Preemptible and Spot VMs in GCP - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a Preemptible VM in Google Cloud?

A Preemptible VM is a virtual machine that runs at a lower cost but can be stopped by Google Cloud at any time, usually within 24 hours. It's good for short, fault-tolerant tasks.

intermediate

How does a Spot VM differ from a Preemptible VM?

Spot VMs are similar to Preemptible VMs but offer more flexible pricing and availability. They can be interrupted but may run longer and have different pricing models.

beginner

Why would you choose a Preemptible or Spot VM over a regular VM?

Because they cost less, making them ideal for batch jobs, testing, or workloads that can handle interruptions without losing important data.

intermediate

What happens to your data when a Preemptible VM is stopped?

The VM is stopped without warning, and any data stored on the VM's local disk is lost. Persistent disks keep data safe.

advanced

How can you design your application to handle Preemptible VM interruptions?

Use checkpointing, save important data to persistent storage, and design your app to restart or continue work after interruptions.

What is the maximum runtime for a Preemptible VM before it is stopped by Google Cloud?

A 12 hours

B 24 hours

C 48 hours

D No limit

Preemptible VMs can run up to 24 hours before Google Cloud stops them.

Which of the following is a key benefit of using Spot VMs?

A Lower cost with flexible availability

B Guaranteed uptime

C Unlimited runtime

D No interruptions

Spot VMs offer lower cost but can be interrupted, with flexible availability.

What should you use to keep data safe when using Preemptible VMs?

A Persistent disks

B Local VM disk

C Temporary storage

D No storage needed

Persistent disks keep data safe even if the VM is stopped.

Which workload is best suited for Preemptible or Spot VMs?

A Critical database servers

B Real-time user-facing apps

C Batch processing jobs

D Long-running backend services

Batch jobs can handle interruptions and benefit from lower costs.

What is a common strategy to handle VM interruptions?

A Running only on regular VMs

B Ignoring interruptions

C Using only local storage

D Checkpointing and saving state

Checkpointing helps resume work after interruptions.

Explain what Preemptible and Spot VMs are and when to use them.

Think about cheaper VMs that can be stopped anytime.

Describe how to design an application to work well with Preemptible or Spot VMs.

Focus on fault tolerance and data safety.