What's changed: Created Associate Cloud Engineer Chapter 4 (Domain 4 "Operating": operating compute/storage/networking = snapshots/images/GKE node pools-autoscaling/Cloud Run traffic splitting/object lifecycle/DB backup/subnet expansion/static IPs/Cloud DNS/Cloud NAT; monitoring and logging = Cloud Monitoring (metrics/alerts/custom metrics)/Ops Agent/Managed Service for Prometheus/Cloud Logging (log router/export)/audit logs).
4.1Operating compute, storage, and networking
Understand operational tasks: Compute Engine snapshots and images, GKE node pools and horizontal/vertical autoscaling, Cloud Run versions and traffic splitting, Cloud Storage object lifecycle management and database backup/restore, and subnet expansion, static IPs, Cloud DNS, and Cloud NAT.
After deploying, you must keep things running and apply changes safely. Here are key operational tasks per service.
4.1.1Operating compute
On Compute Engine, use disk snapshots for backup/restore (schedulable) and create images from a VM or snapshot to mass-produce identical VMs. On GKE, add/edit/remove node pools and configure horizontal autoscaling (Pod count) and vertical autoscaling (resource size) with load. On Cloud Run, deploy new versions and use traffic splitting to roll out gradually (canary) and tune autoscaling parameters (min/max instances). Map "roll out a new version gradually = traffic splitting."
4.1.2Operating storage and networking
On Cloud Storage, use object lifecycle management to automate "delete after N days" or "move old data to a cheaper class," cutting cost. Databases use Google-managed backup and restore. For networking, operate adding a subnet to an existing VPC, expanding a subnet when IPs run short, reserving static IPs, Cloud DNS for internal/external name resolution, and Cloud NAT to let VMs without external IPs reach the internet outbound.
Beyond these, know common adjacent services. Store container images and language packages in Artifact Registry as the deploy source (successor to Container Registry). When VMs or GKE need a shared file system, mount the managed NFS Filestore. For low-latency Redis/Memcached caching, use Memorystore. Control perimeter traffic with the managed next-gen firewall Cloud NGFW, and connect on-premises over dedicated links with Cloud Interconnect (Dedicated/Partner). To pinpoint application latency bottlenecks via distributed tracing, use Cloud Trace.
Common: requirement → action. E.g., "back up/restore a VM" = snapshot; "mass-produce identical VMs" = image; "scale Pod count with load" = horizontal autoscaling; "shift versions gradually" = Cloud Run traffic splitting; "auto-delete/move old data" = object lifecycle management; "let external-IP-less VMs reach out" = Cloud NAT; "name resolution" = Cloud DNS.
Watch the mix-ups: (1) snapshot (disk backup) vs image (VM clone template) differ. (2) Horizontal (count) vs vertical (size) autoscaling. (3) Cloud NAT (outbound without external IP) vs Cloud DNS (name resolution) differ.
4.1.3Section summary
- CE = snapshots (backup) / images (clone); GKE = node pools / horizontal-vertical autoscaling; Cloud Run = traffic splitting
- Cloud Storage = lifecycle automates delete/move; DB = managed backup/restore
- Networking = add/expand subnets, static IPs, Cloud DNS (resolution), Cloud NAT (outbound)
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Quick check
(just a quick review)Q1. To back up a Compute Engine disk and restore it when needed, what do you use?
Q2. In Cloud Run, to shift a new version gradually and send only some traffic first, which feature do you use?
Q3. In Cloud Storage, to auto-delete old objects after a period and cut cost, what do you use?
Q4. To let a VM without an external IP make outbound internet calls (e.g., fetch packages), what do you use?
Q5. In GKE, to automatically adjust the number of Pods with load, which do you configure?
Q6. Which serves as the clone source (template) to create multiple identical VMs?
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