Google Cloud Computing Foundation Course - Week 3 Lecture Notes Summary

Lecture 15: Cloud Console Mobile App

• Overview:
• The Google Cloud Console Mobile App allows managing GCP services via
mobile devices.
• Free and available for iOS and Android.
• Provides access to billing, status updates, and critical issues.
• Key Features:
• Custom dashboard for key metrics (CPU usage, network usage, requests per
second, etc.).
• Actions: Rollback releases, stop/restart virtual machines, search logs, and access
VMs via SSH.
• Monitoring: View and respond to incidents, errors, and logs.
• Cloud Shell: Access to perform G-cloud operations.

Lecture 16: Quiz

• True/False Question:
• All GCP resources must be associated with a project – True. Helps in billing and
resource isolation.
• Command-line Tool:
• gsutil for working with Cloud Storage.
• SDK Configuration:
• gcloud init: Used to set up default project, region, and zone for the SDK.

Lecture 17: Module Introduction

• Module Objective:
• Learn how to leverage GCP resources and serverless services to build
applications.
• Topics include:
• Compute options.
• Building and managing VMs.
• Auto-scaling.
• Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) via App Engine.
• Cloud Functions for event-driven services.
• Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for containerization.
• Hands-On Labs:
• Lab 1: Create a VM.
• Lab 2: Create a simple App Engine app.
• Lab 3: Cloud Function creation and testing using Google Cloud Shell.
Lecture 18: Compute Options in the Cloud
• Compute Services Overview:
• Compute Engine: Virtual machines (VMs) for full control over infrastructure.
• App Engine: Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for scalable applications.
• Cloud Functions: Serverless compute for event-driven applications.
• Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE): Orchestration for containerized apps.

Lecture 19: Exploring IaaS with Compute Engine

• Introduction:
• Compute Engine offers scalable, high-performance VMs running on Google's
infrastructure.
• Ideal for workloads that require:
• Full control over the virtual machine.
• Custom network configurations.
• Specific kernel-level changes.
• Running non-containerized applications.
• VM Features:
• Supports a variety of machine types (General-purpose, Memory-optimized,
Compute-optimized).
• Predefined and Custom VMs for specific resource needs.
• Persistent Disk options: HDD or SSD.
• Local SSDs: High IOPS and low latency storage for VMs.
• Networking: Ability to segment networks, apply firewall rules, and use cloud
load balancing for distributing resources globally.
• Pricing:
• Per-second billing after a minimum 1-minute charge.
• Sustained use discounts for long-running VMs.
• The GCP Pricing Calculator provides cost estimates for various configurations.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

What is the Google Cloud Console Mobile App?
• The mobile app allows you to manage GCP services from your device, view billing,
monitor metrics, and address critical issues on the go.
• On which platforms is the Google Cloud Console Mobile App available?
• It is available on both iOS and Android.
• What is one key feature of the Google Cloud Console Mobile App?
• You can create a custom dashboard to monitor key metrics like CPU usage and network
performance.
• Can you take actions on the GCP from the mobile app?
• Yes, you can restart or stop virtual machines, roll back releases, and access logs directly
from the app.
• What is the purpose of associating all GCP resources with a project?
• It helps with billing and resource isolation.
• What command-line tool is part of the Cloud SDK for working with cloud storage?
• The gsutil command-line tool is used for cloud storage.
• How do you set up the default configuration for Cloud SDK?
• Use the gcloud init command.
• What is the focus of the module on building apps in GCP?
• It teaches how to leverage GCP resources and serverless services for building
applications.
• What are the compute options in GCP?
• GCP offers Compute Engine, App Engine, Cloud Functions, and Google Kubernetes
Engine (GKE).
• What is Compute Engine in GCP?
• Compute Engine is a type of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offering virtual machines
on Google's infrastructure.
• When should you use Compute Engine?
• When you need full control over VM infrastructure or need to run software that can't be
easily containerized.
• What is App Engine used for?
• App Engine is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that allows running applications without
managing infrastructure.
• What is the role of Cloud Functions in GCP?
• Cloud Functions offer a serverless option to trigger code execution based on events.
• What are predefined machine types in Compute Engine?
• Predefined machine types come with preset CPU and memory configurations and are
charged at a set price.
• What is the benefit of custom machine types in Compute Engine?
• Custom machines allow you to tailor the number of vCPUs and memory to meet specific
application needs.
• How does Google handle persistent disk storage for Compute Engine?
• Persistent disks can be attached to VMs, retain data even if the VM is terminated, and
can be used to create new disks via snapshots.
• What are the key features of local SSDs in Compute Engine?
• Local SSDs offer very high input/output operations per second (IOPS) and low latency
compared to persistent disks.
• How is network egress related to Compute Engine disk performance?
• The performance of persistent disks is proportional to the vCPU count of the instance,
and smaller VMs may experience reduced write limits.
• What is the function of Cloud Load Balancing in GCP?
• Cloud Load Balancing distributes traffic across multiple Compute Engine instances and
regions to meet high availability needs.
• What is the minimum billing unit for a Compute Engine virtual machine?
• The minimum charge is for one minute of usage, followed by per-second billing.
• What discounts does GCP offer for long-running workloads?
• Google offers sustained use discounts, which provide automatic price reductions for
longer usage without upfront commitment.
• What tool can you use to estimate GCP pricing?
• The GCP pricing calculator helps estimate costs based on different configuration
options.
• What are the general-purpose machine types in Compute Engine?
• General-purpose machine types provide a balance between memory and CPU for most
workloads.
• What are memory-optimized machine types in Compute Engine?
• These machines offer a higher ratio of memory to CPU for memory-intensive
workloads.
• What are compute-optimized machine types in Compute Engine?
• These machine types offer a higher CPU-to-memory ratio, ideal for compute-intensive
tasks.
• What storage options are available for Compute Engine instances?
• Compute Engine offers HDD and SSD persistent disks, as well as local SSDs for high-
performance storage needs.
• What is the purpose of using Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?
• GKE is used to containerize and orchestrate applications, allowing you to run containers
on a managed Kubernetes platform.
• How can sub-networks and firewall rules help in Compute Engine?
• They allow you to segment networks and restrict access to instances, enhancing security
 and network management.
• What role does auto-scaling play in GCP?
• Auto-scaling helps in creating elastic applications that scale resources up or down based
on demand.
• What does the Google Cloud Shell allow you to do?
• Cloud Shell provides a command-line interface for managing GCP resources and
running gcloud commands directly from a web browser.