Compute Engine is Google Cloud’s infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offering, providing scalable virtual machines and other resources in the cloud.
Launching a compute instance using the Google Cloud console and Cloud SDK (gcloud)
One of the most fundamental tasks in Compute Engine is launching a virtual machine instance. This can be done through the Google Cloud console, a web-based interface for managing Google Cloud resources, or through the Cloud SDK, a command-line interface for Google Cloud.
When launching an instance, you can specify key attributes like the machine type, the operating system image, the disk size and type, and the network configuration. You can also specify SSH keys to enable remote access to the instance.
Creating an autoscaled managed instance group using an instance template
Another key feature of Compute Engine is the ability to create managed instance groups. These are groups of virtual machine instances that are automatically scaled up or down based on demand. To create a managed instance group, you first need to create an instance template, which defines the configuration for the instances in the group.
Once you have an instance template, you can create a managed instance group and configure autoscaling policies based on metrics like CPU utilization or load balancing traffic.
Generating/uploading a custom SSH key for instances
SSH keys are used to enable secure remote access to virtual machine instances in Compute Engine. By default, Compute Engine creates a new SSH key pair for each instance, but you can also specify a custom SSH key when launching an instance.
To generate an SSH key pair, you can use tools like OpenSSH or PuTTYgen. Once you have a key pair, you can upload the public key to Compute Engine and associate it with one or more instances.
Installing and configuring the Cloud Monitoring and Logging Agent
Cloud Monitoring and Logging provide powerful tools for monitoring and managing Compute Engine resources. To use these tools, you first need to install and configure the Cloud Monitoring and Logging agent on your virtual machine instances.
The agent collects metrics and logs from the instance and sends them to Cloud Monitoring and Logging for analysis and visualization. You can configure the agent to collect custom metrics and logs, as well as integrate with third-party monitoring and logging tools.
Assessing compute quotas and requesting increases
Finally, it’s important to be aware of the compute quotas and limits that apply to your Google Cloud project. These quotas restrict the number of resources you can create in Compute Engine, such as the number of virtual CPUs, persistent disks, and IP addresses.
If you need to exceed these quotas, you can request a quota increase through the Google Cloud console. Be sure to provide a detailed justification for the increase, as well as any relevant performance data.