Question

Difficulty: MediumEstimating GCP Costs with the Pricing Calculator

An organization is preparing to migrate an enterprise application stack to Google Cloud and needs to model monthly infrastructure expenses using the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator. The target architecture includes a continuous 24/7 web application backend with predictable resource demand, along with a separate stateless batch data processing job that is fault-tolerant. Which of the following configuration options in the Pricing Calculator should be selected to accurately model valid cost-reduction strategies for these workloads? (Select TWO answers.)

  1. Apply Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) for the steady-state 24/7 application backend virtual machines.Answer
  2. B
    Assign Coldline Storage class to dataset buckets that are read and queried multiple times every day.
  3. Model the stateless, fault-tolerant batch processing compute instances as Spot VMs.Answer
  4. D
    Select GKE Standard node pools when the mandatory requirement is to completely eliminate cluster node maintenance overhead.

Answer

The correct selections are applying Committed Use Discounts for the steady-state 24/7 backend virtual machines and modeling the stateless fault-tolerant batch processing instances as Spot VMs.
Applying Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) for predictable 24/7 compute capacity provides significant cost reductions on baseline infrastructure. Additionally, leveraging Spot VMs for stateless, fault-tolerant batch workloads drastically reduces compute pricing because the workload can recover if instances are preempted by Google Cloud.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze steady-state compute requirements for continuous 24/7 workloads.
Identified that steady-state compute running continuously is eligible for 1-year or 3-year Committed Use Discounts in the Pricing Calculator.
CUDs lower hourly compute costs significantly for predictable, baseline resource commitments.
2
Analyze batch processing requirements for fault-tolerant workloads.
Identified that stateless, fault-tolerant workloads can utilize Spot VMs in the Pricing Calculator.
Spot VMs offer substantial cost savings for workloads capable of handling instance interruptions.
3
Evaluate storage and container management options against cost trade-offs.
Rejected Coldline storage for active daily data and GKE Standard for zero-node management requirements.
High retrieval fees penalty applies to Coldline when frequently accessed, and GKE Standard retains node management responsibility.

Key Concept

Pricing Calculator Discount Modeling (CUDs and Spot VMs)
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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