12 Jul Why you should be using Google Cloud’s Architecture
Every cloud computing model needs an internet connection, public or private. But the network architecture is key to ensuring everything runs smoothly. When the network is poorly designed, the other components within the cloud-based infrastructure are negatively affected. If you want your network resources to maintain high standards they need to communicate, something that is difficult without a solid network architecture. The best cloud providers have their own network offerings and the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers its own impressive suite of features. For all you Google Cloud users out there, here are some options, both private and software-defined, you should be aware of to keep those communication lines strong.
MANAGE THE NETWORKING ACROSS ALL YOUR RESOURCES
Google VPC is an isolated virtual network within the Google cloud infrastructure. Admin members can provision , connect and isolate Google Compute Engine (GCE) VM instances. Within the VPC you can share multiple projects across a common network in you organisation, allowing developers to communicate and collaborate but have their own project files, quota and bills. There are two VPC network types: auto mode (kick-off services immediately with auto-allocated subnet IP ranges) or custom mode (IP ranges are configured manually and can be moved from one availability zone to another). Networks can be segmented to restrict access to instances with a global firewall that can be used alongside VPN over IPsec to increase security.
LOAD BALANCING ACROSS THE GLOBE
Google Cloud Load Balancing is a service used to distribute network traffic across different GCE compute resources/regions to ensure that applications are scalable to accommodate for changes in traffic. It does this by placing the resource behind a single anycast IP to enable cross-region load balancing. There four types of load balancing available:
HTTP(S)
Balances HTTP and HTTPS traffic across various backend instances and regions. Your application is available via a single global IP address which results in a simplified DNS setup.
TCP/UDP
Spreads TCP traffic over many instances within a Compute Engine region. Does not require any pre-warming, is scalable and regular health checks are done so only healthy instances receive traffic. Process is the same for UDP traffic with the UDP load balancing.
SSL proxy/SSL Offload
SSL proxy provides SSL termination for any non-HTTPS traffic. SSL Offloads allows you to centrally manage SSL certificates and decryption in order to enable encryption for highest level of security.
THE CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK
Google Cloud Content Delivery Network (CDN) deliver applications and website contents to the end users using global points of presence (pop). The GCE instance groups move through the HTTP(S) load balancing feature discussed earlier and then through the Google Cloud CDN, which uses the caches on the pop at the edge of the Google Network to reduce the latency. With this tool you can produce and view logs of what information is received by the caches and delete it if unneeded within minutes.
RELIABLE, RAPID AND READY INTERCONNECT
Google Cloud Interconnect increases availability and reduces the traffic that is travelling from the in-house enterprise system to GCP. Providers such as Colt and Equinix offer direct connection so that an enterprise’s infrastructure can link to GCP. GCP services can be accessed by admins where they and use multiple Cloud Interconnect providers. Applications that are data-intensive benefit greatly from this service.
GLOBAL DNS NETWORKS WITH HIGH AVAILABILITY
Google Cloud DNS service frees companies ever needing to manage their own DNS servers and/or software’s. The user can submit requests for domain names and the DNS server proceeds to translate them into IP addresses. From here it stores those addresses (and other data) to allow users to search by name. DNS records can be managed by users via the GCP Console or create their own DNS interface using the REST API.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The networking service you use is highly dependable on your company, its needs and the application/web pages being managed and created through the Google Cloud Platform. With the proper research, decision making and implementation, your network architecture will be practically flawless and your cloud resources will communicate effectively.