Ubuntu Google Cloud

Introduction

Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions for cloud environments, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provides robust infrastructure for hosting Ubuntu instances. This guide will walk you through the basics of deploying, configuring, and managing Ubuntu on Google Cloud, making it accessible for beginners while providing practical knowledge for real-world scenarios.

What is Ubuntu on Google Cloud?

Ubuntu on Google Cloud refers to running Ubuntu operating system instances on Google's cloud infrastructure. Google Cloud officially supports Ubuntu images, providing a reliable, secure, and up-to-date environment for your applications and services.

Benefits of Ubuntu on Google Cloud

• Reliability: Google's infrastructure combined with Ubuntu's stability
• Security: Regular security updates from both Ubuntu and Google
• Scalability: Easily scale resources up or down based on demand
• Cost-effective: Pay only for what you use with flexible pricing options
• Integration: Seamless integration with other Google Cloud services

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

1. A Google Cloud account
2. The Google Cloud SDK installed on your local machine
3. Basic knowledge of Linux commands
4. A billing account linked to your Google Cloud project

Setting Up Your Google Cloud Project

First, you'll need to create a project in Google Cloud Console:

1. Go to the Google Cloud Console
2. Click on "Select a project" at the top of the page
3. Click "New Project"
4. Enter a project name and select a billing account
5. Click "Create"

Installing Google Cloud SDK

The Google Cloud SDK allows you to manage your Google Cloud resources from the command line:

bash

# For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https ca-certificates gnupg

# Add the Google Cloud SDK distribution URI as a package source
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/cloud.google.gpg] https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt cloud-sdk main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-cloud-sdk.list

# Import the Google Cloud public key
curl https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt/doc/apt-key.gpg | sudo apt-key --keyring /usr/share/keyrings/cloud.google.gpg add -

# Update and install the SDK
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install google-cloud-sdk

Initialize the SDK and authenticate:

bash

gcloud init

Deploying Ubuntu on Google Cloud

Creating an Ubuntu VM Instance

You can create an Ubuntu virtual machine instance using either the Google Cloud Console (GUI) or the gcloud command-line tool.

Using the Google Cloud Console:

1. Navigate to Compute Engine > VM instances
2. Click "Create Instance"
3. Configure your instance:
   • Name: Give your instance a unique name
   • Region and Zone: Select based on your target audience location
   • Machine type: Select based on your resource needs
   • Boot disk: Click "Change" and select "Ubuntu" (typically Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or newer)
   • Firewall: Check "Allow HTTP traffic" if needed
4. Click "Create"

Using the gcloud CLI:

bash

gcloud compute instances create ubuntu-instance \
  --project=your-project-id \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --machine-type=e2-medium \
  --network-interface=network=default,subnet=default \
  --maintenance-policy=MIGRATE \
  --image-family=ubuntu-2004-lts \
  --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud \
  --boot-disk-size=10GB \
  --boot-disk-type=pd-balanced

Connecting to Your Ubuntu Instance

After your instance is created, you can connect to it using SSH:

Using the Google Cloud Console:

Click the "SSH" button next to your instance in the VM instances list.

Using the gcloud CLI:

bash

gcloud compute ssh ubuntu-instance --zone=us-central1-a

Managing Your Ubuntu Instance

Updating Your Ubuntu System

Once connected, it's important to keep your system updated:

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Installing Basic Software

Install some commonly used software:

bash

sudo apt install -y \
  nginx \
  python3-pip \
  git

Configuring the Firewall

To allow traffic to your web server, configure the Google Cloud firewall:

bash

gcloud compute firewall-rules create allow-http \
  --direction=INGRESS \
  --priority=1000 \
  --network=default \
  --action=ALLOW \
  --rules=tcp:80 \
  --source-ranges=0.0.0.0/0

Monitoring Your Instance

Google Cloud provides monitoring tools to track your instance's performance:

1. Navigate to Monitoring > Dashboards
2. Select "VM Instances" to view CPU, memory, and disk metrics

Practical Example: Deploying a Web Application

Let's go through a complete example of deploying a simple Flask web application on Ubuntu Google Cloud.

Step 1: Set Up Your Instance

Create an Ubuntu instance as described earlier, making sure to allow HTTP traffic.

