Google Cloud Platform

Google Cloud Platform (GCP), offered by Google, is a suite of cloud computing services that runs on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products, such as Google Search and YouTube. Alongside a set of management tools, it provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning. Within cloudmesh, we develop services that support some of these products.

Google Compute Engine

Google Compute Engine delivers virtual machines running in Google’s innovative data centers and worldwide fiber network. Compute Engine’s tooling and workflow support enable scaling from single instances to global, load-balanced cloud computing. Compute Engine’s VMs boot quickly, come with high-performance persistent and local disk options, and deliver consistent performance. Our virtual servers are available in many configurations, including predefined sizes, and options to create Custom Machine Types optimized for your specific needs. Flexible pricing and automatic sustained use discounts make Compute Engine the leader in price/performance.

Next, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to create a Google account and service account through the Google webpage.

Prerequisites

We assume you have the cloudmesh google provider installed. This can be done with

$ pip install cloudmesh-google

For developers, the best way to install it is to use cloudmesh-installer.

$ mkdir cm
$ cd cm
$ pip install cloudmesh-installer
$ cloudmesh-installer get google
graph LR prereq(Prequisite)-->choose{Choose}; choose-->|Developer|a(mkdir cm <br> cd cm <br> pip install cloudmesh-installer <br> cloudmesh-installer get google) choose-->|Production|p(pip install cloudmesh-google)

Creating the Google Account

If you do not have a google cloud account a new google account can be created using the following link:

Activation Google Cloud Service

Google allows you to apply for a free account and offers you $300 in credits to use google cloud. After creating a new account apply for a free trail and $300 credit at:

For students or education account, apply at:

Please choose the one that is most appropriate for you. For the educational account you may need a verification from your school or an email that is registered as an educational institution.

Setting up Google Cloud Account

Next, you will need to create a project and a service account. All service calls from cloudmesh require a project id to create VM, Disks, Volumes, etc.

We recommend that you simply use the project name cloudmesh.

To authenticate the google cloud API from cloudmesh you also need to enable the required API and create a service account and then download the service account key.

Steps to setup project and service account:

graph TD account(Google Cloud Account)-->choose{Already have GCP Account?}; choose-->|Create|createa(Create Google Cloud Account) choose-->|Signin|signin(Login to Google Cloud Console) createa-->choosea{Choose Account Type} choosea-->free(Sign Up for Free Tier) choosea-->edu(Sign Up for Education Account) free-->|Signin|signin edu-->|Signin|signin signin-->project(Create Project <br> name cloudmesh) project-->enableapi(Enable API e.g. <br> Compute, Storage, Volume) enableapi-->createsa(Create/Select Service Account) createsa-->downloadsk("Create/Download Service Key <br> name google.json <br> to folder ~/.cloudmesh/security") downloadsk-->register("Register to Cloudmesh <br> with downloaded json") click createa "https://accounts.google.com/signup/v2/webcreateaccount?flowEntry=SignUp&flowName=GlifWebSignIn" click signin "http://console.cloud.google.com/" click free "https://console.cloud.google.com/freetrial?_ga=2.36435558.-733144975.1575249772&_gac=1.216762084.1575249889.CjwKCAiA5o3vBRBUEiwA9PVzavyytvYEKObpJV-GtriRXXj9JCtqPkm3TEpyZ6pDgOHWgDXuqZ7tFBoCjacQAvD_BwE" click edu "https://edu.google.com/products/google-cloud-platform/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=na-US-all-en-dr-bkws-all-all-trial-b-dr-1007179&utm_content=text-ad-none-any-DEV_c-CRE_182323152622-ADGP_Hybrid%20%7C%20AW%20SEM%20%7C%20SKWS%20%7C%20US%20%7C%20en%20%7C%20Multi%20~%20Student-KWID_43700018304461092-kwd-285517564251&utm_term=KW_%2Bstudent%20%2Bcloud-ST_%2BStudent%20%2BCloud&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI07zC9eeV5gIVhMBkCh2yMwA2EAAYASAAEgKmHfD_BwE&modal_active=none" click project "https://console.cloud.google.com/projectcreate" click enableapi "https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library" click createsa "https://console.cloud.google.com/projectselector2/iam-admin/serviceaccounts?supportedpurview=project" click downloadsk "https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/credentials/serviceaccountkey" click register "https://cloudmesh.github.io/cloudmesh-manual/manual/register.html"
Google account creation steps

Step

Description

Screenshot

1

Create Project

google-account-1

2

Next Enable API

google-account-4

3
For E.g.
Enable Compute API

google-account-5

4
Next Select Service Account
to create and download
service account key.

5
Create Service Account Key.
Download the service
account key file to
~/.cloudmesh/security
folder with name
google.json.

google-account-2

After the key is downloaded, make sure you keep the ~/.cloudmesh directory secure.

We will use the downloaded JSON file to register google cloud with cloudmesh and enable cloudmesh to invoke google cloud API by updating the YAML entry in the file

$ ~/.cloudmesh/cloudmesh.yaml

Next register a google cloud account with cloudmesh.

Registering Google Cloud to Cloudmesh

Use the following command to register google cloud with cloudmesh. This command will update the cloudmesh.yaml file for respective service.

Register Google Compute

$ cms register update --kind=google --service=compute --filename=~/.cloudmesh/security/google.json

Register Google Storage

$ cms register update --kind=google --service=Storage --filename=~/.cloudmesh/security/google.json bucket=cloudmesh-bucket

Note: The cloudmesh-bucket will be used as the default storage bucket.

Register Google Volume

$ cms register update --service=volume --kind=google --filename=~/.cloudmesh/security/google.json zone=us-west-a sizeGb=100 label=google

Verify Setup

Check the setup by running the following command

$ cms set cloud=google
$ cms vm list --refresh

The above command should list the VMs from your google cloud compute service.

You are all set with Google Cloud account setup.

Google Cloud Storage

Google Cloud Storage provides varity of storage products which are simple, reliable, and secure solutions for your media, analytics, and application data.

The following are avalaible as google cloud storage products:

  1. Object or blob storage Storage Type: Cloud Storage

  2. Block storage Storage Type: Persistent Disk

  3. Archival storage Storage Type: Cloud Storage

  4. File storage Storage Type: Cloud Filestore

  5. Mobile application Storage Type: Cloud Storage for Firebase

  6. Data transfer Storage Type: Data Transfer Services

  7. Collaboration Storage Type: Drive enterprise

You can refer google storage documentation for more details on google cloud storage documentation. Cloudmesh currently supports object/blob storage. Users can follow instructions to configure the google could platform described as part of this document.