Machine types and families (E2, N2, C2) in GCP - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Machine types and families (E2, N2, C2)

Choose Machine Family

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E2: Cost-effective, general use

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N2: Balanced performance

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C2: Compute optimized

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Select Machine Type

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Deploy VM Instance

Start by choosing a machine family based on needs, then select a machine type within that family, and finally deploy the VM instance.

Execution Sample

GCP

gcloud compute instances create my-vm \
  --machine-type=e2-medium \
  --zone=us-central1-a

This command creates a VM instance using the E2 machine family with a medium size in a specific zone.

Process Table

Step	Action	Machine Family	Machine Type	Result
1	Choose machine family	E2		Selected E2 for cost-effective general use
2	Select machine type	E2	e2-medium	Medium size chosen with 2 vCPUs and 4 GB RAM
3	Deploy VM	E2	e2-medium	VM instance created in us-central1-a zone
4	End			Deployment complete

💡 VM instance deployed successfully with chosen machine family and type

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	Final
machine_family	none	E2	E2	E2
machine_type	none	none	e2-medium	e2-medium
vm_status	not created	not created	created	created

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why do we pick a machine family before the machine type?

Because the machine family defines the overall characteristics like cost and performance, and machine types are specific sizes within that family. See execution_table rows 1 and 2.

What happens if you choose a machine type not in the selected family?

The deployment will fail because machine types must belong to the chosen family. This is why step 2 selects a type within the family.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what machine family is selected at step 1?

A C2

B N2

C E2

D e2-medium

💡 Hint

Check the 'Machine Family' column in row 1 of the execution_table.

At which step is the VM instance created?

A Step 3

B Step 2

C Step 1

D Step 4

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Result' column for the step where VM status changes to created.

If you change the machine family to N2, what must you also change?

A The zone

B The machine type to one in N2 family

C The VM name

D Nothing else

💡 Hint

Refer to key_moments about matching machine type to family.

Concept Snapshot

Machine families group VM types by purpose:
- E2: cost-effective, general use
- N2: balanced performance
- C2: compute optimized
Choose family first, then pick machine type (size).
Deploy VM with chosen type in a zone.

Full Transcript

This lesson shows how to select a machine family and type in Google Cloud Platform. First, you pick a family like E2 for cost savings or C2 for compute power. Then, you choose a machine type within that family, such as e2-medium. Finally, you deploy the VM instance with these settings. The execution table traces these steps, showing the family and type chosen and the VM creation. Key points include matching machine types to families and understanding the purpose of each family. The quiz tests your understanding of these steps and choices.