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= ARM Chips, Fedora, and Plug Computers, and Fedora, Oh My! =

[[File:Guru-sheeva-handheld.jpeg|thumb|right|Two models of Plug Computers: A SheevaPlug (left) and GuruPlug (right)]]The PlugComputing [http://plugcomputer.org PlugComputer] concept was created by [http://www.marvell.com Marvell ] to promote the use of ARM processors in non-mobile environments -- as a power-saving server option. Each PlugComputer contains a Marvell system-on-a-chip (SOC) and flash-based storage.

The model of PlugComputer we're using today is the [http://globalscaletechnologies.com/p-32-guruplug-server-plus.aspx GuruPlug Server Plus], made by [http://globalscaletechnologies.com GlobalScale Technologies, Inc]. This unit features 512MB of RAM, 512MB of built-in NAND flash, support for microSD/microSDHC cards, dual gigabit ethernet interfaces, eSATA, two USB ports, 802.11bg wireless, and bluetooth. The total power consumption of the GuruPlug is typically under 5W - about the power of a small nightlight.

The [http://fedoraproject.org Fedora Project ] is a community sponsored by Red Hat which produces a Linux distribution. The Fedora distribution is typically used on 32- and 64-bit Intel/AMD-compatible processors, which are known as the "Primary Architectures". However, there are a number of special interest groups within Fedora which compile the distribution for use on other processors, [http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Architectures#Secondary_Architectures secondary architectures], including PowerPC, IA64 (Itanium), SPARC, MIPS, IBM mainframe (Z9), and ARM systems.

Fedora utilizes a the ''Koji'' client-server based build system which permits any packagemaintainer to submit a build request to a build master, which they passes jobs off to individual builders. Seneca College is hosting the [http://arm.koji.fedoraproject.org Fedora ARM Koji] system, which is being used to compile Fedora 13 and subsequent releases.