual machines.

The diagram below illustrates the high-level StarlingX architecture:

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Hardened Linux

The foundation layer is a Debian Linux kernel and operating system tuned for deterministic, low-latency performance. Wind River maintains this layer with ongoing security CVE patches to meet carrier-grade and enterprise compliance requirements.

StarlingX Platform

StarlingX provides hardware and software infrastructure management for the entire stack. It handles:

  • Installation, maintenance, and fault monitoring of dedicated bare-metal servers

  • Configuration of hardware and software services running on host servers

  • High-availability cluster management for controller nodes, including critical-service monitoring and automatic recovery across all nodes

  • Fault and log monitoring and reporting for both hardware and software services

  • Software update management across all layers, including the kernel, operating system, open-source packages, StarlingX, and Kubernetes

Supporting open-source components at this layer include PostgreSQL for platform databases, Ceph for persistent storage, Etcd for distributed key-value coordination, and Apache for web services.

Kubernetes

Kubernetes provides container orchestration for the application layers above it. Key capabilities include:

  • Native container runtime for workload execution

  • Calico container networking, with accelerated networking through multus and SR-IOV CNIs

  • Persistent Volume Claims backed by Ceph storage

  • Local container image registry

  • Helm package manager for deploying and upgrading containerized applications

  • FluxCD for GitOps-based continuous delivery

OpenStack

OpenStack is the top layer and provides virtual machine lifecycle management. It deploys as a set of containerized Helm charts on the Kubernetes layer, leveraging the platform’s high availability and lifecycle management capabilities.

For details on individual OpenStack services, see OpenStack Services.