Google Cloud Certified Associate Cloud Engineer - 1

Which of the following is an option for choosing a computing resource in Google Cloud?

• A. Cache
• B. Virtual machine (VM)
• C. Block
• D. Subnet

Answer explanation

The correct answer is B. A basic unit for purchasing computing resources in Google Cloud is the virtual machine (VM). Option A is incorrect; a cache is a low-latency storage system. Option C is incorrect; a block is a unit of storage on persistent disks. Option D is incorrect; a subnet is a networking abstraction.

If you use a cluster that is managed by a cloud provider, which of these will be managed for you by the cloud provider?

• A. Monitoring
• B. Networking
• C. Some security management tasks
• D. All of the above

Answer explanation

The correct answer is D. When using managed clusters, the cloud provider will monitor the health of servers, also known as nodes, in the cluster; set up networking between nodes in the cluster; and configure firewall and other security controls.

You need serverless computing for file processing and running the back end of a website; which two products can you choose from Google Cloud?

• A. Kubernetes Engine and Compute Engine
• B. Cloud Run and Cloud Functions
• C. Cloud Functions and Compute Engine
• D. Cloud Functions and Kubernetes Engine

Answer explanation

The correct answer is B. Cloud Run is a serverless platform for running containers, and Cloud Functions is a service for executing short-running functions in response to events. Kubernetes Engine is a managed cluster service, and both Kubernetes Engine and Compute Engine require you to configure servers. Neither Compute Engine nor Kubernetes is a serverless option.

You have been asked to design a storage system for a web application that allows users to upload large data files to be analyzed by a data analytics workflow. The files should be stored in a high-availability storage system. Filesystem functionality is not required. Which storage system in Google Cloud should be used?

• A. Block storage
• B. Object storage
• C. Cache
• D. Network File System

Answer explanation

The correct answer is B. Object storage, like Cloud Storage, provides redundantly stored objects without limits on the amount of data you can store, which makes option B correct. Since filesystem functionality is not required, option D is not a good option. Block storage could be used, but you would have to manage your own replication to ensure high availability and it would cost more than object storage. Caches are transient, in-memory storage and are not high-availability, persistent storage systems.

All block storage systems use what block size?

• A. 4 KB.
• B. 8 KB.
• C. 16 KB.
• D. Block size can vary.

Answer explanation

The correct answer is D. Block sizes in a block storage system can vary. Block size is established when a filesystem is created. In Linux, 4 KB block sizes are commonly used.

You have been asked to set up network security in a virtual private cloud. Your company wants to have multiple subnetworks and limit traffic between the subnetworks. Which network security control would you use to control the flow of traffic between subnets?

• A. Identity access management
• B. Router
• C. Firewall
• D. IP address table

Answer explanation

The correct answer is C. Firewalls in Google Cloud are software-defined network controls that limit the flow of traffic into and out of a network or subnetwork. Routers are used to move traffic to appropriate destinations on the network. Identity access management is used for authenticating and authorizing users; it is not relevant to network controls between subnetworks. IP address tables are not a security control.

When you create a machine learning service to learn how to classify objects using tabular data, what type of servers should you choose to manage compute resources?

• A. Virtual machines (VMs).
• B. Clusters of VMs.
• C. No servers; you should use specialized services, which are serverless.
• D. VMs running Linux only.

Answer explanation

Option C is correct because specialized services in Google Cloud, like AutoML are serverless. Google manages the compute resources used by the services. There is no need for a user to allocate or manage servers.

When does investing in servers for extended periods of time, such as committing to use servers for three to five years, work well?

• A. When a company is just starting up
• B. When a company can accurately predict server need for an extended period of time
• C. When a company has a fixed IT budget
• D. When a company has a variable IT budget

Answer explanation

Option B is correct; investing in servers works well when an organization can accurately predict the number of servers and other equipment it will need for an extended period and can utilize that equipment consistently. Startups are not established businesses with histories that can guide expected needs in three to five years. It does not matter if a budget is fixed or variable; investing in servers should be based on demand for server capacity.

Your company is based in North America and will be running a virtual server for batch processing invoices. What factor determines the unit per minute cost?

• A. The time of day the virtual machine (VM) is run
• B. The characteristics of the server
• C. The application you run
• D. None of the above

Answer explanation

The characteristics of the server, such as the number of virtual servers, the amount of memory, and the region where you run the VM, influence the cost, so option B is correct. Time of day is not a factor, nor is the type of application you run on the VM.

You plan to use AutoML to analyze sales data and predict product demand in the near future. You plan to analyze between 1,000 and 2,500 products per hour. How many VMs should you allocate to meet peak demand?

• A. 1.
• B. 10.
• C. 25.
• D. None; AutoML is a serverless service.

Answer explanation

AutoML is one of Google Cloud’s specialized services. Users of the service do not need to configure any VMs to use the service.