Step 2: Install Required Software

Connect to your instance and run:

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3-pip python3-venv nginx

# Create a directory for your application
mkdir -p ~/myapp
cd ~/myapp

# Create a virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install Flask
pip install flask gunicorn

Step 3: Create a Simple Flask Application

Create a file named app.py:

bash

cat > app.py << 'EOF'
from flask import Flask

app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/')
def hello():
    return '<h1>Hello from Ubuntu on Google Cloud!</h1>'

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(host='0.0.0.0')
EOF

Step 4: Create a systemd Service

Create a systemd service file to run your application:

bash

sudo bash -c 'cat > /etc/systemd/system/myapp.service << EOF
[Unit]
Description=Gunicorn instance to serve myapp
After=network.target

[Service]
User=$USER
Group=www-data
WorkingDirectory=/home/$USER/myapp
Environment="PATH=/home/$USER/myapp/venv/bin"
ExecStart=/home/$USER/myapp/venv/bin/gunicorn --workers 3 --bind unix:myapp.sock -m 007 app:app

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF'

Step 5: Configure Nginx

Create an Nginx configuration file:

bash

sudo bash -c 'cat > /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp << EOF
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name _;

    location / {
        include proxy_params;
        proxy_pass http://unix:/home/$USER/myapp/myapp.sock;
    }
}
EOF'

# Create symbolic link
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/myapp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled

# Test Nginx configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Restart Nginx
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 6: Start the Application

bash

# Start and enable the service
sudo systemctl start myapp
sudo systemctl enable myapp

# Check status
sudo systemctl status myapp

You should now be able to access your application by visiting your instance's public IP address.

Scaling and Advanced Features

Creating Instance Templates

For scalable deployments, create an instance template:

bash

gcloud compute instance-templates create ubuntu-template \
  --machine-type=e2-medium \
  --image-family=ubuntu-2004-lts \
  --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud \
  --boot-disk-size=10GB \
  --tags=http-server

Setting Up Managed Instance Groups

Create a managed instance group for automatic scaling:

bash

gcloud compute instance-groups managed create ubuntu-group \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --template=ubuntu-template \
  --size=2

# Set up autoscaling
gcloud compute instance-groups managed set-autoscaling ubuntu-group \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --max-num-replicas=5 \
  --min-num-replicas=1 \
  --target-cpu-utilization=0.7

Using Cloud Storage with Ubuntu

Mount a Google Cloud Storage bucket to your Ubuntu instance:

bash

# Install gcsfuse
export GCSFUSE_REPO=gcsfuse-`lsb_release -c -s`
echo "deb http://packages.cloud.google.com/apt $GCSFUSE_REPO main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/gcsfuse.list
curl https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt/doc/apt-key.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y gcsfuse

# Create mount directory
mkdir -p ~/my-bucket

# Mount bucket
gcsfuse my-bucket ~/my-bucket

Optimizing Costs

Preemptible Instances

For non-critical workloads, use preemptible instances to save costs:

bash

gcloud compute instances create ubuntu-preemptible \
  --preemptible \
  --machine-type=e2-medium \
  --image-family=ubuntu-2004-lts \
  --image-project=ubuntu-os-cloud

Resource Monitoring and Budgeting

Set up budget alerts to monitor your spending:

1. Navigate to Billing > Budgets & alerts
2. Click "Create Budget"
3. Enter a budget amount and set up email notifications

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Instance Not Starting

Check the serial port output:

bash

gcloud compute instances get-serial-port-output ubuntu-instance

SSH Connection Issues

If you can't connect via SSH:

1. Check your firewall rules
2. Verify your SSH keys are properly set up
3. Use the browser-based SSH from Google Cloud Console

Disk Space Issues

Check disk usage and extend if needed:

bash

# Check disk usage
df -h

# Extend disk
gcloud compute disks resize ubuntu-instance \
  --size=20GB \
  --zone=us-central1-a

Security Best Practices

Keep Your System Updated

Regularly update your system:

bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Use Strong Firewall Rules

Limit access to your instances:

bash

gcloud compute firewall-rules create allow-ssh-from-trusted \
  --direction=INGRESS \
  --priority=1000 \
  --network=default \
  --action=ALLOW \
  --rules=tcp:22 \
  --source-ranges=YOUR_TRUSTED_IP_RANGE

Enable OS Login

Use OS Login for better SSH key management:

bash

gcloud compute instances add-metadata ubuntu-instance \
  --metadata enable-oslogin=TRUE

Summary

In this guide, we've explored how to deploy, configure, and manage Ubuntu instances on Google Cloud Platform. We've covered:

• Setting up a Google Cloud project
• Creating Ubuntu VM instances
• Managing your Ubuntu instances
• Deploying a web application
• Scaling and advanced features
• Cost optimization
• Troubleshooting and security best practices

Ubuntu on Google Cloud provides a powerful, flexible, and reliable platform for a wide range of applications, from simple websites to complex distributed systems.

Additional Resources

• Google Cloud Documentation
• Ubuntu Server Guide
• Google Cloud SDK Reference

Exercises

1. Deploy an Ubuntu instance on Google Cloud and install a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack.
2. Create a load-balanced setup with two Ubuntu instances serving a static website.
3. Set up automatic backups for your Ubuntu instance using Google Cloud Storage.
4. Configure a firewall to restrict access to your instance to only your IP address.
5. Create a monitoring dashboard for your Ubuntu instance that tracks CPU, memory, and disk usage.