Google says it is all about containers as it announces the Google Container Engine (GKE) at the Cloud Platform Live conference-- a means for building and running Docker-based containers on the Google Compute Engine (GCE).
Containers are a lightweight alternative to virtual machines, and as the search giant puts it, "GKE lets you move from managing application components running on individual virtual machines to launching portable Docker containers that are scheduled into a managed compute cluster for you."
Behind the GKE is Kubernetes (Greek for "pilot," and the same word "cybernetic" is derived from), the open source Docker container deployment tool Google announced last June. Essentially Kubernetes groups a number of VM instances (aka nodes) into clusters, which run Dockerised versions of applications at scale. The GKE handles all spinning up and down of app instances across the cluster, as well as load balancing and communication between containers.
Being open source it promises less lock-in to potential customers, even if Google predictably insists its Cloud Platform is the best place to run them.
In more Google announcements is the public beta of the Managed VMs for Apps Engine PaaS, now featuring auto-scaling support, Cloud SDK integration and support for runtimes built on Docker containers. Also entering public beta is the Google Cloud Debugger, the company's self explanatory cloud app debugging service.
On the Cloud Interconnect side Google says it is offering 3 connectivity options-- Direct Peering (a fast network pipe directly into Google), Carrier Interconnect (connects to Google via carrier partners) and VPN-based connectivity.
And finally Google is also cutting the prices for its IaaS services, with cuts covering SSD, database, disk snapshot, storage and networking services, and customers to be can also sign up for a free Cloud Platform trial.
Go Google Cloud Platform Live: Introducing Container Engine, Cloud Networking and Much More
