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Difficulty: HardEstimating GCP Costs with the Pricing Calculator

An enterprise is planning to migrate a continuous log processing pipeline to Google Cloud and must estimate monthly operational expenses using the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator. The requirements specify running ten e2-standard-4 Compute Engine virtual machine instances 24/7 for telemetry processing, storing 50 TB of compliance log archives that are accessed only once every six months, and transferring 5 TB of data outbound to an on-premises data center every month. How should the cloud engineer configure the parameters in the Google Cloud Pricing Calculator to ensure the most accurate and cost-effective estimate?

  1. Specify ten e2-standard-4 Compute Engine instances with a 1-year or 3-year Committed Use Discount (CUD), set the Storage class for log archives to Coldline Storage, and enter 5 TB under Network Internet Egress.Answer
  2. B
    Specify ten e2-standard-4 Compute Engine instances as Spot VMs, set the Storage class for log archives to Standard Storage, and enter 5 TB under Network Internet Egress.
  3. C
    Specify ten e2-standard-4 Compute Engine instances relying solely on automatic Sustained Use Discounts (SUDs), set the Storage class for log archives to Standard Storage to prevent access retrieval fees, and omit network transfer costs.
  4. D
    Convert the workload estimate to GKE Autopilot clusters, assuming 3-year Committed Use Discounts apply directly to eliminate the GKE cluster management flat fee.

Answer

Configure ten e2-standard-4 Compute Engine instances with a 1-year or 3-year Committed Use Discount (CUD), set the log archive storage class to Coldline Storage, and include 5 TB under Network Internet Egress.
For continuous 24/7 VM workloads, selecting Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) provides maximum savings. Storing 50 TB of archive logs accessed bi-annually matches Coldline Storage lifecycle characteristics, and outbound traffic to an on-premises facility represents billable Internet Egress that must be explicitly included in the pricing calculator.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Compute Engine discount models for 24/7 continuous workloads.
Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) offer significantly higher savings (up to 57%) compared to Sustained Use Discounts (SUDs) or standard on-demand pricing for predictable 24/7 workloads.
Since the workload runs non-stop 24/7, committing to 1-year or 3-year resource usage yields maximum cost savings, whereas Spot VMs are unsuitable due to preemption risk.
2
Select the appropriate Cloud Storage class based on access frequency.
Coldline Storage is optimal for data accessed roughly once every 90 to 180 days (such as bi-annual compliance audits).
Coldline Storage minimizes monthly GB storage cost while maintaining lower retrieval penalties than Archive Storage for bi-annual access.
3
Include external network egress traffic in the Pricing Calculator.
5 TB of monthly data transferred outbound from GCP to an on-premises location must be explicitly added to the Network Internet Egress pricing section.
Inbound data transfer is free in Google Cloud, but outbound data transfer over the internet to external destinations incurs standard internet egress charges.

Key Concept

Estimating GCP Costs with the Pricing Calculator
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Estimating GCP Costs with the Pricing Calculator

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