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Google Cloud Create VM instance with Machine Images

Step-01: Introduction

  • A machine image contains a VM’s properties, metadata, permissions, and data from all its attached disks.
  • You can use a machine image to create, backup, or restore a VM.

Usecase

  1. Create a VM Instance
  2. We will create a Machine Image from a VM Instance using Google Cloud Console
  3. We will create a VM Instance from newly created Machine Image and verify
  4. We will create a Machine Image using gcloud
  5. Delete Machine Images and VM Instances

Step-02: Create a VM Instance

# Set Project
gcloud config set project PROJECT_ID
gcloud config set project gcplearn9

# Create VM Instance
gcloud compute instances create demo5-vm \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --machine-type=e2-micro \
  --network-interface=subnet=default \
  --tags=http-server 

# Connect to VM Instance using SSH browser
demo5-vm -> SSH -> Open in new browser window

# Upload webserver-install.sh
Upload file webserver-install.sh

# Execute webserver-install.sh
chmod 755 webserver-install.sh
./webserver-install.sh
curl localhost
sudo echo "Machine Images Demo 101" | sudo tee /var/www/html/midemo.html
curl localhost/midemo.html

# Access Application 
http://<external-ip-of-vm>
http://<external-ip-of-vm>/midemo.html

# Make a note of VM Instance Hostname and IP Address
Hostname: demo5-vm
IP Address: 10.128.0.16

Step-03: Create Machine Image

  • Go to Compute Engine -> VM Instances -> demo5-vm -> Create new machine Image
  • Name: demo5-vm-machine-image
  • Description: demo5-vm-machine-image
  • Source VM Instance: demo5-vm (Auto-selected)
  • Location: Multi-regional
  • Select Location: us (United States)
  • Encryption: Google Managed Encryption Key (leave to default)
  • Review Advanced Information
  • Machine type
  • Architecture
  • Network tags
  • Custom metadata
  • Service accounts
  • Deletion protection
  • Boot disk and local disks
  • Additional disks
  • Network interfaces
  • Available policies
    • Preemptibility
    • Automatic restart
    • On host maintenance
  • Click on Create
  • Observation: It will take 5 to 10 minutes to create the Machine Image.

Step-04: Verify the Properties after creation of Machine Image

  • Go to Compute Engine -> Machine Images -> demo5-vm-machine-image
  • Review Properties

Step-05: Create VM Instance from Machine Image

  • Option-1: Go to Compute Engine -> VM Instances -> Create Instance -> New VM instance from Machine Image
  • Option-2: Go to Compute Engine -> Machine Images -> demo5-vm-machine-image -> Actions -> Create Instance
  • Name: demo5-vm-from-machine-image
  • Rest all verify if all settings loaded from Machine Image
  • Click on Create

Step-06: Verify by accessing webserver pages for demo5-vm-from-machine-image

  • If required, you can do SSH connect and verify 
    # Access Webserver Pages
http://<external-ip-of-vm>
http://<external-ip-of-vm>/midemo.html

Observation:
1. index.html content should be same as demo5-vm
2. midemo.html content should be same as demo5-vm
3. Using machine images we have installed once and reusing the same image for creating identical vms
  • Key Observation: VM Hostname and VM Private IP in static pages of a webserver will be from demo5-vm because it is almost a VM Instance clone using Machine Image concept.

Step-07: Create Machine Image using gcloud cli

# Create Machine Image
gcloud compute machine-images create demo5-vm-machine-image-gcloud \
  --source-instance=demo5-vm \
  --source-instance-zone=us-central1-a \
  --storage-location=us  

# List Machine Images
gcloud compute machine-images list  

# Delete Machine Images
gcloud compute machine-images delete demo5-vm-machine-image
gcloud compute machine-images delete demo5-vm-machine-image-gcloud

Step-08: Stop VM to avoid charges

  • Go to VM Instances -> demo5-vm-from-machine-image -> Delete
  • Go to VM Instances -> demo5-vm -> Delete 
    # Delete VM instances
gcloud compute instances delete demo5-vm --zone us-central1-a
gcloud compute instances delete demo5-vm-from-machine-image --zone us-central1-a

Additional References

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